Largest pay-out for whistleblowing

In September 2012, the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS) awarded $104 million to Bradley Birkenfeld (USA) for his role in exposing a tax evasion scheme that cost the US government billions of dollars in lost taxes. It is the largest such pay-out by a government to a single individual. US confidentiality laws allow whistleblowers to remain anonymous, a right Mr Birkenfeld waived - higher payouts might have been made but not reported. Mr Birkenfeld worked for the Swiss Bank UBS, and although found guilty himself of assisting US citizens to avoid US tax through schemes run by the bank and sentenced to two and a half years in prison, the information he had voluntarily given to the US IRS allowed the authorities to pursue thousands of taxpayers who were evading significant amounts of tax – the total running into billions – and to the UBS paying US $780 million to avoid criminal prosecution. Additionally, the bank disclosed information about US customers thus breaking a long tradition of Swiss bank secrecy.