Suspensions in the police force continue.
Minister of Interior Danilo Šaranović has suspended four police officers, Televizija Vijesti has learned.
According to unofficial information, some of them were allegedly found to have unjustifiably large assets, as well as connections to crime, which they deny.
Šaranović says that, regardless of the pressures, he will work even more determinedly to establish the full integrity of the service.
While the number of suspended police officers is growing, the lawyer for most of them, Mihailo Volkov, points to the shortcomings, saying that the decisions could be overturned.
Creating a criminal organization, abuse of official position, accepting bribes, initiating disciplinary proceedings due to security obstacles to work - these are the reasons why Minister of the Interior Danilo Šaranović suspended four more police officers.
Unofficial information also suggests that some of them have assets of great value, which they could not justify, and that their connections to criminal activities have allegedly been discovered.
Šaranović's department stated this morning that the suspension came after a proposal from direct managers, with the opinion of the acting police director, Lazar Šćepanović.
"Regardless of the pressures and attempts to stop the functioning of control mechanisms in the Ministry of the Interior, which are reflected in commissioned texts, and attempts to put pressure on professionals in the service, the establishment of full integrity of the service will be implemented even more decisively. Our task is to establish a system in which every police officer must be loyal only to the police badge, the Constitution and the law," said Šaranović.
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Determined to, as he claims, put an end to organized crime, Šaranović announced at the beginning of the year that he would suspend 70 police officers.
After the tragedy that occurred in Cetinje on January 1, the public was informed of the suspension of 19, and then four more, that same month.
At the end of January, disciplinary proceedings were initiated against seven police officers and three officers from the north, on suspicion that they had not taken all measures and actions in the case of Alija Balijagić, suspected of a double murder in the Bijelo Polje settlement of Sokolac.
The Bijelo Polje Basic Prosecutor's Office has filed a case against six local police officers.
Last month, the wife of former police director Veselin Veljović, Tamara Veljović, and police officer Veselin Bošković were also suspended.
Lawyer Mihailo Volkov, who represents a dozen suspended officials, points to omissions that, he says, could lead to the decisions being overturned.
"What I have noticed in recent days is that it is not the signature that is missing, but rather a facsimile. This is an illegality which, if it is raised in an appeal, will certainly lead to the annulment of that decision," said Volkov.
He believes that with these activities, the Ministry of Interior wants to divert attention from real and pressing issues that have affected the security sector.
In his opinion, no valid reasons were given for the suspension of the police employees.
"He is wrong in that if the possibility of initiating disciplinary proceedings is given, then that is certainly not the reason. The reason must be what the Ministry of Internal Affairs has decided. None of the decisions we have looked at contain key reasons, and according to the Law on Administrative Procedure, in Article 22, it is clearly stated, among other things, that every administrative act must have its own explanation," Volkov said.
However, judging by earlier announcements from Danilo Šaranović's department, suspensions of a certain number of police officers can be expected in the coming period.
The four suspended police officers claim they have no connection to criminal activity or unexplained assets.
They contacted Television Vijesti, stating that disciplinary proceedings were being conducted against them based on the opinion of the commission for determining security obstacles, which has since been disbanded.
They say that they were not explained why the disciplinary procedure was carried out specifically and say that they are being politically persecuted, and that they, as long-time professionals, have nothing to do with politics.
They also stated that they would request protection of the integrity of those who disclosed their names and alleged abuses in the court process.
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