Montenegro’s government has proposed major amendments to the Law on Prevention of Corruption, significantly expanding powers of the Agency for the Prevention of Corruption (ASK).
Under the mentioned law, the agency would gain access to bank-account data belonging to public officials and members of their households, including deposits, transactions and balances, to verify declared income and assets.
Officials could also be required to prove the origin of their wealth if ASK identifies a discrepancy exceeding €50.000 between reported and actual assets or income. Investigations could continue even after an official leaves office.
Asset declarations would be broadened to include cryptocurrencies, digital-wallet addresses, NFTs, trusts, unregistered ownership and other rights worth more than €10.000.
The proposal also introduces tougher sanctions. Confirmed violations could lead to dismissal, suspension or disciplinary proceedings, while officials removed for such breaches would lose entitlement to post-office compensation. In certain cases, they could also be barred from public office for two years.
The law further broadens the definition of conflict of interest and introduces stricter rules for contracts with public institutions and state-owned companies. Parliament has been asked to consider the law under an expedited procedure.
