Radonjic would like to limit access to property records of public officials: making the Law meaningless

Although several times above the average, the salaries of Montenegrin politicians remain in the shadow of the salaries of the heads of public companies.

Thus, Nikola Vukićević, the president of the board of directors of Montenegro Airlines, a loss-making company, receives 2.850 euros per month, but also around 1.300 more based on membership in working bodies and commissions.

The monthly salary of the executive director of Elektroprivreda Crne Gore (EPCG), Igor Noveljić, as well as the president of the Board of Directors of this company, Đok Krivokapić, exceeds 3.000 euros.

It is also interesting to note that Veselin Vukotić, as the president of the Board of Directors of Plantaž, earns around 700 euros per month, and his total income, with allowances and fees from the private faculty of the University of Donja Gorica (UDG), the Montenegrin Academy of Sciences and Arts (CANU) and the Institute of strategic studies, amount to 7.200 euros.

And while Televizija Vijesti continues to monitor the property records of public officials, the authorities are considering limiting access to the complete data in them.

That idea, which was recently proposed by the director of the Agency for the Prevention of Corruption Sreten Radonjić at the session of the Anti-Corruption Committee, is unacceptable for the civil sector and the media.

They assess that the Law on the Prevention of Corruption and everything that should be achieved in the rule of law and through negotiations in Chapters 23 and 24 are meaningless to the team.

While Montenegrin citizens these days have the opportunity to monitor the income and assets of public officials, the head of the Agency for the Prevention of Corruption (ASK) Sreten Radonjić hints that part of that data should be hidden from the public eye.

Thus, they would be available only to KAS, and the parliament, courts, and prosecutor's office could receive them upon request.

The prime minister sees it this way: "If the conditions are met that the law needs to be changed, in terms of the protection of personal data of citizens, the parliament will decide on it. I am, by the way, an advocate that the personal data of citizens should not be manipulated, and they are manipulated." Prime Minister Duško Marković said yesterday.

In the civil sector, on the other hand, they point out that by hiding part of the data in the property records of officials, the anti-corruption law would be meaningless.

"That would make any control completely meaningless. If this initiative actually passes, it will mean that the complete control will depend on Sreten Radonjić, that is, on his mood as to whether any public official should be prosecuted, which is what we believe in MANS absolutely unacceptable," said Dejan Milovac from the NGO Network for the Affirmation of the Non-Governmental Sector (MANS).

Publicity of data, and their monitoring, is a European standard, says Tina Popović, journalist of Nezavisni dnevnik Vijesti.

He comments on the idea of ​​a possible restriction as follows: "I think it's a very rude initiative, considering the address from which it originates. I think that those who should take care of consistent application and sanctioning of those who do not declare assets, are exactly initiating the hiding of assets That's not a good message and we're taking steps backwards in relation to what our European partners are asking for," said Popović.

Popović also notes that the initiative of the ASK comes at a time when property records are becoming more visible in the electronic media, since the newspapers Vijesti and Dan have been following it until now.

"When TV Vijesti started to get involved and when the property of officials finally starts to be more visible, and citizens understand what officials actually have and what they can do in relation to them, I think that this initiative represents a kind of resistance by those public officials." , Popovic said.

And even now officials have mechanisms to hide assets.

"A real example of this is the property of President Milo Đukanović in Kočani, for which we saw, according to drone footage, that these are not ruins, as he presented them in his property record, but also in the data of the Real Estate Administration. On the contrary, it is being done about fairies," said Popović.

And Milovac cites some examples that would remain unknown to the public if the data were not available.

"We have the former minister Brajović, now the president of the Assembly, and his sale of his salary, we had the former and current director of the police, who also reported first a luxury car, and then an apartment," Milovac said.

Popović and Milovac conclude that property records can be a starting point for investigating illegality, and that officials who have nothing to hide should not oppose European standards.