Sensitive whistle blower investigation handled with speed using Relativity aiR

Case Study 16 Oct 2025

Global eDiscovery Digital Forensics

A multinational corporation worked alongside Control Risks’ Discovery + Data Insights and Investigations teams to investigate serious board-level allegations. Using Relativity aiR’s RelativityOne with aiR for Review, they moved from a 275,000-document dataset to actionable findings within a strict two-week deadline.

Relativity aiR delivered speed and precision:

Investigation completed within a strict two-week deadline
60% reduction in document review time
Key evidence surfaced across languages

A race against the clock on a high-stakes allegations

It began with a single whistleblower report, submitted anonymously to the board of a multinational corporation. The report alleged serious misconduct by a senior board member based in the Asia Pacific region, an executive with broad influence and access.

The report outlined five explosive allegations that posed significant legal, regulatory and reputational risks. These were not just internal policy breaches.

The corporation’s Head of Ethics & Compliance knew the stakes were high. The response had to be swift, thorough and discreet. The primary challenge was scale versus time: over 275,000 emails and documents were collected from the executive’s mailbox including inboxes, sent items, archives and even deleted folders. The audit committee set a two-week reporting deadline.

Bringing Relativity aiR into the document review room

Control Risks was engaged to support the client with the investigation into the allegations. The scope was clear: the focus was one person, in one location but the volume of data told a different story. Given the complexity of the allegations, swift identification of relevant documents was key. Traditional review approaches wouldn’t meet the timeline or the complexity of the case.

To meet the aggressive deadline, without sacrificing thoroughness, Control Risks deployed RelativityOne with aiR for Review, leveraging GenAI technology to accelerate the investigation and uncover hidden insights. Rather than relying solely on keywords and costly linear review, we approached the matter more intelligently:

Keyword searches helped narrow the dataset based on terms relevant to each allegation.
We transcribed a Teams session with the client explaining the allegations. The transcription, alongside the whistleblower emails, an internal report and other instructions drafted by the client were submitted to Relativity aiR’s prompt kick-starter. The prompts generated by kick-starter were finetuned in collaboration with the client and Control Risks’ Discovery + Data Insights and Investigations teams.
Working hand-in-hand with the client, we tested the English language prompts on small samples - 50 documents in the first iteration, 100 in the second - to ensure clarity, context, and relevance.
Once optimised, the prompts were applied across the full search term responsive dataset.

Fast, focused and forensically sound

Within a day, key documents surfaced that shaped the direction of the investigation.

Thanks to the power of Relativity aiR, we delivered:

Initial findings within one week and completed the investigation within two weeks.
Discovery of relevant documents in Bahasa Indonesia, despite the prompts being entirely in English.
A ~60% reduction in review time through the swift identification of relevant and borderline documents and the presence of rationales and considerations for each document, allowing investigators to report faster and jump to key sections in documents immediately.
Clear evidence supporting internal disciplinary action and legal review.
A satisfied client, with the Head of Ethics praising both the GenAI workflow and the collaborative prompt process.

A definitive report and confident client

For the client, it was more than just technology - it was peace of mind. They saw firsthand how GenAI could be used responsibly, efficiently and defensibly to accelerate sensitive investigations. This case reinforced a powerful truth: when internal misconduct surfaces, speed and accuracy matter. With the right blend of expert-led investigative workflows and GenAI tools like Relativity aiR for Review, organisations can respond decisively. Relativity aiR didn’t just make review faster - it made it smarter.