In 2014, Dr Benjamin Koh, former chief medical officer at CommInsure Life, the Commonwealth Bank of Australia’s (CBA) life insurance portfolio, blew the whistle on the misconduct that allowed CBA to avoid paying life insurance claims.

Among Koh’s specific allegations was the use of outdated definitions of medical conditions to deny payouts and pressuring doctors to change their professional opinions to suit CBA’s claims strategy.

Initially, Koh made complaints internally after he noticed files going missing from the company’s systems. These complaints were escalated to the CommInsure board, and an audit was commissioned.

But Koh never received details about the process or outcomes. His employment was terminated in 2015 for a breach of IT policy — he had been sending files that he feared would be deleted to his personal email account. Koh filed a wrongful dismissal claim and settled out of court.

Significant misconduct

In Australia in recent decades, whistleblowers have brought to light significant misconduct and maladministration, including human rights abuses, systemic sexual and racial discrimination and harassment, and environmental destruction in both the public sector and private companies.

Premium

You need to login to access this

Login

What are CIP Points? About ANZIIF Membership