Press Release:

New chances for efficient corruption revealing

 

Transparency Serbia greats recent changes of Law on Organization and Authorization of State Institutions for Curbing Organized Crime which became effective on September 11th this year, because new solutions increase the chance for criminal prosecution of high level corruption cases. Namely, on the basis of these changes, prosecuting for corruption criminal acts that directly involve ministers, members of managerial board of public enterprises, judges, prosecutors and other officials appointed by Parliament and Government, undertakes Prosecutor for Organized Crime. Now it is possible to implement special investigative techniques in these cases of corruption that are used for discovering organized criminal groups.

 

However it is necessary to indicate some omissions of legislator. Individuals that dispose with significant resources or discretion authorities were not inserted into definition of official, like directors of health and pension funds, provincial secretaries, mayors, directors of provincial or city public enterprises. List doesn't contain officials that enjoy high level of immunity (President of the Republic, Members of Parliament). List left out some criminal acts that could be listed, like submitting of false data on officials' property.

 

Besides mentioned flaws, adopting of these changes of the law remove one of the excuses of so far weak result in fight against corruption at high level of authority. Best test for preparedness for implementation of the law will be proceeding of Prosecution apropos numerous suspicions in officials' abuses that media reported about but were left without reaction of state organs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Transparency – Serbia

Belgrade , September 30 2009