16. 01. 2015

CSOs urge prosecutor’s office to check BIRN’s allegations

The CSOs also seek that the Regulatory Authority for Electronic Media focuses more on monitoring of national broadcasters and their way of reporting on the Kolubara case, as well as to determine whether they contribute to the full, objective and impartial information broader public.

They urged the Anti-Corruption Agency to determine whether there had been any violations of Serbia's anti-corruption legislation and whistleblowers' integrity in the case that BIRN had been reporting on. In other words, they want the Anti-Corruption Agency to act in its capacity as government's advisory body and prepare a report on the case with their recommendations.

"The lack of reaction from institutions in charge of the fight against corruption and the rule of law is unacceptable in a democratic, responsible and open society," more than a dozen CSOs said in a joint statement.

"Meanwhile, attacks on journalists for doing their job, for protecting public interest, is absolutely unacceptable and undemocratic and so we call on institutions to react."

The statement was signed by CSOs including the Bureau for Social Research (BIRODI), the Center for Euro-Atlantic Studies (CEAS), the Center for Youth Integration, The Slavko Curuvija Foundation, Civic Initiatives, the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Serbia, the Youth Initiative for Human Rights, Human Rights House, the Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia (NUNS), the Independent Journalists' Association of Vojvodina (NUNV), Share Foundation, Zajecar Initiative (ZI) and others.

In a recent report, BIRN pointed to a possible violation of public interest in the case of the tender for pumping water out of the Tamnava-Zapadno Polje strip mine, part of the Kolubara coal basin.

On its website, javno.rs, BIRN alleged that irregularities had occurred in the tender for pumping water from the mine and that the relevant contract had been awarded to an inexperienced consortium, increasing the cost of operations.

Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic denied the allegation, stating that the contract had been awarded to a firm based in Novi Sad because it had offered a better price than two foreign bidders, which helped the government save EUR 23 million.