Centre for Civic Education (CCE) welcomes the proposal of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), which is related to the amendment of the Law on Interior Affairs, in the part concerning the records of the assets of police officers in charge for the fight against organized crime and corruption, in order to prevent their illegal enrichment.
CCE has previously pointed to the need for decisive and systematic fight against endemic corruption in Montenegro. The introduction of this anti-corruption measure such as special control of authorized police officers who work to protect the safety and property of citizens, will contribute to a more professional and accountable police work, and at the same time, increase the confidence of the citizens of Montenegro in the the organs that are directly responsible for the fight against corruption and organized crime. CCE appreciates that this is the right approach to take realistically painful and difficult but necessary steps to deal with this challenge. In addition, CCE hopes that SDP will persist on their positions, and these will not be an investment in another coalition compensation, as well as that they will be using the existing mechanisms – primarily the fact that the Minister of Interior is from this party – and consistently apply these provisions in practice, if these pass the legal procedure.
CCE considers that the Ministry of Interior is directly responsible for all police officers who are illegally acquiring property to the detriment of the public interest, and that the records of property cards should not be internal, in order to comply with the principles of transparent and responsible work of the Ministry. Also, the Ministry of Interior could conduct more adequate and rigorous penal policy for all officers for which there is evidence that they were part of the chain of corrupt and unconscious performance of their function. In that respect, CCE proposes to investigate property status of all police officers, at least in the past 5 years. Namely, according to our information, into Ministry of Interior and Police Directorate at the time, tens of millions of euros in aid for the fight against corruption and organized crime was invested, and the results remain quite unconvincing.
CCE welcomes political and legal action focused on efficient fight against illegal enrichment and hopes that announced political will of the ruling structures to support the strengthening of the legislative framework will be implemented through concrete results in the fight against corruption and organized crime.
Tamara Milaš, Programme associate