PARLIAMENT OF MONTENEGRO
ANTI-CORRUPTION COMMITTEE          
Daliborka Pejovic, President of the Committee
Members of the Committee

Podgorica 18/6/2018

Subject: Initiative for cessation of a proceeding for dismissal of Vanja Calovic-Markovic from the position of member of Council of the Agency for Prevention of Corruption (APC)

Dear MPs,

On 29/5/2018, Deputy Director of the Agency for Prevention of Corruption has passed a decision No. UPI-02-01-57/26-2017 by which was determined that Vanja Calovic Markovic has violated provisions of the Law on Prevention of Corruption. The Anti-Corruption Committee was informed of this decision, as an organ authorised for selection and appointment of members of Council of the Agency for Prevention of Corruption.

While the proceeding was being conducted, Calovic Markovic was offered no possibility whatsoever to declare herself about any circumstance or fact that is stated in the decision of the Assistant Director of the Agency.

Furthermore, the Constitutional Court has even on 30/1/2018 adopted a Decision U-II No. 4/16 and 19/16 by which it determined that Rules on work of the Agency for Prevention of Corruption in the part of prevention of conflict of interest of public officials are in contrary to the Constitution of Montenegro, and according to this decision the Deputy Director has no authorisation to pass such decisions.

The Article 42 Paragraph 1 of the Law on Prevention of Corruption stipulates that violation of provisions of this law that is determined by ultimate, i.e. the final court verdict shall be deemed a negligent exercise of a public function, of which the Agency shall inform the organ of powers in which the public official is performing the public function and the organ authorised for selection, appointment, i.e. assigning of a public official, in order to initiate proceeding for dismissal, suspension or imposing disciplinary measure. »

Today’s front page of ‘Dnevne novine’ and main text on page 2 and 3 represent a peak of shameless campaign which is for months being led against me personally and non-governmental organisation Centre for Civic Education (CCE/CGO) that I represent.

I want to highlight to the public: it is untrue that I have any connection to the ‘text’ which Dragan J. Vucicevic wrote on family Draskovic, who was Editor-in-Chief of the magazine ‘Izlaz’, and has in this capacity edited independently that student magazine. I did not interfere in the work of the editorial. From the perspective of media servants of the authorities in Montenegro who work as per order, this seems unreal. It is true that after this edition which marked his selected direction in journalism, we have gone on different sides, never to see each other afterwards, and that today we stand on substantially diametrically opposite sides and value positions.

All those who supported also this student project, of which one part was the student magazine ‘Izlaz’, and many others as well, have clearly seen both then and now who is who. Therefore I am still in excellent relation with those international organisations, foundations and institutions because they appreciate my knowledge, work and value framework. »

Centre for Civic Education (CCE) has today, within the framework of project ’SPINoFACT 3 – political advertising between spin and facts’, presented final findings of monitoring of media campaign for local elections in Podgorica which were held on 27 May 2018.

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Announced discussion on initiative for dismissal of Director General of RTCG, Andrijana Kadija, re-confirms the intention of DPS to return RTCG under its absolute control, and halt its transformation into public service, despite warnings from European Union.

We remind that systemic, continuous and so far unheard-of attacks on RTCG started with unlawful dismissals of two members of the Council, Goran Djurovic and Nikola Vukcevic, in December last year. Illegal dismissals of two members of the Council, which were technically carried out by the Administrative Committee, led by MPs of DPS, Ljuidj Skrelja and Marta Scepanovic, have clearly demonstrated that DPS chooses no means to ‘cleanse’ the RTCG from those who are disobedient to them and re-convert this media into a party bulletin. For this purpose, individuals have been installed in the Council who are direct executors of orders from the authorities with a translucent tactic of multi-month undermining of the management authority, interfering the RTCG functioning and, ultimately voting for dismissal of Director General. »

Centre for Civic Education (CCE) has submitted an initiative to the Agency for Prevention of Corruption (APC) seeking initiation of a proceeding against 24 MPs and one mayor who have not, in line with the Law on Prevention of Corruption, reported accurate and full information in reports on income and assets.

At the end of 2017, media have published that MPs of the ruling coalition have gained, according to the decision signed by Secretary General of Parliament of Montenegro, the so called variable i.e. addition on salary. At the beginning of 2018, when submission and processing of reports on income and assets has been completed, media have also pointed out that a number of these MPs has not duly reported the said addition to the salary.

Tracing this information and by detailed insight into available reports on incomes and property of public officials for 2017, CCE has ascertained that the following MPs have not submitted information on the said variable: Branimir Gvozdenovic, Miodrag Radunovic, Obrad Stanisic, Andrija Nikolic, Mirsad Muric, Ana Nikolic, Maja Bakrac, Predrag Sekulic, Zeljko Aprcovic, Bogdan Fatic, Branko Cavor, Filip Vukovic, Nikola Rakocevic, Milorad Vuletic, Jovanka Lalicic, Radule Novovic, Danijel Zivkovic, Momcilo Martinovic, Andrija Popovic, Ervin Ibrahimovic, Nedzad Dresevic, Mico Orlandic, Genci Nimanbegu and Adrijan Vuksanovic. Additionally, the then MP and now President of Municipality of Bijelo Polje Petar Smolovic, apart from not reporting the said addition to the salary, has not either reported the change of function to the APC, to which he is obligated by the Law on Prevention of Corruption. »