(Podgorica, 18 April 2012) – MANS today addressed a letter to the Commission for the Prevention of Conflicts of Interest (CPCI) in response to a request that we furnish concrete evidence concerning the conflicts of interest besetting the current Supreme State Prosecutor Ranka Čarapić.
Even though the Commission has sought more detailed information from us about the activities and manipulations undertaken by Čarapić in the course of several investigations, as well as evidence about the deals landed by her husband, MANS has refused to comply.
This is because the Law on Preventing Conflicts of Interest enables the Commission to obtain information on the facts necessary to carry out a process and make a ruling on these matters. This gathering of information should be undertaken by the relevant state institutions.
Therefore, Slobodan Leković, the President of the Commission – who earlier complained to the media that he lacks the powers to investigate and verify information that is submitted to him by public officials – no longer has any justifications.
Instead of seeking proof from us, Leković and his colleagues are paid to actually undertake such investigations themselves, including from the Supreme State Prosecutor.
However, Leković expects us to finish the job that he is being paid to do. Instead of doing his job, he acts as suggested by the relevant party in this affair (Ranka Čarapić). This is the very person whose conflicts of interest he needs to make a decision on.
We are asking that the Commission for the Prevention of Conflicts of Interest secure the relevant proof for itself in order to make a ruling on MANS’ initiative. MANS continues to maintain that Čarapić currently has a number of conflicts of interest, since she has subordinated the public interest to the private interests of her husband who has concluded several business deals with individuals that the Prosecutor’s Office is currently investigating.
