Montenegro NGO Queries State Firms' Donations

A Montenegrin watchdog, the Center for Democratic Transition, has called on the government to investigate alleged problems over the donation of public money to individuals and companies, claiming that current practice leaves room for wrongdoing.

CDT's latest research has found that state firms donated over 2.6 million euro over the last two years.

But the process of allocating these funds was not matched by clear procedures and control mechanisms, and there is no data on how the money was spent.
 
The survey included the 12 largest companies in which the state is the sole or majority shareholder.

They include the airports, the electric power company, the national air carrier Montenegro Airlines, the railways, the postal service and the national parks authority.

CDT maintains that the allocation and spending of public money has "serious deficiencies" and calls on the the government to investigate abuses.

It has an obligation to "take care of all citizens' money and react urgently if it is determined that there is any inappropriate spending of state resources," the report said.

CDT considers it a positive thing if state-owned companies financially aid the development of sport, culture, education and health care - but previous practice casts doubts over what sound like "essentially noble causes", it noted.