Prime Minister Duško Marković said that former Minister of European Affairs Aleksandar Andrija Pejović was in a conflict of interest due to a misinterpretation of the law.
Pejović resigned after the Agency for Prevention of Corruption determined that he violated the Law on Prevention of Corruption and the Constitution of Montenegro by combining the functions of minister and ambassador in Brussels.
The former minister combined his functions on the basis of the Government's decision, which enabled him to receive compensation of 3.165 euros per month.
When asked how the Government will respond because Pejović found himself in a conflict of interest, Marković said that the conflict of interest was not the result of intent.
He called on the non-governmental sector to help create public policies, and not to engage in politics.
"So, the Government respects the decision of the ASK and now it is up to me to resolve the issue in terms of personnel and organization. There is no responsibility for the Government here. The Government is only showing that it is capable of applying laws and respecting all institutions," said Marković after the meeting with the President European Commission's Jean-Claude Juncker, who said that Pejović's resignation has no impact on Montenegro's path to EU membership.
From the Center for Civic Education (CGO), which submitted the report to ASK against Pejović, they said that they hope that the institutions will deal effectively with all the cases they process, but also that they will establish responsibility for the unconstitutional Decision on establishing a structure for negotiations with EU.
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