Today MANS submitted to a Special Prosecutor for Organized Crime and Corruption charges against 306 people suspected that during the recent elections have sold their right to vote in exchange for a fee.
With the charge are covered individuals that are with own signature on lists arranged by the Municipal Committee of the Democratic Party of Socialists from Berane confirmed that they have received one-time financial help or money on the basis of travel expenses for coming to Berane to vote.
The basis for the filing of criminal charge is contained in the Article 186, paragraph 2 of the Criminal Code of Montenegro, which defines the penalties for offenses relating to violation of freedom of choices during voting process. With this Article in the paragraph 2 is provided penalty as a fine or sentence up to one year in prison for the person “who solicits or accepts a gift or other benefit for itself or other person to vote or not to vote in favor of or against a particular person”.
In the criminal charge are included only those people for which data is available relating to only a few polling stations in Berane, and for that reason MANS recommends to the prosecution that as soon as possible examine the work of the municipal board of DPS in Berane, and also the Local Center of Social Work. All of this is even more important since a similar scenario of vote buying was seen in Pljevlja, Mojkovac, and Plav.
In addition, the Research center after the publication of the lists of people suspected that have sold its own vote t the DPS, have compared those data with its research about questionable registration of new voters in the electoral roll for Berane.
MANS compared the lists of voters that DPS switched from Petnjica to Berane so they could vote in the elections last week, and found that there are a number of people that beside the fact that they can vote in Petnjica and in Berane, as well certain fee was paid to them.
So Adrovic Seko who had the right to vote in the elections in Petnjica and Berane, with his signature confirmed that from one of the local boards of the DPS received one-time fee, which is likely to be an additional boost to vote for that party.
Similar situation was with Kasumovic Behija who was recently enrolled in the electoral roll. In Berane, Behija had a right to vote in parliamentary elections that were held in 2012, then she was erased in 2013 when presidential elections were held. After that she was again returned in the electoral roll for Berane, but also in the list for one-time money assistance from DPS in Berane. With the signature it is confirmed that Bahija in that occasion received 50 euros.
When it comes to payments of travel expenses it is interesting an example of Adrovic Mehdija, who is on the DPS list for payments of the travel expenses for coming to Berane from Podgorica. Mehdija is one of those voters that MANS found that they have the right to vote in the elections in Petnjica nad Berane. This definitely confirms that the so-called travel expenses, although illegal itself, actually were front for a brutal vote buying in the elections in Berane.
In that regard, we believe that beside to activists and officials of DPS, for vote buying in Berane must be responsible and all of those people who sold their rights to vote for a fee or other benefit, because doing that they did not affect just own lives but also and lives of their fellow citizens.
In addition, as still is not know from what kind of sources DPS funded vote buying in Berane, MANS will continue to research for the origin of the funds, despite the open obstructions from the Center of Social Work in Berane which consistently refuses to provide us with information about the distribution of financial assistance before the election.
MANS once again invites all citizens to contact us if they have new information about abuses during the elections in Berane, or if they have information whether a similar scenario is to be prepared and for the other municipalities before the upcoming local elections.
Below is a list of people who are included in the criminal charge filed today by MANS to the competent prosecutor.
MANS
