(Podgorica, 31 March 2011) – In so far as the Government of Montenegro claims to be genuinely committed to addressing the seven priority areas for reforms that were identified by the European Commission, individuals who head institutions in the country should be held to account for their failures in achieving results. The first person who should appear on such a list of officials should be Veselin Veljović, the Chief of Police.
Since the arrival of Veljović at the head of the Police Directorate, citizens’ trust in this institution has deteriorated, the police has engaged in the illegal collection of telecommunications data, while its results in the fight against corruption and organized crime can be reduced to targeting the lowest echelons of the social and criminal hierarchy.
According to official information provided by the Police Directorate, 43 cases of corruption were reported to that institution in 2010. During the same period, MANS received some 429 individual corruption complaints – i.e. nearly ten times more than was reported to the police – which speaks volumes about the faith that citizens have in the police (and to the police’s own efforts in remedying this perception).
The recent ruling of the Agency for the Protection of Personal Data confirms that the police illegally accessed the data of telecommunications operators, with the full knowledge and involvement of the police chief. Essentially, the police was consciously and unlawfully extending its powers to access individual data and to violate citizen’s rights to privacy. At the same time, it barred its own internal oversight body from accessing police databases out of an alleged concern for privacy and the confidentiality of personal data.
Veljović, who has been unlawfully eavesdropping on citizens for years, claims that the police needed these wider powers in order to effectively fight corruption and organized crime. However, the police’s concrete results in this domain are marginal. Specifically, the police under Veljović has uncovered some corruption scandals, claiming that the state budget was damaged for millions of dollars. As time passed, the claimed amounts became smaller and smaller, while many of those initially accused were let go (even though the police was supposed to have collected all the relevant evidence).
Moreover, during Veljović’s mandate small-time smugglers and dealers were mostly targeted for arrest, while Darko Šarić was able to leave Montenegro ‘unnoticed,’ clearly demonstrating the ‘effectiveness’ of police in using special investigative techniques.
One gets the impression that Veljović was stricter with the media and the NGO sector than towards criminals. Only a few months ago he was claiming that those who talk about corruption and organized crime are enemies of the state and of its citizens. Instead of investigating the fallout from Safet Kalić’s now infamous wedding, Veljović for instance began detaining journalists and NGO activists for ‘hearings’ in order to craft conspiracy theories that claimed the video was doctored and directed against the state.
At a time when the European Commission is requesting that we implement the norms of the European Court for Human Rights, Veljović has initiated proceedings against an independent media outlet for quoting the statements of an opposition politician (demanding 50,000 euros in compensation for emotional distress). Such behavior simply represents continuity with past practices, demonstrating the police chief’s breadth of democratic commitment and his respect for human rights.
For all of the above reasons, we are convinced that Veljović is not a cadre capable of ensuring the democratization of the police, respect for human rights or achieving tangible results in the fight against high-level corruption and organized crime.
We believe that it is more than obvious that cadres like Veljović can seriously hamper Montenegro’s candidacy for the European Union. This confirms allegations that the new government lacks the political will and democratic capacities needed to implement the seven priority reforms identified by the European Commission. For this reason, we expect that Prime Minister Lukšić will remove Veljović and demonstrate with such an action a sincere commitment to human rights and the fight against organized crime and corruption.
Vanja Ćalović
Executive Director
