A whistleblower who uncovered a massive €200 billion money laundering scheme and a murdered Maltese journalist that exposed corruption have won this year’s Allard Prize for International Integrity.
The $100,000 award, which was established in 2012 and is funded by Vancouver lawyer, Peter Allard, recognizes efforts to promote human rights or fight corruption.
This year’s award is being shared by Howard Wilkinson, a whistleblower with Danske Bank, who helped expose one of the largest money laundering schemes in history, and Daphne Caruana Galizia, an investigative journalist who was assassinated in a car bombing in 2017 after exposing high-level corruption in Malta.
“We are honoured to present the 2020 Allard Prize jointly to Daphne Caruana Galizia and Howard Wilkinson, in recognition of their leadership and commitment to protecting human rights and combatting corruption,” said Allard, in a release.
“Their stories of integrity and courage inspire all of us to effect positive change in pursuit of a more just and transparent world,” he added.
In a virtual ceremony, Caruana Galizia’s family and Wilkinson each received $50,000 prizes.
“Receiving the Allard Prize for International Integrity on behalf of our wife and mother, Daphne Caruana Galizia is both humbling and encouraging,” said Galizia’s family.
“We hope that the honour itself will inspire those who have taken up Daphne’s work to never give up and that it will encourage others to take up the fight against corruption and abuse of power,” they added.