Former Minister of European Affairs Aleksandar Andrija Pejović will receive compensation of at least 2019 euros until March 1.620, which was his ministerial salary. At the proposal of the Government Commission for Personnel Issues, the President of the Administrative Board, Ljuiđ Škrelja, signed a decision on Wednesday according to which Pejović will receive compensation equal to his monthly government salary from the state budget for 12 months.
Pejović has the right to do so based on the Law on Civil Servants and State Employees, which stipulates that, after the termination of the mandate, the official has the right to receive compensation for one year after the termination of the mandate.
"Compensation is determined in the amount of earnings that the official had in the last month of service, with appropriate adjustments," states the commission's decision, which is confirmed by the Government.
In mid-March, Pejović submitted a request for compensation to the Commission for Personnel and Administrative Issues, which forwarded it to the parliamentary administrative committee on March 20. The Government Bureau for Public Relations did not answer whether the compensation will be determined on the basis of the minister's salary or the income that Pejović received as a minister, chief negotiator with the EU and ambassador. As provided by law, Pejović loses his right to compensation if he gets a job in the meantime.
At the beginning of March, the Parliament of Montenegro relieved Pejović of his duties as minister, chief negotiator and ambassador to the EU, following the Government's decision to accept his resignation. Pejović resigned after the Agency for the Prevention of Corruption (ASK) determined that he had violated the Law on the Prevention of Corruption, because, contrary to the Constitution of Montenegro, he had the status of ambassador at the same time.
Pejović, combining the functions of minister and ambassador, received a monthly compensation of 2017 euros from the state budget from May 3.168, and on that basis he was paid at least 28.518 euros. In the explanation of the Agency, it is stated that the Constitution stipulates that a member of the Government cannot hold a parliamentary or other public function, nor perform any other professional activity. After that, Pejović resigned from all positions and filed an appeal with the Administrative Court, referring to the Government's Decision on the establishment of a structure for the accession of Montenegro to the EU. Prime Minister Duško Marković later stated that Pejović was in a conflict of interest due to a misinterpretation of the law. He said that there is no responsibility of the Government and the conflict of interest is not the result of intention.
Five MPs receive compensation
According to the data of the Parliament of Montenegro, the right to compensation in the amount of salary was used by five former deputies last month. Thus, in February, the former representative of the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) Husnija Sabović was paid 1.705 euros, and his party colleague Vuk Roćen was paid 1.744 euros.
Former DPS MP Maida Bešlić received EUR 1.692 from the state coffers last month, while EUR 1.731 was paid to former Democratic Montenegro MP Velizar Kaluđerović. Former deputy of the Democratic Front (DF) Radojica Živković received a compensation of 1.797 euros in February.
Bonus video:
