Source: "Politika"
Top officials of independent control institutions requested yesterday of public authorities to respect their decisions and opinions and to ensure them adequate working conditions
Independent public authorities and heads of independent state-owned institutions responsible for fight against corruption and protection of citizen's rights have voiced their concern because recommendations, decisions, opinions and other enactments of independent control bodies are disregarded and not always complied with and have urged public authorities to change that attitude without delay.As an announcement from yesterday's joint meeting reads, top officials of independent control institutions emphasized the necessity of personal responsibility of public officials and civil servants for the things they say or do, which cannot be replaced by authority of political parties or authorities in which they are employed.
The meeting at the "Srbija" palace was attended by Sasa Jankovic, Ombudsman, Rodoljub Sabic, Commissioner for Information of Public Importance and Personal Data Protection, Radoslav Sretenovic, President of the Council of the State Audit Institution, Slobodan Beljanski, President of the Republic Committee on Conflicts of Interests, Cedomir Cupic, President of the Committee of the Anti-corruption Agency, Zorana Markovic, Director of the Anti-corruption Agency, Predrag Jovanovic, Director of the Public Procurement Administration and Sasa Varinac, President of the Commission on the Protection of Bidders' Rights.
They pointed out once more non-existent and unacceptable conditions for operations of almost all independent institutions, which jeopardize achievement of objectives for which those institutions were founded, in spite of their nominal importance.
Ombudsman Sasa Jankovic said to "Politika" daily that the number of complaints submitted to this institution exceeded by far its capacities: "We have something to do every day even if we receive no complaints in the next year".
- Apart from that, the public witnesses every day various examples of selective acceptance of recommendations, attitudes and opinions of these institutions by those the operations of which we should affect - he added.
One of the most recent decisions of the Committee on Conflicts of Interests, which was passed in July, was a recommendation for dismissal of the Director of the Hydrometeorolgical Institute of Serbia Milan Dacic because he entrusted certain operations of the Institute to his wife. "Politika" daily could not reach Mr. Dacic yesterday to answer whether he will accept the recommendation of the Committee.
Commissioner for Information Rodoljub Sabic said to "Politika" that in more than two thirds of cases public authorities gave information when he asked for their response. In the remaining one third of cases he has to pass rulings and majority of them are executed.
- More than 90 percent of Commissioner's interventions are successful. However, there are constantly between 100 and 150 unexecuted rulings. Serbian Government has the duty under the Law to enforce rulings where necessary, but it does not perform that duty. It is almost an invitation for violation of the Law - Mr. Sabic emphasized.
According to him, the other duty of executive authorities is to institute infringement proceedings against persons who violate the Law on Free Access to Information and this duty is also performed barely symbolically. "There are thousands of persons who committed infringements of which maybe 200 were processed and several dozens were punished", Mr. Sabic explained.
Interfile: The Commissioner for Information of Public Importance
• Passed a number rulings and Serbian Government enforced none of them
• Instead of 69, has 12 employees
The Republic Committee on Conflicts of Interests
• Although it recommended dismissal of state secretaries Nebojsa Ciric and Slobodan Homen, Serbian Government did not accept their resignations
• Although it imposed public measures for holding multiple offices on four deputies, among which are Dragan Markovic Palma and Veroljub Stevanovic, the top officials of Jagodina and Kragujevac, they did not resign from one of their offices
The Ombudsman
• Has been working in inadequate temporary premises for three years
The Public Procurement Administration
• About 30 employees work on premises of a mere 150 square meters
