Record corruption reports in Montenegro: Agency receives 147 reports in six months

The Agency for the Prevention of Corruption in Montenegro has set a new record: in just the first six months of this year it received 147 corruption suspicion reports — more than double compared to the same period last year, surpassing the six-month level of all years so far.

The figures were made public by the Agency’s director, Kristina Braletiq, in a statement to RTCG. According to her, the reports most often relate to irregularities in employment relations, the work of local and state bodies, as well as public procurement. Systematic analysis shows that local authorities account for the largest number of reports, followed by state bodies, while the health system ranks third.

The growth has not stopped even in the second half of the year: the total number of reports so far has exceeded 230. According to director Braletiq, this has been driven by the Agency’s campaigns encouraging corruption reporting, as well as the growing trust of citizens in institutional mechanisms.

The Agency started this year with a burden of 297 unresolved cases from previous years. So far it has acted on 83 reports: 45 of them were closed, 38 were forwarded to prosecutors and other competent bodies. In 8 cases, endangerment of the public interest was established, while in two cases official procedures were initiated.

For the coming period, the Agency’s priorities will be cooperation with the prosecution, the European integration process and fulfilling GRECO recommendations, preparations for next year’s election cycle, as well as organizing a major anti-corruption conference in Montenegro at the beginning of October.

Source: RTCG