Corruption rife in health-care, police, administration

The highest level of corruption in Serbia has been registered in health-care, police and public administration. It can be reduced only through cooperation between civil sector and the government, said UN Development Program (UNDP) in Serbia coordinator William Infante. Corruption rife in health-care, police, administration At a regional conference held in Belgrade on Tuesday, dubbed Partnership against Corruption - organized by UNDP in Serbia, UNDP Regional Center in Bratislava, Transparency International and Transparency Serbia - Infante said that civil society needs to assist the government in performing its activities better. Infante underscored that independent institutions and regulatory bodies in Serbia are weak and should be reinforced, noting that level of corruption in the public sector and administration is still high in certain areas. The public should be educated in order to counter corruption, both the young generation and their seniors, he noted. Infante underscored the importance of the media which need to provide information about presence of corruption, but he noted that it is very difficult for them, especially for the press, to remain objective and independent in Serbia. Sergej Muravjov of Transparency International underscored that civil society and the government need to be partners in the fight against corruption and noted that the role of the government sector consists in creating platforms for government institutions because they cannot solve the problem of corruption in any country if left to their own devices only. According to Infante, the world is facing a worse situation now because civil servants have greater funds at their disposal which makes it more difficult to control them. Transparency Serbia President Vladimir Goati denied that the media in Serbia are not cooperating well with the institutions in charge of combating corruption and noted that cooperation between Transparency Serbia and the media is a good example of this. Speaking about the Law on Free Access to Information of Public Importance, Commissioner Rodoljub Sabic said that the document holds considerable anti-corruption potential which the citizens have recognised and started reporting corruption more than before. Sabic noted that privatization and public procurement are the most interesting areas for people and that affairs related to road and railway mafia were discovered thanks to citizens. The commissioner said that the government is obliged to present an account of its operations to the public and show how it is using the money raised from tax-payers. William Infante (Tanjug)

Corruption rife in health-care, police, administration

At a regional conference held in Belgrade on Tuesday, dubbed Partnership against Corruption - organized by UNDP in Serbia, UNDP Regional Center in Bratislava, Transparency International and Transparency Serbia - Infante said that civil society needs to assist the government in performing its activities better.

Infante underscored that independent institutions and regulatory bodies in Serbia are weak and should be reinforced, noting that level of corruption in the public sector and administration is still high in certain areas.

The public should be educated in order to counter corruption, both the young generation and their seniors, he noted.

Infante underscored the importance of the media which need to provide information about presence of corruption, but he noted that it is very difficult for them, especially for the press, to remain objective and independent in Serbia.

Sergej Muravjov of Transparency International underscored that civil society and the government need to be partners in the fight against corruption and noted that the role of the government sector consists in creating platforms for government institutions because they cannot solve the problem of corruption in any country if left to their own devices only.

According to Infante, the world is facing a worse situation now because civil servants have greater funds at their disposal which makes it more difficult to control them.

Transparency Serbia President Vladimir Goati denied that the media in Serbia are not cooperating well with the institutions in charge of combating corruption and noted that cooperation between Transparency Serbia and the media is a good example of this.

Speaking about the Law on Free Access to Information of Public Importance, Commissioner Rodoljub Šabić said that the document holds considerable anti-corruption potential which the citizens have recognised and started reporting corruption more than before.

Šabić noted that privatization and public procurement are the most interesting areas for people and that affairs related to road and railway mafia were discovered thanks to citizens.

The commissioner said that the government is obliged to present an account of its operations to the public and show how it is using the money raised from tax-payers.