Director of the Agency for the Prevention of Corruption Kristina Braletić, told "Vijesti" that upon taking office, she encountered problems in the functioning of the institution, including the unavailability of some data on cases, and noted that the institution had not conducted in-depth checks on the assets of the highest state officials for years.
This is why, according to her, they were unable to determine for years that the former president of the country was Milo Djukanovic possessed a weapon.
She confirmed the newspaper's information that she was also waiting for cases that had been processed and ready for dispatch for a long time, a significant number of which relate to high-ranking public officials.
"Immediately after taking over the management of the Agency, in April of this year, we recorded all the cases found in the office of the acting director. On that occasion, 59 case files were recorded, including 19 decisions that had already been completed, and a significant number of case files and the aforementioned decisions related to high-ranking public officials, including cases in which the proceedings had been completed almost a year ago. I do not know the reasons why those decisions were not sent from the office," said Braletić.
She did not directly answer the question of whether the information that certain data was deleted from the system before she took office was correct, but she stated that she had not received the cases, which, she claims, will slow down their work due to the re-collection of data.
"That's a good question. According to the data from the official records available to the Agency, no in-depth checks were carried out on the income and property reports of the persons to whom your question refers. The aforementioned fact is particularly worrying and therefore justifiably raises questions about the quality of the controls carried out in the previous period. The very fact that the highest state officials were able to pass under the Agency's radar justifiably raises the question of what the nature of the aforementioned controls was in relation to other categories of officials. At this point, we can only speculate about the causes of the aforementioned failures," she said, responding to the editorial team's question about in-depth checks, but also why ASK was unable to determine for years that the former president of the state owned weapons.
Such omissions, according to her, raise the question of the efficiency of previous controls and the manner in which the Agency carried out its supervisory work.
Speaking about the situation she found at the Agency, she pointed out that the lack of human and financial resources are closely related and that these issues must be addressed simultaneously.
"The two key challenges I encountered upon taking office were the pronounced lack of adequate human and financial resources. These are interrelated problems that significantly affect the Agency's capacity to carry out its responsibilities. In addition to the above, the unfavorable educational structure of employees was particularly worrying in terms of the lack of appropriate profiles that the Agency needs given the responsibilities it covers, as well as the Agency's incomplete information system," she explained.
Braletić also states that immediately upon taking office, she initiated activities to fill key positions, reorganize, and use existing resources more efficiently.
"Also, activities are being carried out to operationalize the IT system and complete it so that in the coming year we will have fulfilled the prerequisites for adequate technical support in our work and thus improve the efficiency of the Agency. We are facing increasingly demanding obligations arising from the European agenda and the new Law on the Prevention of Corruption, which is why strengthening professional and technical capacities is one of our priorities and a key prerequisite for fulfilling legal responsibilities to the full extent. At the same time, the financial independence of the Agency continues to be a serious challenge. The budget is still below the legally prescribed minimum this year, which partially limits our possibilities for further strengthening internal capacities," she said.
The Agency Director emphasized that in order to resolve the current situation, she requested urgent funding from the budget reserve at the very beginning of her mandate: "Because the existing budget does not provide funds even for the salaries of newly employed people, even though prior approval from the competent ministry was obtained for their employment."
She said that she expects this issue to be resolved at the next sessions of the Government of Montenegro, before the annual holidays: "So that we can start implementing the planned project activities and work plans from the fall. The lack of human and financial resources is closely related and these issues must be resolved simultaneously."
Decisions waited for a year and a half
She confirmed the newspaper's information that, with her position as director, she was also faced with cases that had been processed and ready for dispatch for a long time, and that among them were those relating to high-ranking public officials.
"Immediately after taking over the management of the Agency, in April of this year, we recorded all the cases found in the office of the acting director. On that occasion, 59 case files were recorded, including 19 decisions that had already been completed, and a significant number of case files and the aforementioned decisions related to high-ranking public officials, including cases in which the proceedings had been completed almost a year ago. I do not know the reasons why those decisions were not sent from the office," said Braletić.
