The Head of the Anti-Corruption Department of the Police Administration, Peđa Tanjević, revealed that a police officer, against whom there was a final verdict for torture and abuse in the performance of official duty, who was temporarily suspended from work, had been receiving a salary for six to seven years.
Tanjević said this today at the 18th National Anti-Corruption Conference, organized in Podgorica by the Network for the Affirmation of the Non-Governmental Sector (MANS).
He explained that the case was discovered during a check of the property records of police officers, where it was noticed that the officer was receiving a salary less than 30 percent.
"After the investigation, the Ministry of Internal Affairs received information from the competent court that the proceedings had been concluded long ago and that the officer had been sentenced to one year and five months in prison. The Police Directorate has initiated proceedings to recover the funds," said Tanjević.
He emphasized that this is the only police structure in the region where all officers are required to report not only their real estate, but also who owns it, in order to prevent misuse and transfer of property to related parties.
At this moment, according to him, around 3.650 police officers are submitting asset reports, and 67 of them have not submitted their declarations, which is why disciplinary proceedings have been initiated.
Control and analysis of reports helps the Ministry determine the standard of living of officers and take appropriate measures, not only for the purpose of sanctioning, but also for the purpose of regulating the standard of living of police personnel.
Tanjević pointed out that a project called "Badge" has been launched, which checks all bodies and organizational units vertically and horizontally, in order to determine whether officers may have abused their position or influenced actions within the police structure.
As he said, the result was the temporary suspension of about a hundred senior managers and the initiation of proceedings against individuals whose reports and behavior were not in accordance with the law and internal rules.
Turković: Asset confiscation key to fighting high-level corruption
Special State Prosecutor Miroslav Turković emphasized that the fight against high-level corruption and money laundering is one of the priority tasks of the Special State Prosecutor's Office, especially in the context of European integration.
He emphasized that an effective fight cannot be waged without a systemic approach and final judgments, which enable the permanent confiscation of property acquired through criminal activity.
"We are witnesses that certain criminal groups, even when criminal proceedings are being conducted against them, continue to commit criminal acts. Without confiscating their property, you cannot take away their real power and you cannot ensure an adequate response from society," said Turković.
He explained that the Special State Prosecutor's Office takes a comprehensive approach when it comes to the assets of suspects: it checks the origin of the assets, determines the possible crime of money laundering, and takes measures to permanently seize them.
Turković stated that the assets subject to seizure often consist of hundreds of millions of euros, real estate, luxury vehicles, yachts and valuables, and that the investigation process often reveals acts such as the transfer, concealment or conversion of assets.
According to him, the Special State Prosecutor's Office and other state prosecutors' offices have shown increased activity in prosecuting high-level corruption crimes in the past few years, but many indictments have not yet resulted in final verdicts.
"This is a problem because without final judgments, we cannot seek permanent confiscation of property. We are still working to improve the situation, including strengthening human resources and other capacities in the courts," explained Turković.
He emphasized that the Special State Prosecutor's Office takes all actions in all cases to verify suspicions of the commission of criminal offenses, and that the property of suspects always remains the focus of the proceedings.
"We will continue to do this in the future," concluded Turković.
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