I honestly would say this varies between university system. In some places there is a definite push to silence whistleblowers. In the US, it's easier to get aw

I honestly would say this varies between university system. In some places there is a definite push to silence whistleblowers. In the US, it's easier to get away with this if the institution is private. I went to a state school in the US. If there's fraud going on, it's a mismanagement of state funds. If I came across large-scale fraud, I wouldn't go through institutional channels. I'd go straight the state attorney general's office. That takes the investigation out of the hands of people who can directly punish you.