NGOs against "unlawful" change at NBS helm

BELGRADE Several civil society organizations, institutions and individuals have filed an appeal calling on the Serbian government "not to undermine the rule of law". This would happen if Governor of the National Bank of Serbia (NBS) Dejan Soskic were to be "unlawfully dismissed", they said. NGOs against "unlawful" change at NBS helm “It is a serious blow to the rule of law in Serbia to remove people from their offices by misusing the law-making powers of the Serbian parliament,” underlined the signatories to the appeal. The procedure for the dismissal of Governor is stipulated in the Law on the NBS, and is a pledge of his independence, they noted. If the new government assesses that the governor meets all the criteria for dismissal which are precisely set down in Article 28 of the Law on the NBS, it is obligated to warn about that the Council of the Governor, as the only institution which is competent to determine the Governor's responsibility. The appeal was signed by the Civic Initiative, Belgrade Center for Human Rights, Lawyers' Committee for Human Rights YUCOM, Helsinki Committee for Human Rights, Policy Center, Center for Cultural Decontamination, Center for Euro-Atlantic Studies, Center for Development of Civic Society, Biljana Kovacevic Vuco Fund, Humanitarian Law Center, Youth Initiative for Human Rights, Open Society Foundation. Prime Minister Ivica Dacic said on Saturday that he was not satisfied with the economic situation, and blamed the former governor and the monetary authorities for that. Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Aleksandar Vucic said earlier that Governor Soskic had not done a good job, adding that the Serb Progressive Party (SNS) official Jorgovanka Tabakovic would perform better in that office. United Serbia (JS) leader Dragan Markovic confirmed last week the media speculation that Tabakovic would be the new governor of Serbia's central bank. Dejan Soskic (Tanjug, file) Tanjug

NGOs against "unlawful" change at NBS helm

“It is a serious blow to the rule of law in Serbia to remove people from their offices by misusing the law-making powers of the Serbian parliament,” underlined the signatories to the appeal.

The procedure for the dismissal of Governor is stipulated in the Law on the NBS, and is a pledge of his independence, they noted.

If the new government assesses that the governor meets all the criteria for dismissal which are precisely set down in Article 28 of the Law on the NBS, it is obligated to warn about that the Council of the Governor, as the only institution which is competent to determine the Governor's responsibility.

The appeal was signed by the Civic Initiative, Belgrade Center for Human Rights, Lawyers' Committee for Human Rights YUCOM, Helsinki Committee for Human Rights, Policy Center, Center for Cultural Decontamination, Center for Euro-Atlantic Studies, Center for Development of Civic Society, Biljana Kovačević Vučo Fund, Humanitarian Law Center, Youth Initiative for Human Rights, Open Society Foundation.

Prime Minister Ivica Dačić said on Saturday that he was not satisfied with the economic situation, and blamed the former governor and the monetary authorities for that.

Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Aleksandar Vučić said earlier that Governor Šoškić had not done a good job, adding that the Serb Progressive Party (SNS) official Jorgovanka Tabaković would perform better in that office.

United Serbia (JS) leader Dragan Marković confirmed last week the media speculation that Tabaković would be the new governor of Serbia's central bank.