Today, MANS asked the Agency for Prevention of Corruption (APC) to publish on its website the data on spending from the state budget which the state institutions submit to the APC within the prescribed deadlines, in accordance with the Law on the Financing of Political Entities and Election Campaigns.
Bearing in mind that the website of the Government of Montenegro has not been working for some time, and that the APC’s website only contains links to the institutions’ websites, but not specific documents, MANS asked the APC to publish the data it receives from the institutions on its website in accordance with the Law.
Namely, Article 38 paragraph 5 of the Law on Financing of Political Entities and Election Campaigns prescribes that all budgetary spending units shall submit analytical statements from all the accounts in their possession to the Agency for Prevention of Corruption.
Article 38 paragraph 5:
From the day of calling until the day of holding of the elections, as well as one month following the holding of the elections, all budgetary spending units, at the state and local level, shall post on their websites weekly analytical statements from all the accounts in their possession and submit them to the anti-corruption working body of the Parliament (hereinafter referred to as: the Committee) and to the Agency.
In Article 46 paragraph 5, the Law stipulates that the Agency is obliged to publish the analytical statements submitted to it by the authorities.
Article 46 paragraph 5:
All acts, data and documents referred to in Articles 38, 39, 40, 41, 43 and 44 of this Law, submitted by the authorities and legal entities to the Agency, shall be published by the Agency on its website within three days from the date of their submission.
Bearing in mind the volume of submitted documentation, we suggest that the Agency prioritize the publishing of statements from the state treasury, which the Ministry of Finance is obliged to submit and publish, and whose website is not in operation.
Namely, Article 41 paragraph 1 of the Law stipulates that the Ministry of Finance shall publish specific data on state spending, especially from the budgetary reserve, which was previously the subject of numerous suspicions of electoral abuse.
Article 41 paragraph 1:
Every week, the Ministry shall publish on its website the statements from the State Treasury as well as the analytical statement on the use of funds from the budgetary reserve in the period from the day of calling until the day of holding of the elections.
We emphasize that at this moment, the public does not have data on state spending during the election campaign, and urgent action by the APC is necessary, in accordance with the obligations of that institution stipulated by the Article 46 paragraph 5 of the Law on Financing of Political Entities and Election Campaigns.
MANS
