Answering the question of whether five years after the fall of the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) shows that the state has capitulated to the legacy of corruption and crime, President of the Managing board Stevo Muk told Vijesti that the state has stopped halfway – “I wouldn’t say it has capitulated, nor that it has finally won.”
Commenting on the results in the fight against crime and corruption over the past five years, Muk said that the results of the Special State Prosecutor’s Office (SDT) are numerous and significant, but still partial, and that they have yet to undergo judicial review, while the inability of the competent court to deliver verdicts within the legal timeframe is evident.
Muk pointed out that a significant number of the accused are still at large, which also reflects the weakness of institutions, and raised the question of what role the National Security Agency (NSA) plays in the whole process.
“It is unclear whether NSA makes any contribution to the fight against crime and corruption. The results of the Special State Prosecutor’s Office (SSP) are mostly based on data provided by international partners, referring to the period until 2021,” Muk said, adding that the impression is that security services lack the capacity to seriously deal with crime through independent operations and procedures, while amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code that would improve the efficiency of court proceedings are still delayed.
Without Final Judgments, There Is No Permanent Asset Confiscation
Despite the fact that the SSP’s indictments mostly concern organized crime cases, Muk emphasizes that criminal groups have not been dismantled and that their economic power has not been significantly curtailed – ultimately, their “core business” has not stopped.
“Part of the assets of organized criminal groups has been temporarily frozen. Without final judgments, there is no permanent confiscation of assets. There is no clear and comprehensive vision of judicial reform, so in terms of vetting and confiscation of assets acquired through crime, we are going in circles – from one government to another, from one version of the law, approach, and model to the next, without concrete answers and outcomes. Even the state prosecution does not put forward concrete initiatives for legal changes,” Muk said.
He emphasized that comprehensive and credible information and explanations from the prosecution to the public, parliament, and the Prosecutorial Council are chronically lacking, while too many corruption cases in the fields of privatization, public procurement, concessions, illegal construction, and misuse of budget funds remain unresolved or even time-barred.
Muk stresses that integrity checks are crucial, even though in the past five years, through various processes, higher levels of prosecution and police have been partially freed from “controversial staff.”
“I believe it is necessary to establish a regular system of integrity checks for those entering the police and judiciary, as well as during their career advancement, including through existing institutions and mechanisms,” Muk concluded.
The full article in Vijesti can be read at the following link.