Centre for Civic Education (CCE) welcomes the actions taken by the Budget Inspection of the Ministry of Finance following the initiative we submitted on 19 June 2025, requesting an inspection of the legality of salary calculations and the management of public funds in the Radio and Television of Montenegro (RTCG). Although it took almost a year for action to be taken on this initiative, the fact that the competent state authority thoroughly examined the allegations contained in the initiative, established serious irregularities and ordered that they be remedied confirms that civic oversight can result in concrete institutional action.
Through the initiative, the CCE requested that the Budget Inspection conduct a comprehensive inspection of RTCG’s financial operations, with a particular focus on the legality of the calculation and payment of salaries to senior management, the awarding of the variable component of salaries, the criteria for such payments, as well as any attempts to conceal unlawful decisions through the internal acts of the management. The initiative followed allegations made by the then Vice-Chair of the RTCG Council, Marijana Camović Veličković, in our PROUDCAST, which pointed to the possible unlawful determination of salaries and non-transparent management of public funds, which we considered required institutional scrutiny.
The findings of the Budget Inspection show that these allegations were not without foundation. On the contrary, a pattern of unlawful determination and payment of salaries to the Director General and several RTCG managers was established. More specifically, the Budget Inspection found that salaries had been determined without the legally prescribed decisions, that certain employment contracts and their annexes were contrary to the Law on Salaries of Public Sector Employees and the RTCG Collective Agreement, and that salary supplements and the variable component of salaries had been paid outside the legally prescribed salary structure and without the appropriate legal acts.
It was specifically established that the Director General of RTCG, Boris Raonić, received EUR 26,602.18 on the basis of the so-called “salary component under the employment contract”, contrary to the prescribed salary structure. In the cases of several Assistant Directors General and directors of organisational units – Goran Rakočević, Mitar Rakčević, Milan Knežević, Milijanka Kasalica, Dejan Vujović, Bojana Čađenović, Sanja Grdinić – irregularities were identified in the payment of salary supplements and the variable component of salaries, meaning that they were unlawfully paid more than EUR 85,000. Consequently, the Budget Inspection ordered RTCG to remedy the identified irregularities and align its operations with the law within 60 days, which is a lenient measure in comparison with the legal options available.
These findings constitute an important institutional response to years of warnings about unlawful practices in the operation of RTCG. At the very least, it is expected that the competent State Prosecutor’s Office, within the scope of its powers, will without delay address this case, as it has done in other cases based on the findings of the Budget Inspection, and examine the potential criminal liability of all persons whose actions led to such management of public funds. However, bearing in mind the prosecution’s previous selective approach in certain cases, the CCE will not allow this case to be ignored. We will therefore file a criminal complaint, accompanied by the Budget Inspection report and other relevant documentation, so that there can be no doubt that all the facts and evidence justifying further action have been made available to the competent authorities.
We particularly expect the prosecution, in this case, to demonstrate the same degree of professionalism, efficiency and promptness that it has shown in other cases where it considered that there were grounds for urgent action. The rule of law cannot depend on the position someone holds or the institution from which they come. The same standards must apply equally to everyone, because without their consistent application there can be no genuine rule of law.
At the same time, we expect the Protector of Property and Legal Interests of Montenegro to initiate the appropriate proceedings to recover the funds which, according to the findings of the Budget Inspection, were unlawfully paid to Boris Raonić and his closest associates, in order to protect the public interest and secure compensation for the damage caused.
The CCE will continue to monitor the implementation of the measures ordered by the Budget Inspection for RTCG, as well as the actions of the prosecution and the Protector of Property and Legal Interests of Montenegro. At the same time, we will continue to monitor other aspects of RTCG’s work and point out irregularities, with the aim of ensuring that the Public Broadcaster becomes an institution that consistently serves the public interest, rather than the interests of individuals.
Nikola Obradović, Programme Associate