Recognizing one of the key areas in strengthening integrity in the work of the public and private sector, the Agency for Prevention of Corruption is proud to join the celebration of March 24, International Whistleblowers Day. A day that reminds us all of the civic responsibility to, as part of the community, by raising our voice against illegal, illegitimate or unethical behaviors and actions that threaten the public interest, be part of change, making society better and more just.

With the adoption of the Law on Prevention of Corruption, which has been in force since January 1, 2016, Montenegro has joined a small number of European countries in which the legislative framework systematically regulates the treatment of whistleblowers. Competences for handling reports and protecting whistleblowers are entrusted to the Agency for Prevention of Corruption, as the central anti-corruption body, which has made and continues to make a visible contribution to promoting this mechanism and raising awareness of its importance in the fight against corruption.

Since the establishment of the Agency, 457 reports have been submitted to its Section for Acting on Reports of Whistleblowers and Whistleblowers Protection, of which 37 (5 anonymous) so far in 2021. Significant increase in the total and decrease in the number of anonymous reports compared to the comparable period from 2019 (23 reports, 11 anonymous) and 2020 (11 applications, 7 anonymous) years, indicate the growth of citizen’s confidence in the effectiveness of the Agency, in its professional conduct aimed at further development of integrity and ethics within the institutions.

The public opinion poll in Montenegro conducted in December 2020 points to this conclusion. When asked "Who would you report corruption to?", The absolute majority of respondents, 64.1%, opted for the Agency for Prevention of Corruption, which is 14.2% more than a year earlier.

Since its establishment, the Agency has received 20 requests for protection. 7 of them were answered positively, while two are still in progress in. 11 were resolved negatively (in relation to two of them, the Police Administration acted as the competent authority), most of which were submitted in the first year, while the citizens were not yet sufficiently informed when the whistleblower has the right to protection.

In the previous quarter, the Agency granted protection to whistleblowers in two cases, giving six recommendations on actions to be taken to repair the damage. All recommendations, just like the previous ones, were implemented by the institutions to which they were addressed.

Experience gained over more than 5 years of practice shows that the affirmation of ethical values and standards, personal and institutional integrity, improving the capacity to identify corruption risks and manage these risks to strengthen confidence that the work of institutions is consistent with the public interest, require coordinated action of all social factors.

Committed to the rule of law, Agency for Prevention of Corruption will continue to encourage citizens to report corrupt practices by providing them with full institutional protection, while respecting the importance and delicacy of the whistleblower's role in strengthening accountability and transparency.