Montenegro urgently needs an "anti-mafia law", said the country's President Jakov Milatović, who requested Interpol's support and assistance in verifying the origin and tracking of assets of suspicious origin.
He met with Interpol Secretary General Valdesi Urquiza in Paris today.
Milatović's office announced that Urkiza praised Montenegro's efforts in strengthening institutions and fighting crime, emphasizing that Interpol is ready to provide additional support and expertise to our authorities through capacity building and information exchange.
Milatović emphasized that Montenegro faces challenges in the fight against organized crime and corruption, which is "one of the key tests on our country's European path."
"Unfortunately, we have witnessed that individuals who were supposed to protect the law – in the prosecution, police and judiciary – were part of networks that violated and undermined it. That is why the integrity of people in the security and judicial systems is crucial – we have seen how important it is for institutions to be clean, strong and resistant to abuse," he said. "This strengthens the trust of both citizens and our partners."
Milatović pointed out that a large part of the property is of suspicious origin and the funds are outside the country, which is why "additional professional support in the investigation is needed," the statement said.
As he said, the adoption of an "anti-mafia law" would be of key importance for the discovery and return of illegally acquired assets, while international cooperation will be crucial in that process.
"Global cooperation through INTERPOL and Europol shows that when institutions share data and trust, justice becomes achievable and security a common goal," the statement reads.
Milatović said that Montenegro remains a reliable partner in international efforts to combat crime and strengthen global resilience.
At the end of the meeting, he invited the Secretary General of Interpol to visit Montenegro, in order to further improve the partnership and concretize cooperation between institutions.
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