MANS welcomes the recent action of the Special Prosecution for Organized Crime and Corruption in the case of “Grahovo” which shows that this institution may, when there is political will, that in a very short time efficiently process evidence and carry out an effective investigation.
Criminal charge in the case “Grahovo” MANS filed to the Special Prosecutor’s Office July 30th, 2015, against Milivoje Zivkovic, former executive director of the Agricultural Cooperative “Grahovo” and Zdravko Boskovic, executive director of the company “Grahovo Medical Center” from Herceg Novi.
Both individuals in a criminal complaint are charged as responsible for abusing the position in economy signing harmful contract based on which agricultural cooperative and its huge assets were sold to “Grahovo Medical Center” below market value.
MANS on this occasion, submitted to the prosecution an extensive documentation, which is addition to the disputed contract which was concluded, contained documentation of the ownership of the company “Grahovo Medical Center”, and data from Niksic cadastre based on which the MANS’s criminal charges was extended to persons from that institutions as facilitators of this adverse business.
By the first knowledge of this business we have come after citizen’ report through SOS line for reporting corruption, when MANS started to collect documentation which confirmed the report of a possible corruption case. Just this case speaks enough about what is actually the power of citizens in the fight against corruption and how important it is to recognize and report corruption. MANS annually receives over 500 claims of citizens on possible corruption, but unfortunately only a small number of complaints submitted to the prosecution are tried within a reasonable time.
MANS expects that the prosecution itself will recognize how important are requests that are coming from citizens, and that will in future period work to establish closer cooperation with them.
We also expect that the Special Prosecutor will and in other criminal charges filed by MANS show the efficiency and impartiality of the prosecutor’s office, even in the cases involving the very top of the Montenegrin political elite and their related criminal underworld.
Dejan Milovac
Director of the Research Center of MANS
