The Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation has sent an initiative to the Ministry of Justice to recognize a new criminal offense in the Criminal Code - "purchase and use of a false diploma".
The Ministry did this at the proposal of the Interdepartmental Working Group dealing with the verification of diplomas obtained abroad, which is headed by the State Secretary for Education. Dragana Babović.
Minister of Education Anđela Jaksic - Stojanović confirmed to "Vijesti" that the initiative was sent to the department Bojan Božović.
"We expect that the Ministry of Justice will recognize the importance of the initiative because it is about protecting the national interests of Montenegro," Jakšić-Stojanović said briefly.
The Criminal Code of Montenegro currently recognizes only the criminal offense of forgery of documents.
Therefore, the Ministry told "Vijesti" that the Interdepartmental Working Group, at its session on March 24, reached the conclusion to address the initiative to the Ministry of Justice.
"...In order to consider the possibilities of recognizing a new criminal offense in the text of the future Draft Law on Amendments to the Criminal Code of Montenegro - the purchase and use of an educational document in the legal transactions of Montenegro," the Ministry emphasized.
The department emphasizes that it is extremely important for the Ministry of Justice to consider the initiative of the Interdepartmental Working Group and thereby contribute "not only to improving the criminal-legal protection of the Montenegrin education system, but also to preventing abuse and the consequences that false documents can have on the Montenegrin labor market."
They reminded that a large number of procedures are currently underway before the competent Montenegrin authorities based on reports of suspected forgery of documents, as well as suspicions of illegal acquisition of educational documents.
"We appeal to employers to check whether their employees, who have acquired education abroad, have a decision from the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation on recognition. Otherwise, any employment and exercise of rights from and on the basis of work, such as, among other things, an increase in salary, is illegal," concluded the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation.
The department recently announced that they will not recognize any diplomas from the private "Tutin" High School in Tutin that were earned since 2019, when the institution was banned from operating due to illegality.
They emphasized that there were 64 such diplomas. The school in Tutin was banned from operating almost six years ago because it was determined that for around 1.400 euros and just one school year, people could retrain as nurses and technicians, road traffic technicians, medical workers in kindergartens, etc.
At the end of last year, at the proposal of the Ministry and its Interdepartmental Working Group, the Government decided that Montenegro would not recognize diplomas from six private institutions from Bosnia and Herzegovina until the courts there reach a verdict in the "Cluster" case, in which the leaders of those faculties and universities are charged with trafficking in diplomas, mainly in economics, law, technical-engineering and health professions, as well as management.
The local prosecutor's office is charging the leaders of these institutions with trafficking in at least 49 higher education degrees: economics, law, technical-engineering, health professions, management...
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