Anti-Corruption Council to discuss Telekom Srbija on September 23

NEWS 20.09.202018:42
Telekom Srbija
Izvor: N1

The Vice President of Serbia's Anti-Corruption Council, Miroslav Milicevic, told FoNet that the Council would discuss and give an opinion on the state-owned Telecom on September 23, because this is a topic that the public is very interested in, but at the same time he noted that "there are no results in the fight against corruption," and that Serbia is "below the European average."

Asked whether more serious internal pressure on the Council actually began in 2017, when the Government of Serbia imposed two members, Milicevic told FoNet that „the Council won its independence by always proposing its members which the Government appointed afterwards, but that previous governments did not allow for the Council’s full composition.“

He explained that „the Council never votes on a draft or a document in progress, and that in the case of Telekom Srbija, no one obstructs the work, because the opinion can be adopted by a majority vote, and not by consensus.“

According to him, „it is in everyone’s interest to clarify that because members do not want to lose credibility and that there is no politicization where there is corruption.“

He denied the impression that the Council failed to stand behind its member Jelisaveta Vasilic, against whom a tabloid campaign was conducted due to her publicly stated position on the situation in Telecom. He pointed out that he „personally publicly stated that she was not in a conflict of interest“ and noted that, as vice president, he „represented the Council for the Fight against Corruption“ in that performance.

He believes, however, that „it is unusual for members of the Council to speak outside the Council on topics on which the Council has not taken a position.“