Source: "Blic"
In order to protect those who for common good, open up to talk about criminal and corruption, interventions in the field of criminal, labor and media laws are necessary, informs Rodoljub Sabic.
Those people who get up courage to talk about criminal and corruption in a company or state institution in which they work, in order to protect public interest, almost always pay high price of such an action. Most often they are accused that they have „divulged a business secret”, which serves to managers as an alibi for firing them. Due to such „practice” Rodoljub Sabic, Commissioner for Information of Public Interest, has requested that the legal system of Serbia shall render protection and certain status to „vigilantes”, that is, insiders, or as they call them – „whistle blowers”.
– Readiness for opposing criminal and corruption by pointing out to specific examples in their environment is based on courage and determination of individuals. It is good that there are people with such characteristics, but it is necessary to secure that there should be more of them, that the things they say are better heard, and not to be accompanied with threats to their or existence of their families. One must not permit the silence to be the only safe alternative – informed Sabic after the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe has adopted Resolution on Protection of „Vigilantes”. This document has invited all member states to question their regulations.
In order to protect the insiders in an adequate way, as Rodoljub Sabic explained for „Politika”, interventions are needed in the field of criminal, labor and media law. So, in the field of labor law that would mean securing full protection from incorrect firing and other forms of responsibility. In the field of criminal law that would be protection from prosecution for alleged slander and divulging of secret, and in media law, securing journalist sources’ protection. And how fared those who have so far opted to protect public interest is illustrated by the list of the Commissioner for Information, which he ironically calls „five light cases”.
– Those are the cases in which the orders of the Commissioner to make certain information available to the public have faced fierce resistance and which were implemented only with huge problems. The first case, „road mafia”, has ended with a court epilogue after many hardships, the plunder has been unmasked and stopped. And the „vigilante”, worker of „Putevi Srbije” (Roads of Serbia) has been fired. The other case has to do with the procurement of „motley” trains. It is also slowly gaining court epilogue, and the worker of the „Railways of Serbia” also remained jobless – said Sabic, adding that Kragujevac Ombudsman has also been relieved of his duty when he requested publishing of information on excessive number of employees in town administration and about criteria leading to that.
The fourth insider from the list, who pointed out that the General Staff of our ex-army also dealt in activities which are criminal and in infringing human rights, was exposed to criminal proceedings.
– As much as I know of that proceedings it is not active, but has been „dormant”, and was never suspended – pointed out Sabic, explaining that neither the case of „Home of Pupils in Belgrade” ever received criminal-legal epilogue, „but some of the managers have been replaced and money has been returned to residents, which was illegally taken from them”. „Vigilante”, a home resident, although an excellent pupil was dispossessed of his scholarship.
