The Basic State Prosecutor's Office in Podgorica rejected the criminal complaint filed for the misuse of data and signatures for the 2018 presidential elections, the Center for Democratic Transition (CDT) announced.
"Even though the misuse of data and signatures for the 2018 presidential elections was established, the Basic State Prosecutor's Office in Podgorica did not take any action on the matter", according to the CDT, which submitted the report on behalf of a group of citizens, whose, as the NGO states, , data and signatures misused.
The prosecutor's office informed CDT of the rejection of the criminal complaint almost five years after the filing of the criminal complaint, at a time when, as stated by CDT, citizens are contacting that organization again with the same problem, because their data is being misused to support presidential candidates.
"In the explanation for the dismissal of the criminal complaint, it is clearly stated that the graphologists determined that the signatures of the citizens who approached the CDT and on whose behalf the complaint was filed were not authentic, however, the criminal complaint was dismissed because 'the statute of limitations for criminal prosecution has expired'", they add. from CDT.
They said that due to the failure of the prosecutor's office, they will submit a complaint to the Higher State Prosecutor's Office about the work of the Basic State Prosecutor's Office.
"Such a decision causes great concern and impunity for the misuse of citizens' data in the election process is only an incentive to commit such crimes again. We are waiting for the outcome of other criminal charges and numerous citizens who reported abuses to us at the time, and we hope that this will be a lesson in the current the actions of the prosecutor's office regarding new reports from citizens who claim that their data was misused in this election process," the announcement concludes.
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