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DPM Pažin in Belgrade: We need to show partnership...
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DPM Pažin in Belgrade: We need to show partnership in action and prevent criminals from finding safe haven in region
Published on: Nov 4, 2019 • 6:00 PM Author: PR Service
Belgrade, Serbia (4 November 2019) -- Effective fight against corruption in countries of South East Europe, apart from good laws and their consistent implementation, also requires full mutual cooperation among the countries of the region, Deputy Prime Minister for Political System, Interior and Foreign Policy Zoran Pažin noted, taking part in the regional conference on corruption, which took place in Belgrade earlier today.
"If we want to protect our own society from corruption and organised crime in an effective and reliable manner, we have to show partnership in action and in situations where the perpetrators of serious crimes in our neighbourhood try to find a safe haven in one of our countries," DPM Pažin stated.
The Deputy Prime Minister pointed out that, just as crime knows no borders, friendship, solidarity and cooperation among the countries in the region should not know borders as well. "Every criminal who seriously breaks the law in one of our countries and manages to find a safe haven in a neighbouring country, undermines the deepest foundations of our friendship, solidarity and cooperation underlying the very idea of a united Europe" DPM Pažin stated.
Deputy Prime Minister Pažin recalled that in building the legal framework that guarantees high standards of the rule of law, Montenegro has adopted about 70 laws since the beginning of the negotiation process with the EU, that in its quality, do not lag far behind the best European laws.
He noted that all objective analysis of the results achieved, including the reports of the EU, note that the state institutions competent for preventing and combating corruption have achieved significant results in meeting the needs of the Montenegro’s society, but also the expectations of the European partners.
"With regard to prevention, due to the opinions and decisions of the Anti-Corruption Agency, a total of 267 public officials resigned or were removed from office (230 resignations and 37 dismissals), while almost 2.000 petitions for misdemeanour proceedings were field for violations of anti-corruption laws, in the total amount of fines of nearly half a million euros," DPM Pažin stated.
Speaking about the results in the area of repression, he emphasised that the results of the Special State Prosecutor's Office work alone, since its establishment, have led to the indictments for corruption criminal offences in which property damage amounts more than EUR 100 million.
"Some of these and other cases resulted in judgments against one fourth of the total number of presidents of the Montenegro’s municipalities and other senior officials as well, such a former President of the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro and a former Montenegro's top official, who was convicted and whose extradition is expected from Serbia," the Deputy Prime Minister noted.
Today, Montenegro, as he noted on the basis of results achieved, is an example of how high European standards can be implemented and produce clear and visible results. He added that a leadership position in the European integration obliges Montenegro to justify such a role by continuing to deliver good results in the upcoming period.
"Our citizens and business people rightly expect these good results to be continued in such a way that they convince themselves in their daily life and work that we have built a society capable to tackle effectively all those who unlawfully seize what is not theirs in society," the Deputy Prime Minister stressed.
OFFICE OF THE DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER
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