Montenegrin prosecutors are investigating the assets of ten police officers because they do not match their official income, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which is headed by Danilo Šaranović.
In addition to the ten cases before prosecutors, the lifestyle of police officers that is inconsistent with their salaries in another 19 cases is being investigated by the Ministry of the Interior, as well as the Agency for the Prevention of Corruption.
"Of the total number of cases formed - 29, 11 cases are being processed in the Anti-Corruption Department, one case is being processed in cooperation with the Internal Control of the Ministry of Interior, seven cases are being processed with the Agency for the Prevention of Corruption (AKP), while 10 cases are in the competent prosecutor's offices," the Ministry of Interior said.
Head of the Anti-Corruption Department Predrag Tanjević announced during the MANS International Anti-Corruption Conference in December that checks were underway in 12 cases due to the lifestyle of Police Directorate officers.
Five months later, the Ministry of Internal Affairs specified that in relation to one case that was under consideration in December, the competent prosecutor's office declared that there were no elements of a criminal offense, for which prosecution was being undertaken ex officio.
"In other cases, officers of the Anti-Corruption Department act according to the instructions and directions of the competent prosecutor's office, taking measures and actions within their jurisdiction...", the Ministry of Internal Affairs told the newspaper.
When asked whether new cases have been opened against police officers since December last year due to suspicions that their assets do not correspond to their declared income, the Ministry of Internal Affairs said that "as of March 31, 3, officers of the Anti-Corruption Department had opened another 2025 new cases against police officers due to suspicion that their assets do not correspond to their declared income." In total, they emphasize, 17 of them are currently in the works.
The department pointed out that providing more detailed information would not be in accordance with the Regulation on the Control of Property, Income and Lifestyle of Police Officers.
"...Which stipulates that the method of conducting control is not available to the public, and also provides for measures to protect personal data, in accordance with the Law regulating this area," they told "Vijesti".
At an anti-corruption conference in December, Tanjević said that the department he heads has introduced some innovations, unlike the Agency for the Prevention of Corruption, so that police officers are obliged, in addition to declaring assets and income, to also declare the real estate they live in, even if it is not registered in their name, as well as real estate whose value exceeds 5.000 euros.
He also emphasized at the time that some Police Directorate officers own multiple properties and expensive vehicles that they did not justify with income reports, but also announced a comparison and matching with existing property records and databases of other state bodies...
In June last year, the Regulation on the Control of Property and Lifestyle of Police Officers came into force, obliging police officers to declare their own property and income, as well as that of their family members, by the end of July, so that the Anti-Corruption Department of the Ministry of the Interior could monitor whether their lifestyle deviates from the official financial situation.
If necessary, during the control, this may also be requested for their relatives, friends or business partners, the regulation states.
The adoption of the Rulebook fulfilled the obligation under the Law on Internal Affairs, which provides for the control of police officers' assets, after more than a decade. The fact that this mechanism did not exist for more than a decade has led to the fact that in recent years, several police officers and officials have found themselves in the dock on suspicion of criminal association and corruption.
29 cases are being filed against police officers whose lifestyles do not match their official salaries
A number of accused police officers are on the run, while those who have been arrested are offering millions in bail to defend themselves from freedom, which raises doubts about the origin of their assets.
Most of them, according to official data, lived on official salaries, from which they could hardly accumulate as much money as they offer for bail.
In January, Minister Šaranović said that 3.581 police officers had submitted reports on assets and income to the Anti-Corruption Department, while 62 police officers had not submitted their reports within the stipulated deadline.
They must declare salaries, real estate, watches, jewelry
According to the Regulations, police officers must also report items worth more than 5.000 euros - artwork, jewelry, watches..., as well as the residential space they live in, regardless of whether they are its owners.
Police officers and their spouses and children are required to declare all immovable property, as well as movable property that is registered - cars, boats, aircraft. They must declare savings, deposits and loans in banks in the country and abroad, loans, receivables, securities, and ownership in companies.
They must also provide the officers of the Anti-Corruption Department with information on the amount of their monthly salary, remuneration for membership in working bodies established by state and municipal authorities, income from scientific, educational, cultural, sports activities, copyright and related rights, as well as other work, activities, rent or other sources. The police officer must also provide the same information for a married or common-law spouse and children living in the same household.
"A police officer shall submit a report within 30 days of the date of employment, based on the situation on the date of employment, once a year, and no later than the end of July of the current year for the previous year," the Rulebook states.
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