Centre for Civic Education (CCE) expresses serious concern over the manner in which the scoring procedure and allocation of apartments to employees of Radio Television of Montenegro (RTCG) was conducted. This represents a grave undermining of the principles of public interest and meritocracy, with elements of organised abuse of official position and systemic corruption, carried out under the auspices of an illegitimate and judicially contested management of this public media institution.
Firstly based on relevant media reports, and subsequently on insight into and analysis of the final ranking list, the CCE has established that the entire procedure was conducted in a non-transparent, unprofessional and selective manner, accompanied by numerous serious indications of manipulated scoring, possible co-perpetration in abuses, and an open disregard for the public interest.
Of particular concern is the fact that out of 90 individuals who, according to the ranking list, acquired the right to purchase apartments under favourable conditions, as many as nine individuals, i.e. 10%, had less than ten years of work experience. This clearly indicates that criteria such as professional experience, long-term service, and contribution to the public service did not carry genuine weight in the decision-making process.
Further indicative is the information that an apartment was allocated, according to available data, to an individual who commenced their professional training programme during the mandate of the unlawfully appointed Director General of RTCG, i.e. without any significant work experience. This vividly illustrates the depth of degradation of the principles of equality, professionalism, and social sensitivity within this procedure. When such data are compared with the cases of dozens of employees who have decades of service and still unresolved housing issues, it is reasonable to suspect that apartments were allocated on the basis of political loyalty, position, and personal connections, rather than objective criteria.
Such allocation of apartments is merely one segment of a broader problematic practice in which institutional rules give way to interest-based arrangements. This is confirmed by the RTCG Rulebook on Resolving Housing Needs, under which managerial and editorial positions receive the highest number of points, while years of service and long-term contribution to the institution are marginalised. A position must not be a decisive criterion that allows individuals with only a few years of service to gain precedence over colleagues with decades of experience.Illustrative is the case in which one person received 21 points based on 42 years of service, while another person received 32.4 points based solely on their position. In that case, the individual with 42 years of service did not receive an apartment, while the person holding a position with only 5 years of service did. All of this reinforces the impression that RTCG is establishing a system that rewards obedience, rather than one grounded in the law, social criteria, and the public interest.
We also recall the so-called “Vukovarka” case from 1999, when apartments were allocated under the auspices of the then lawful management of RTCG, yet the legal consequences of that procedure lasted for more than two decades and resulted in numerous court proceedings and financial compensations. The current situation is significantly more severe, as it involves a management whose legality and legitimacy are seriously disputed, and which disposes of multimillion-euro assets without adequate oversight or a clear legal basis. According to some estimates, the value of the building in which the apartments under construction were allocated amounted to €3.5 million, while market estimates reach approximately €7 million.
RTCG is a public service of the citizens of Montenegro, not a platform for rewarding obedience and implementing personal or party interests. It is therefore of utmost importance to ensure both social and institutional resistance to the normalisation of such practices.
CCE assesses that this is a matter which requires the professional attention of the Special State Prosecutor’s Office (SSPO), as well as an end to the silence of the Government of Montenegro and the competent Ministry of Culture and Media, which must finally respond to the continuous controversies surrounding RTCG. It is essential that individual responsibility of all persons involved in this procedure be established. At a systemic level, it is necessary to urgently revise the RTCG Housing Policy Rulebook, by reducing the scoring of positions and significantly increasing the scoring of years of service and social criteria.
Nikola Obradović, Programme Associate