WORLD NEWS FOR MONTENEGRO DIASPORA
Choose language:
SOURCE: POBJEDA / M.J.
Zoran Vujičić, a member of the Council of the Agency for the Protection of Personal Data and Free Access to Information (AZLP), has, according to the findings of the Agency for the Prevention of Corruption (ASK), threatened the public interest with actions that point to the existence of corruption.
He, as a member of the AZLP Council, made the recommendation of that agency for the participation of the NGO Civic Alliance in the competition with the Ministry of Public Administration "Public administration accessible to everyone" (Transparent public administration), although at the same time he was engaged for expert services in that NGO.
This was determined by the Agency for the Prevention of Corruption by examining the veracity of the allegations from the report they received on October 20.
KAS, after conducting a procedure for verifying the veracity of the allegations contained in the application, and evaluating all the facts and circumstances, found a threat to the public interest that points to the existence of corruption related to the actions of individual members of the AZLP Council.
In the report, which was received by the ASK, it is stated that Vujičić, as a member of the AZLP Council, influenced other members of the Council, obtained a recommendation that the Civic Alliance should apply for competitions published by the Ministry of Public Administration.
In the application to the KAS, it was stated that Vujičić is also the deputy program director of the Civic Alliance.
Statement of AZLP
Three days after receiving the application, ASK requested a statement and documentation from AZLP.
Zoran Vujičić stated in his statement that the AZLP Council made a decision to support the Civic Alliance and submitted the minutes of the session from July 27, which he chaired, and Muhamed Gjokaj was also a member of the session.
By examining the veracity of the application, KAS determined that the public tender was announced on July 24 of this year and that one of the conditions of the tender was the submission of a recommendation.
AZLP is in the statement of 31.10.2023. year and from 23.11.2023. stated that by reviewing the existing documentation, they determined that a recommendation was made for the NGO Građanska aljansa to participate in the "Transparent Public Administration" project, the content of which was sent to AZLP via email on 27.7.2023. delivered by the Civic Alliance, and according to a previous agreement with Council member Zoran Vujičić, signed by Council member Muhamed Gjokaj by authorization.
They also stated that there are no memoranda, declarations or contracts on the provision of any support that were concluded between AZLP and the NGO Građanska alijansa.
Vujičić stated in his statement to ASK that on 31.7.2022. signed the mutual termination of the employment relationship with the Civil Alliance.
However, even though Vujičić no longer works in the Civic Alliance, by looking at the AZLP confirmation dated 7/6/2023. in 2008, the KAS established that he was employed as a member of the Council with a mandate of five years, and that he was issued a certificate for expert services for the NGO Građanska alijansa.
The facts of the examination procedure
After reviewing the entire submitted documentation as well as the statement, the ASK established that the NGO Civil Alliance applied for the project, that Vujičić was employed by that NGO, and that he received confirmation from AZLP, in which he is a member of the Council, to work as a consultant in the NGO Civic Alliance. It was established that the AZLP Council, whose member is Zoran Vujičić, at the session held on 7/27/2023, gave a recommendation to the Civic Alliance, which was signed by Muhamed Gjokaj by authorization.
The recommendation was based on an agreement between Zoran Vujičić and the coordinator of the human rights and justice program of the Civil Alliance, which was indisputably established by reviewing the email from July 27. Bearing in mind the established factual situation, and the evaluation of the evidence individually and in their interrelationship, the ASK determined that in the procedure it initiated upon the application, there is a threat to the public interest that points to the existence of corruption because Zoran Vujičić, as a member of the Council of the Agency for the Protection of Personal Data and Free Access information with the aim of gaining personal benefit, participated in the session held on 7/27/2023 in the decision-making process of giving a recommendation to the NGO Civic Alliance, while at the same time AZLP never had business cooperation with the NGO Civic Alliance, for which reason the recommendation could not even be given - it is stated in the opinion of ASK.
They point out that Zoran Vujičić, as a member of the AZLP Council, had to emphasize his connection with the NGO Civil Alliance, because he was employed there and currently has a certificate that he provides expert services for the NGO Civil Alliance.
That is why he had to be exempted from the decision-making process related to that NGO - the ASK concluded in its opinion.
Recommendations and obligations
KAS recommended to the Agency for the Protection of Personal Data and Free Access to Information that in the future, in all cases in which it suspects that there may be a conflict of interest, a member of the Council who suspects a conflict of interest should make a statement about the existence of a private interest, and that the Council of AZLP from KAS- and request an opinion on the existence of a conflict of interest.
KAS obliged AZLP to, in accordance with Article 53 of the Law on Prevention of Corruption, within 30 days from the date of receipt of this Opinion, submit a Report on the actions undertaken in relation to the aforementioned recommendations.
What is endangering the public interest?
According to the legal regulations, endangering the public interest means a violation of regulations, ethical rules or the possibility of such a violation that caused, causes or threatens to cause a danger to the life, health and safety of people and the environment, a violation of human rights or material and non-material damage to the state or a legal or natural person , as well as an action aimed at not finding out about such a violation, while integrity represents the legal, independent, impartial, responsible and transparent performance of work by which public officials and other employees of the authority protect their reputation and the reputation of the authority, ensure the trust of citizens in the performance of public functions and the work of government bodies and eliminate doubts about the possibility of the emergence and development of corruption.
