Commissioner for Information of Public Importance and Personal Data Protection Rodoljub Sabic considers that the Global Corruption Barometer (results of a survey performed in 69 countries), which has been published today by the Gallup International and the Transparency International, indicate in a similar way as the Global Corruption Perceptions Index published at the end of last year the stagnation in the fight against corruption in our country and hence the need for much more energetic implementation of all available anti-corruption measures.
In connection with that, Commissioner Rodoljub Sabic also said the following:
"A lot of work has been done lately on the adoption of various documents, laws or international conventions which should be a normative basis for anti-corruption activities. It is commendable; however, the focus of the fight against corruption should be in the real world and not in the normative world. The fact that both the perception of our citizens and the perception in the international community indicate a stagnation in the fight against corruption calls for implementation of all available anti-corruption measures, especially preventive ones.
In that context, the measure for increase of the level of transparency of operation, i.e. expansion of the scope for freedom of information on operation of public authorities or public enterprises is unavoidable. The duty of making information on disposal of public money and public resources available to the public should be enshrined as a principle and made absolutely unquestionable. If there is a political willingness, it is an anti-corruption remedy that is relatively easy to apply, inexpensive and at the same time very efficient, which experience of other countries confirmed.
It would be commendable if law enforcement agencies paid more attention in the future to cases of illegal denial of information of public importance, as cases indicative in the context of the fight against corruption. As a Commissioner, I faced many examples, such as the case of the Public Enterprise "Putevi Srbije" (the case of "road mafia" and "budget excess" for a multi-million amount) and the case of the Public Enterprise "Zeleznice Srbije" (purchase of "multicoloured rolling stocks" etc.) or the current case of NIS (Petroleum Industry of Serbia) (multi-million accounting issues), which show that problems in communication with the public, i.e. denial of information of public importance, are almost as a rule underpinned or at least can be underpinned by much more serious problems in terms of uneconomical or illegal spending of public resources, abuse or corruption.
Insisting on the maximum transparency of operation of public authorities and public enterprises can certainly contribute to prevention of such cases; then we would not have to deal with their consequences and the results of the fight against corruption would be much better."
