November 14 (SeeNews) - The limited cooperation between the prosecution and police is the key problem behind weaknesses in the investigation and prosecution of corruption in Montenegro, a report by Transparency International showed.
The report on fighting corruption in the Western Balkans and Turkey is an in-depth research into anti-corruption efforts of non-EU Balkan countries. The report, published on the website of the non-governmental organisation last week, provides a set of priorities for reform.
"The vast majority of criminal complaints submitted to the State Prosecutor's Office come from the public (non-governmental organisations and private firms)," Transparency International pointed out. "Criminal complaints are rarely submitted by the police, while those submitted by oversight bodies or auditing agencies are extremely infrequent."
Transparency International praised the judicial reforms implemented by Montenegro in recent years, as they have strengthened the independence of the judiciary. The new rules have also created grounds for improving cooperation between the prosecution and the police through the establishment of a special investigation team. Nevertheless, it is too early to judge to the extent to which they will have an impact in practice, Transparency International said.
The organisation recommended to the Montenegrin judiciary to publish decisions on the selection and promotion of judges based on clear and detailed criteria as well as to apply strict sanctions for police staff who abuse or neglect their duties or who are engaged in political party activities. The introduction of an internal whistleblowing mechanism would also help identify misconduct, Transparency International said.
In the field of media and civil society, Transparency International considers that the Montenegrin government should allocate funds to non-governmental organisations from the state budget through a public competition, laying down clear and objective criteria and detailing how these were matched, and establish mechanisms for overseeing the implementation of financed projects.