Source: Glas javnosti
BELGRADE - Commissioner for Information of Public Importance, Mr. Rodoljub Sabic, has yesterday delivered to the Assembly the Annual Report on Implementation of the Law on Access to Information, stating that in the last year the number of the appeals from citizens, non-governmental organizations and media has quadrupled.Sabic has determined in the Report that the most drastic example of Law violation was by the Safety-Information Agency (Bezbednosno-informativna agencija - BIA), that has, in six cases, refused to deliver the requested data, including the ones about the number of wiretapped citizens, even after the Supreme Court has declined its plea.
BIA didn't deliver the Annual Report on Enforcement of the Law on Access to Information, or the Operating Report, based on which Sabic evaluates that "no one should be tolerated to be individually excused from law enforcement. The one who does so, plays with not only the specific law, but with the principle of legacy and with the authority of the National Assembly".
By underlining the most negative examples from the last year, Sabic has informed the National Assembly about the case of "Jat Airways", that has, despite of the Decision of the Commissioner, refused to deliver to “Glas javnosti” newspaper the Contract with "Airbus". The Ministry for Capital Investments and other bodies have also refused to deliver requested data pertaining to the sales of "Mobtel", the public has been denied data about the procurement of Swedish locomotives, then about the salaries and compensations in NIS, Airport "Nikola Tesla" and Tanjug, and about the costs of arbitration in Zurich regarding the dispute about the ownership in "Mobtel".
Sabic has pointed out that two biggest problems in law implementation are lack of functioning of criminal responsibility, because we have just recently started criminal offence procedures, but also the lack of readiness of the government to provide for execution of the Commissioner's Decisions.
