Minister of Public Works Majda Adžović will not be offered a position at the Agency for the Prevention of Corruption (ASK) after her mandate ends, as confirmed by the institution to “Vijesti” yesterday.

Adžović has served as the head of the Department for International Cooperation, Standards, and Public Relations since June 2023, with her appointment made by then-director Jelena Perović, who is now facing charges of abuse of office.

She was appointed State Secretary at the Ministry of Spatial Planning, Urbanism, and State Property in November of the same year, under Janko Odović, prompting her to request a suspension of her employment status at the Agency.

The minister’s office communicated with the ASK editorial office regarding her employment status, indicating that the Labor Law allows for a suspension of employment until the end of one’s mandate.

“It is a well-established fact that Ms. Adžović, in addition to her first public office appointment, was reappointed as State Secretary in August 2024, and subsequently took on the role of Minister in the 2025 Government of Montenegro in April. However, we lack information on whether the competent body of ASK has reached a decision on this matter. Thus, we believe a comprehensive answer can only be obtained from ASK. We highlight that ASK is aware of all of Ms. Adžović’s public office appointments, and she has fully entrusted the competent bodies of ASK to make decisions within their authority and in accordance with their interpretation of the relevant legal norm,” stated the Ministry of Public Works.

The Agency confirmed yesterday that “Majda Adžović’s employment was terminated in accordance with the Labor Law.”

“On June 16, 2023, the Director of the Agency for the Prevention of Corruption made a decision appointing Majda Adžović as Head of the Department for International Cooperation, Standards and Public Relations at the Agency for an indefinite period. This position was filled following an internal job advertisement published by the Human Resources Administration in January of that year, catering to the needs of the Agency. On November 27, 2023, the Director of the Agency issued a decision suspending the rights and obligations of employee Majda Adžović due to her appointment as State Secretary at the Ministry of Spatial Planning, Urbanism, and State Property until her term ends, at her request. Following the new assignment, which occurred thereafter, Majda Adžović’s employment at the Agency for the Prevention of Corruption was terminated in compliance with the Labor Law,” detailed the Agency.

The Ministry of Public Works also mentioned that Adžović ranked first in the screening process of the internal advertisement from January 2023.

“Consequently, the Director of ASK, the body responsible for employment decisions, was obligated to issue the aforementioned act, considering that all legal prerequisites for its issuance had been fulfilled,” the responses indicated.

According to the current Law on Civil Servants and State Employees, the head of an authority isn’t required to select the highest-ranked candidate from the list; they have the discretion to choose anyone among the top three candidates after consultations with the Human Resources Administration.

Recently, the Higher Court in Podgorica confirmed the indictment from the Special State Prosecutor’s Office (SDT) against former ASK director Jelena Perović and her former assistant Nina Paović for criminal offenses including abuse of official position and continued forgery of official documents…

News