Centre for Civic Education (CCE) expresses concern due to the fact that citizens of Montenegro will have to pay for more than 7, 000 000 EUR as compensation to the businessman and Prime Minister’s brother based on the final verdict of competent panel of Higher court in Podgorica. Courts decided in line with their jurisdictions. However, CCE believes that it is necessary to determine the responsibility for the damage made to Budget of Montenegro.
Firstly, it is problematic for a state, which is in the midst of intensive negotiations with the EU, to even consider business arrangements with the brother of the president of ruling party and Prime Minister. Secondly, it is devastating to make a deal in a manner in which it ends before the court and in the end the state, more precisely the citizens of Montenegro, have to pay large sums of money for someone else’s irresponsibility. Finally, this raises a reasonable doubt on the existence of numerous elements of corruption on high level.
CCE indicates that based on those seven millions euros, which citizens will now have to pay to businessman Aco Đukanović, at least one high school could have been built in Podgorica, as well as one elementary school and one kinder garden. That means that 1500 children and students could have obtained excellent conditions for their education. Finally, Montenegro, which very much lacks the staff and which universities are in the bottom of global ranking lists, could have paid for the costs of a three-year education at renowned universities, such as Oxford or Cambridge, for 165 best Montenegrin students, or for master studies on those same universities for 2,000 students, out of those seven million EUR which Government plans to compensate from the citizens, without previously determining the responsibility!
In short, these seven million EUR could have been an investment with a full certainty of return through multiple benefits for Montenegrin society, rather than being wasted for the compensation of harmful deals that had been arranged on the behalf of Montenegro, and based on which damage only current Prime minister’s brother benefits.
Hence, the CCE insists that Prosecution investigates this case entirely and efficiently in order to determine the responsibility for the damage made to Montenegro. Precisely these cases are the ones based on which the Prosecution will prove whether it has the capacities to fight the corruption on high level and to what extent were the previously conducted measures efficient.
Daliborka Uljarević, executive director