OSCE trains Montenegrin court officials in preventing corruption

Eighteen presidents of Montenegrin courts and three members of the Judicial Council attended a two-day seminar on court management from 28 February to 1 March 2013 in Becici, as part of a training programme for members of the judiciary on fighting corruption.

The event was jointly organized by the OSCE Mission to Montenegro, UNDP, the Justice Ministry, the Judicial Training Centre, the British Embassy and the Human Resources Management Authority.

Addressing the participants at the opening of the event, the Head of the OSCE Mission Ambassador Lubomir Kopaj, said: “Good governance at all levels is of key importance for the economic and social development, political stability and security of a country. Continuous training and education on ethical behaviour for civil servants, and defining and implementing codes of ethics and regulations governing conflicts of interest, is needed”.

Branka Lakočević, the Assistant Minister of Justice, said: “Amendments to the laws alone cannot make holders of judicial functions immune to political or any other influence. Reforms require not only a formal change in how the system functions, but, above all, its internal transformation. That is the root of the problem and a formula for success when we talk about the independence of the judiciary.”

This seminar is the first in a series of five training seminars that the OSCE Mission to Montenegro will support in 2013 on preventing corruption and organized crime. The topics will include personal and institutional integrity and investigation of corruption cases, including financial investigations.