Diplomatic representations of Montenegro in Italy and Germany did not submit receipts for cash spent and reports on the use of official vehicles, while the embassy in the Vatican employed staff without the approval of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MVP).
This is stated, among other things, in the report of the State Audit Institution (DRI) on the operations of diplomatic missions in Italy, the Vatican and Germany for 2018.
The SAI issued a conditional opinion on the report, stating that diplomatic missions violated laws and internal regulations.
The SAI points out that the embassies did not submit budget proposals for the following year to the ministry, nor did they have adequate documentation for the money spent.
The embassies in Italy and the Vatican, headed by Sanja Vlahović and Miodrag Vlahović, did not keep auxiliary records of cashier operations, even though it is their obligation.
"The Embassy in the Vatican withdrew cash from the giro account in significantly larger amounts than the expenses paid, so that at the end of the month it had a significant amount of cash from 3.976 to 7.292 euros, which, despite the Ministry's warning, it did not regularly pay into the giro account," he states. in the DRI report.
It is also warned that the embassies in Rome and the Vatican did not submit a report on fuel consumption and mileage to the ministry. Despite the request of the General Secretariat of the Ministry, the embassies did not list deposits in accounts, cash in cash registers and outstanding obligations.
"The Embassy in Rome did not properly record expenses for official trips in the amount of 1.373 euros. The consulate general in Frankfurt and the embassy in the Vatican did not submit a report on public procurement, while the embassies in Rome and Berlin did not submit a report within the legal deadline", it is stated and it is stated that the embassy in the Vatican concluded employment contracts with local staff before obtaining approval from the Ministry of foreign affairs.
The report states that the ministry, headed by Srđan Darmanović, spent 372.236 on the embassy and Italy last year, and that 47 was subsequently paid for the purchase of an official vehicle and consular equipment, as well as the transportation costs of the delegation of the ministry and the President of Montenegro. .
It is clarified that another 19.320 euros were paid from the consulate in Frankfurt to the account of the embassy in Rome for the payment of the deposit for the lease of the new office space. The expenses of the embassy in Italy last year amounted to 459.395, of which the largest part was spent on salaries, accommodation of staff and procurement of equipment. 41.800 euros were spent on the accommodation of Ambassador Vlahović, while staff bills for mobile phones amounted to 3.497 euros.
Last year, the embassy in the Vatican had 330.633 thousand expenses, most of which was paid for salaries, rent for the embassy, accommodation of staff and procurement of equipment. 55 was allocated for renting the premises where the embassy is located, while 43.200 euros were spent for the accommodation of Ambassador Vlahović.
Bills for fixed and mobile phones amounted to 4.659 euros, while the expenses of the national team amounted to about seven thousand.
"The representative office should provide individual bills for mobile and fixed telephony in order to be able to determine compliance with the set limit, and the costs of purchasing mobile phones should be paid in accordance with the rulebook," the report points out.
The embassy in Germany, which is headed by Vera Kuliš, had 309 expenses, of which 115 was spent on renting the embassy premises and staff accommodation. 17.288 euros were spent on renting the ambassador's apartment, while the annual rent for the embassy was 58.535 euros.
The General Consulate in Frankfurt, headed by Branislav Karadžić, spent 380 euros last year, of which 130 were spent on salaries.
139.028 euros were spent on renting premises for the consulate and staff accommodation.
Exceeded the limits for ambassador rents
The SAI recommended that the Ministry, in accordance with the regulations, determine the limits for the rental fees of diplomatic staff apartments, as well as inform the representative offices about the amount and purpose of the approved funds for the current year. SAI also asks the ministry to determine the individual budgets of diplomatic missions.
"In accordance with the Regulation on the special supplement to the basic salary, the Ministry did not establish a limit for the costs of renting the apartment of the head of the representative office and the first adviser, which caused the embassy in Rome to exceed the limit by 5.160 euros. "The Ministry allowed exceeding the limit to the embassy in the Vatican in the amount of 2.912 euros and to the General Consulate in Frankfurt in the amount of three thousand euros," states the SAI.
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