Opposition Official Claims Proposed Amendments to Anti-Corruption Law Enable Abolition of Thievery

Marinika Tepic (BETAPHOTO/EMIL VAS)

Freedom and Justice Party deputy leader Marinika Tepic on Aug. 15 said that a public debate was ongoing on proposed amendments to the Law on prevention of corruption which the regime had been trying to conceal from the public. She warned that the adoption of these amendments would provide for protection to thousands of public officials, general managers, acting directors, and state secretaries, and also for “abolition of their thievery.”

“The likes of (Milorad) Grcic in state power company Elektroprivreda Srbije (EPS), (Vladimir) Lucic in state-owned telecommunications operator Telekom Srbija, Dijana Hrkalovic in the Serbian Interior Ministry, and Nikola Petrovic in  national transmission system operator company (EMS) would no longer be subject to anti-corruption control as under the proposed amendments to the Corruption Act, the status of ‘public officials’ can be removed for all state employees holding posts” Tepic specified.

Tepic explained this meant that they would no longer be required to submit asset declarations or be subject to control of declared assets, conflict of interest, accumulation of public posts, or checks of associated persons.

According to Tepic, although the explanation behind the proposed amendments say that the definition of a public official is expanded, “it is basically narrowed and is subject to further interpretations.” Tepic added that “the ambivalence of interpretations” clearly revealed the regime’s intention to abuse the law, because, she said, when deciding according to the law, the courts would not be guided by the explanation accompanying the draft document, but by interpretations of the legal text.