The citizens of Montenegro will pay almost 64.000 euros net, that is, 100.000 gross wages to the former advisers of Prime Minister Zdravko Krivokapić, who held that position for only a few months, but upon dismissal they demanded to receive generous officials' fees in the following year.
Of the five dismissed advisors, only one - Aleksandar Novović has not received compensation upon termination of office since March, given that he is employed by the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MUP).
The government of Zdravko Krivokapić was formed on December 4 last year, after which the prime minister began to choose his first associates.
Željko Savović was appointed to the position of Krivokapić's advisor on December 17, and dismissed two months later - on February 11. His salary was 1.607 euros net, i.e. 2.399 euros gross, according to "Vijesti" from the Government.
Srećko Crnogorac was appointed advisor to the Prime Minister on December 23 last year, and was dismissed on March 4. During less than three months in office, he earned 1.200 euros net, or 1.791 euros gross.
On the same day, Novović was also appointed, and he advised the prime minister until March 11. He did not ask for an official award in the following year, because he is employed in the MUP.
The former adviser to the Prime Minister Andrijana Đordan was dismissed on June 11, and she received 1.200 euros net, or 1.791 euros gross.
Gordana Radović was appointed at the end of January, and dismissed on June 17. During that period, her salary was 1.323 euros net, or 1.975 euros gross.
The Center for Civic Education (CEO) says that they "previously criticized the way in which this issue was regulated, bearing in mind that the state of Montenegro, thanks to the existing provisions, is unusually broad-handed when it comes to compensation for former officials."
Vasilije Radulović, a program associate at CGO, reminded in a statement to "Vijesti" that the Law on Salaries of Employees in the Public Sector stipulates the right of a public official to, upon termination of office during the following year, receive compensation equal to the amount of compensation he received in the last month before termination of office.
"In addition, the possibility of extending the compensation for another year is foreseen, if during that period the former official acquires the right to a pension. This has put public officials in a disproportionately more favorable position compared to other employees in the state, including public sector employees who do not have the status of officials. Public officials enjoy numerous privileges even during their term of office, and some of these privileges, such as fairly high fees, do not end even after the end of their term of office, while the reason for its termination is ignored, i.e. whether the person was dismissed from office, resigned or mandate simply ended", said Radulović.
He believes that a particular problem is the fact that there is no limit when it comes to the time spent in office.
"In practice, this means that officials who have spent a few months of their four-year term in office can receive the same compensation for the next 12 months, or 24 if they need it that much to earn the right to a pension. Apart from the fact that it is absurd, it should be pointed out that even countries richer than Montenegro cannot afford such costs in public administration. Additionally, when it comes to certain officials who covered the positions of advisers in this government, the question is how much their contribution could have been in a period of, say, a month and a half, so that the citizens would pay them a salary to sit at home for the next year," emphasizes Radulović. .
He also points out that this kind of practice does not exist in the region either.
"Namely, the countries of the region have either completely abolished this privilege, or have reduced the conditions by reducing the period of receipt and the amount of compensation. For example, in neighboring Croatia, which is also a member of the EU to which we aspire, the reasons for the termination of the position have also been considered, so their regulations provide that officials who have been relieved of their duties or who have resigned are not entitled to this compensation", clarifies Radulović.
According to him, it is interesting that, although governments change, everyone remains equally weak on privileges during and after the term of office and that no government, not even a parliamentary group, submitted proposals to amend the law to abolish this unnecessary and disputed privilege for public officials .
"It is one of the indicators that shows how narrow personal interests are ahead of the public, because it is undoubtedly an irresponsible waste of money of all citizens as taxpayers. Finally, this is also an indicator that the modesty we hear a lot about during the pre-election campaigns disappears when the privileges are calculated", concluded Radulović.
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