Today, 22 NGOs appealed to the Administrative Committee of the Parliament of Montenegro seeking to initiate the procedure for dismissal of the member of RTCG Council, Mimo Dra\u0161kovi\u0107.<\/p>\n
The initiative was launched because of political activities of a member of the Council which is supposed to be a professional and depoliticized body. However, Mr. Dra\u0161kovi\u0107 attended the convention of Milo \u0110ukanovi\u0107 and publicly supported this presidential candidate from the first row.<\/p>\n
Text of the initiative<\/p>\n
\n
PARLIAMENT OF MONTENEGRO
\nAdministrative Committee
\nLui\u0111 \u0160krelja, President of the Committee<\/p>\n
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SUBJECT: Initiative to launch procedure for determining the conflict of interest of Mimo Dra\u0161kovi\u0107, member of the Council of Radio and Television of Montenegro (RTCG) – public official appointed by the Parliament of Montenegro<\/p>\n
Publicly disclosed facts indicate that Mimo Dra\u0161kovi\u0107, member of RTCG Council, violated the provisions of the Law on Prevention of Corruption related to the prevention of conflict of interests in performing public functions and limitations in performing public functions.<\/p>\n
Namely, on April 9, 2018, Mimo Dra\u0161kovi\u0107 gave an active political support to presidential candidate of the Democratic Party of Socialists, Milo \u0110ukanovi\u0107, at the rally held in Bijelo Polje.<\/p>\n
EVIDENCE: Daily press reports from April 10 and 11, 2018<\/p>\n
Provision of the Article 7, Paragraphs 1 and 2 of the Law on Prevention of Corruption stipulates that public officials are required to exercise their function in such way that the public interest is not subordinated to the private interest, as well as that it does not cause a conflict of interest in the exercise of public function and that the conflict of interest in performing a public function exists when the private interest of a public official affects or may affect the impartiality of a public official in performing a public function. Article 28, Paragraph 1 of the same law stipulates that a public official is obliged, when suspecting that there is a conflict of interest or limitation in performing public function, to take measures in order to resolve the conflict of interests or respect limitations in accordance with the law, as well as to report the suspicion of the existence of conflict of interest or limitations in performing of public function to the Agency for the Prevention of Corruption, which gives its opinion on this matter.<\/p>\n
Pursuant to Article 21, Paragraph 1 of the Law on National Public Broadcaster Radio and Television of Montenegro, RTCG Council advocates the interests of the public, while Article 22, Paragraph 3, stipulates that the Council analyzes and decides on complaints related to violation of program principles established by the law and program documents and imposes appropriate measures to the Director of the Radio of Montenegro and the Director of the Television of Montenegro.<\/p>\n
By giving political support to one of the presidential candidates, Mimo Dra\u0161kovi\u0107 subordinated the public interest in which he must perform the function of the Council member of RTCG to the private interest by supporting a candidate to win the presidential elections. Also, private interest through support for one presidential candidate affects and can affect his impartiality in the exercise of the public function of the member of RTCG Council. Furthermore, Mimo Dra\u0161kovi\u0107, as a public official, was obliged to take measures in order to resolve conflicts of interests and respect limitations in accordance with the law, as well as to report to the Agency for the Prevention of Corruption suspicion of conflict of interest and request the opinion whether by giving public explicit political support to one of the presidential candidates he caused a conflict of private interest for that candidate to win the elections, and the public interest of impartial performing of the function of the RTCG Council member, which public official Mimo Dra\u0161kovi\u0107 did not do in the specific case.<\/p>\n
Pursuant to legal competences, RTCG Council decides on complaints related to violation of program principles established by the law and program documents, including complaints submitted by a presidential candidate whom he gave support or by other candidates whom he did not support, after which the Council issues binding instructions to the Director of the Radio of Montenegro and the Director of the Television of Montenegro. Thus, Mimo Dra\u0161kovi\u0107, on the basis of competences he has as a member of RTCG Council to decide on complaints of the candidate to whom he gave public support or other candidates to whom he did not support, could get into the conflict of interest and enable the decision-making in the private interest. Therefore, his public activities in terms of political support to DPS presidential candidate Milo \u0110ukanovi\u0107 can influence the impartial performance of the public function of the RTCG Council member when deciding on the rights and interests of presidential candidates or political parties. The political involvement of the RTCG Council member affects his impartiality in performing the public function to which he is appointed by the decision of the Parliament of Montenegro and it may influence the subordination of the public interest to the common private interest between him and the presidential candidate whom he publicly and explicitly supported.<\/p>\n
According to all of the above, we demand that the Agency for the Prevention of Corruption submit a request for initiating of a procedure for establishing a violation of the provisions of the Law on Prevention of Corruption concerning the prevention of conflict of interest in the exercise of public function and restrictions in the exercise of the public function by public official Mimo Dra\u0161kovi\u0107, a member of the RTCG Council and request that the Agency undertake actions within its jurisdiction to determine the existence of a conflict of interest of a public official appointed by the Parliament of Montenegro.<\/p>\n
Initiative submitted by:<\/p>\n
Network for Affirmation of NGO Sector MANS, Vanja Calovi\u0107 Markovi\u0107 Today, 22 NGOs appealed to the Administrative Committee of the Parliament of Montenegro seeking to initiate the procedure for dismissal of the member of RTCG Council, Mimo Dra\u0161kovi\u0107. The initiative was launched because of political activities of a member of the Council which is supposed to be a professional and depoliticized body. However, Mr. Dra\u0161kovi\u0107<\/p>\n
\nCentre for Civic Education, Daliborka Uljarevi\u0107
\nInstitut alternativa, Stevo Muk
\nCentar za razvoj nevladinih organizacija, Ana Novakovi\u0107
\n\u017denska akcija, Siavica Strikovi\u0107
\nEvropski omladinski centar Crne Gore, Mladen \u0160panjevi\u0107
\nRegionalna Ekolo\u0161ka Asocijacija “Zelena Akcija”, Pljevlja, Bo\u017eidar Rogovi\u0107
\nUdru\u017eenje Mladih “Alternativa”, Pljevlja, Alija \u0160ljuka
\nUdru\u017eenje za za\u0161titu prava radnika i nezaposlenih lica Op\u0161tine Bijelo Polje, Drago Zekovi\u0107
\n<\/span>Breznica, Pljevlja, Milorad Mitrovi\u0107
\nBihorski parlamen, Safet Ad\u017eibuli\u0107
\nLok. Oml. Vije\u0107e- Lok. Oml. Savjet, Pljevlja, Ljubi\u0161a Le\u010di\u0107
\nE-Roma, Ismet Selimovi\u0107
\nGreen Action, Herceg Novi, Milica Stankovi\u0107
\nEko pokret, Nikola \u010cabarkapa
\nBjelopoljski demokratski centar, Zdravko Janju\u0161evi\u0107
\nUdru\u017eenje za razvoj civilnog dru\u0161tva, Mirsala Tomi\u0107
\nGreen Power, Bijelo Polje, Davor Obradovi\u0107
\nBjelopoljski Savez Nevladinih organizacija, Uglje\u0161a Prebira\u010devi\u0107
\nMultimedijalni studio Bijelo Polje, Ruzmir Osmanovi\u0107
\nAgro centar, Dragan Radovi\u0107
\nSte\u010dajci Crne Gore, Borislav \u0106ulafi\u0107<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"