Montenegro May Lift Immunity for the President and Government Officials on Corruption Charges
On Thursday, members of the Montenegrin Parliament unanimously supported a proposal to amend the Constitution. The changes call for the removal of immunity for the president and members of the government in cases involving corruption.
A two-thirds majority was required to pass the amendments, and all 66 members present supported the proposal.
The members of parliament unanimously approved the Constitutional Committee’s proposal to finalize the text of the draft constitutional amendment within four days.
The explanatory note to the proposal states that criminal acts related to the breach of official duties, such as abuse of office, receiving and giving bribes, and other similar acts, directly threaten the integrity of state authority, citizens’ trust in institutions, and the fundamental principles of the constitutional order.
For this reason, the note states, it is necessary to clearly establish that there is no constitutional protection in the form of immunity for these acts.
Deputy Prime Minister Momo Koprivica stated that, if necessary, immunity would be lifted not for any member of the opposition, but for members of the executive branch.
“We are not proposing to give anyone the opportunity to politically persecute dissenters; we are not proposing that a member of the government be held accountable for making a political decision that someone may or may not agree with. We are proposing something much simpler—that no executive function should serve as a shield from liability for criminal acts involving corruption,” said Koprivica.
This was reported by RTCG.
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