Montenegro officials deny corruption agency access to bank accounts

In Montenegro, 70 percent of public officials have refused to grant the Agency for the Prevention of Corruption (ASK) permission to monitor their bank accounts. According to the ASK second quarterly report for this year, consent for accessing financial institution records was provided in only 30 percent of the 9,173 income and asset reports submitted during the first half of the year.

This trend of declining consent has prompted legislative changes. Amendments to the Law on the Prevention of Corruption will soon allow the ASK to control the finances of officials without their explicit consent.

During the April–June period, the Agency initiated 703 misdemeanor and nine administrative proceedings regarding income and asset reporting. Of the 29 decisions issued, 18—representing 62 percent—confirmed violations of the law.