Đukanović did not break the law, the payment card is not a gift

(Patria) - President of Montenegro Milo Đukanović, as a public official, did not violate the Law on Prevention of Corruption, because possessing a payment card does not constitute a gift, announced the Agency for Prevention of Corruption.

The Agency rejected the requests of MANS, which, among other things, stated that Đukanović, as a public official, had a VIP revolving card from Atlas Bank that he used to pay for personal expenses, and that there is suspicion that this is a gift that the public official was not allowed to accept and was obliged to refuse.

“The Agency rejected the mentioned requests in their entirety as unfounded, because in this specific case there are no elements for initiating proceedings before the Agency, since possessing a payment card does not constitute a gift within the meaning of Article 6 of the Law on Prevention of Corruption, i.e., it is not related to the performance of a public function,” the statement from the APC reads.

They also state that Đukanović, as a public official, did not violate Articles 17 and 19 of the Law on Prevention of Corruption by possessing a VIP payment card, i.e., he did not violate the provisions of the law relating to receiving gifts in the performance of a public function.

“The Agency reminds that Article 6 of the Law on Prevention of Corruption prescribes the definition of a gift, i.e., that a gift includes an item, right or service acquired or performed without compensation and any other benefit given to a public official or a person related to the public official, in connection with the performance of a public function,” the APC statement reads.

The Agency for Prevention of Corruption issued Decisions by which the requests of the NGO MANS and the Civic Movement URA for determining that the President of Montenegro Milo Đukanović, as a public official, violated the provisions of the Law on Prevention of Corruption are rejected in their entirety as unfounded.

“In the mentioned requests, the Agency was asked to determine the existence of a violation of the provisions of the Law on Prevention of Corruption relating to Reports on income and property and the illegal receipt and non-reporting of gifts by public official Đukanović in the manner, as stated in the requests, that in the Report he did not state income realized on the basis of a gift from Atlas Bank in the amount of at least 16,741.24 euros,” the APC announced.