“Singing” pays, even figuratively, especially in the United States. Kim Gwang-ho, a long-time engineer of Hyundai Motor Company, knows something about it, to whom the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the US federal authority that deals with road safety, has recognized the sum of 24 million dollars (over 21 million euros). This is the highest compensation ever paid to a “deep throat” of the automotive sector worldwide and is also the first awarded by the body on the basis of the program in support of whistleblowers created in 2015 by the Barack Obama administration with the aim bring to light negligence or fraud. The plan includes a bonus mechanism that varies between 10 and 30% of the penalties then paid in the event of an infringement being ascertained.
The tip of the expert, assisted by the specialized law firm Constantine Cannon which has offices in New York, Washington, San Franciso and also in London, dates back to the summer of 2016. Referring to an internal document, Kim Gwang-ho had informed the authority of the “laziness” with which Hyundai and the subsidiary Kia would have intervened on a design defect linked to the Theta II engine that increased the risk of accidents. The subsequent investigation conducted by the NHTSA and taken in 2017 confirmed the engineer’s report, also revealing how the Korean group had provided incomplete information in relation to the problems highlighted.
The investigation led to the recall of 1.7 million vehicles and a civil penalty of 210 million dollars, almost 185 million euros. The 24 million euros that went to the engineer (and to the law firm that represented him) constitute the maximum amount allowed by the program, that is 30% of the payment of 81 million dollars advanced by the group. “I am happy to have been rewarded for the risks I took to protect the owners of the faulty cars and grateful that the American legal system has a program that made it possible,” Kim Gwang-ho said in a statement. The engineer also announced that he “hopes that my report will lead to a real increase in safety, in Hyundai and in the entire industry”.