She also explained what she did with those items:
"Immediately after taking office, I ordered that cases that were in the final phase be returned for a repeated, detailed review of all relevant facts and circumstances, in order to ensure complete legality and accountability in the proceedings before making and signing final decisions. Some of these cases have been completed in the meantime, while in the remaining procedures, the necessary actions are being taken to make lawful decisions."
Responding to the newspaper's questions, she said that she intended to continue with intensive work from the very first day, because the Agency has a large number of obligations arising from the European integration process, as well as the domestic strategic framework for the fight against corruption, and that she believed that they had no time for downtime and that the interest of the institution was above any individual interest.
"However, I did not receive the aforementioned list of cases, which will certainly affect the need to re-collect data on the aforementioned cases, which is why valuable time is being lost, but ultimately it will not prevent us from setting these cases as a priority for resolution. Unfortunately, this is another indicator that I have not encountered an equal level of responsibility and willingness of all employees to contribute to this goal. Certain obstructions, which the public has been partly aware of since the very beginning of my election as Director of the Agency, still pose a challenge today," she said.
Braletić also says that no obstruction has and will not stop the reforms they have begun.
"On a legal basis, we will strive to resolve any problem that stands in the way of institutional strengthening, improving efficiency and fulfilling our obligations to both the citizens of Montenegro and our European partners. What I would particularly emphasize is that regardless of different opinions, we must take care of the reputation of the institution. My priority remains the building of a professional, responsible and strong Agency that will carry out its mandate exclusively in the public interest."
Drakić. The case is among my belongings.
Former Acting Director of ASK Dušan Drakić, said that through dedicated, professional, systematic and thorough work, they managed to significantly contribute to resolving a key priority in the work of ASK, which related to a large number of cases that had not been resolved in the previous period, and related to whistleblower reports, as well as property reports and conflicts of interest of public officials.
"During my term of office, an average of 30 to 40 cases were resolved per month, solely on the basis of the procedure conducted and the evidence collected. Regardless of which public officials were involved, the cases were concluded at the moment when, based on the established facts and circumstances, it was possible to make a lawful decision. Despite the various limitations we faced during my term of office, including frequent competitions at the beginning of 2026, I believe that we have continuously achieved excellent results, both in qualitative and quantitative terms."
He stated that the relevant assistant directors should be asked about the number of cases that remain pending, who they concern, and what stage of the proceedings they are in...
"I believe that they were non-selective and independent in their actions, regardless of the persons to whom the cases relate. The handover of all activities was carried out properly, and the document I prepared, which contains an overview of all planned and initiated activities of the Agency during my mandate, was submitted to the President of the Council."
Unfortunately, according to him, what has characterized the work of ASK in the previous period is the formation of various committees - from the committee for destroying official phones to the committee for searching for computer cases.
"I believe that the quality of work and the results achieved are much more important for the agency and the public than the computer case that is among my belongings at the Agency. I also hope that no one has rummaged through my personal and official files, nor acted in any way contrary to the law."
He said that in 2026 they were in a continuous competition for the selection of directors, which is why a certain number of decisions that were completed during that period were not published during their duration: "So that those decisions would not be placed in the context of the competition itself, in which I also participated."
ASK hosts conference
The Agency for the Prevention of Corruption will host the jubilee, 25th annual conference and General Assembly of the EPAC/EACN network in the fall, and Braletić explains that they have focused a significant part of their capacities on organizing that event.
"After the already held ministerial conference, this is the next major event for Montenegro, which has shown us confidence as a future member of the European Union. We are in daily communication with the EPAC/EACN Secretariat and all preparations are proceeding according to plan. Our goal is to organize the conference at the highest level and at the same time present Montenegro as a reliable partner and active participant in European anti-corruption processes," she said.
She pointed out that the procedure before the Government is underway to secure additional financial resources from the budget reserve, after which the public procurement procedure for the organization of this significant international event will be initiated.
"I am convinced that both the Agency and Montenegro will be ready to successfully respond to the role of host and that this conference will be an opportunity to further affirm the results that Montenegro is achieving in the field of prevention and suppression of corruption and thus contribute to the closure of the remaining negotiation chapters, possibly by the end of this year," she said.
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