International organizations have raised questions regarding their letters of recommendation written in English. Are some of these organizations even legal entities? Do foreign partners place stamps on such documents? These are among the concerns that surfaced during the review of the candidates’ documentation for the director position at the Agency for the Prevention of Corruption.

Two candidates have put forth their applications for the director role – the current acting director, Dušan Drakić, and Milica Milutinović, who was also a candidate for a member of the Agency Council last year.

According to unofficial sources from “Vijesti,” some members of the Agency’s Council have questioned the recommendations that Drakić obtained from various international organizations.

Meanwhile, Milutinović reportedly included a recommendation from a private individual in her documentation, leading to an eight-day timeframe for clarifying any uncertainties.

“Drakić has received endorsements from the Regional Anti-Corruption Initiative (RAI), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the Group of States Against Corruption and Organized Crime (GRECO)… Some Council members took issue with these recommendation letters being in English, so the candidate was asked to have them translated by a certified interpreter. The recommendations bear the letterhead of these organizations, along with signatures from authorized personnel, but there’s a debate over whether these letters require a stamp,” sources informed “Vijesti.”

Additionally, Milutinović submitted a recommendation from her superior at the Ministry of Internal Affairs, but it was lacking a memorandum from that department. Thus, she too was given a deadline to further clarify her documentation.

Based on the public competition guidelines that closed at the end of April, candidates must meet certain general qualifications for employment in state bodies. They must possess at least ten years of work experience, with a minimum of five years specifically in areas focused on combating corruption or safeguarding human rights.

The competition also stipulates that candidates should provide at least three references regarding their professional and work-related attributes from companies, other legal entities, or entrepreneurs with whom they’ve collaborated or had business dealings.

“The ASK Council examined the documentation submitted by candidates Dušan Drakić and Milica Milutinović for the public competition for the director position. It was noted that both candidates submitted their applications on time, but additional clarifications were requested to evaluate the fullness of the documentation. The public will be informed promptly about the session’s continuation,” it was officially announced on Tuesday following the Council meeting.

According to the Law on Prevention of Corruption and Competition, individuals who have served as MPs, councilors, or government members in the past ten years cannot be elected as the Director of ASK…

“Nor can someone who is involved in a political party (including the party president, executive member, and others as defined in the party’s statute). In the context of coalitions, this law also concerns the financing of political entities and election campaigns. Persons with final convictions for corruption-related offenses or those who have failed an integrity check as per the Law on the Prevention of Corruption are also ineligible, in addition to those appointed as public officials by the Government or Parliament in the past five years,” the competition specifies.

The Agency’s Director is appointed for a term of five years and may serve a maximum of two terms.

Applicants for the director position are required to submit a written and well-founded proposal detailing the Agency’s work program and key priorities, along with their application and the necessary documentation.

Since the dismissal of Jelena Perović at the end of August last year for alleged misuse of office, the Agency has been operating without a full-time director.

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