Koprivica meets new British Ambassador: Montenegro and UK join forces to strengthen rule of law and fight organised crime and corruption

Deputy Prime Minister for Political System, Justice and Anti-Corruption Momo Koprivica received newly appointed British Ambassador Nerys Jones.

Deputy Prime Minister Koprivica welcomed Ambassador Jones and congratulated her on taking office, expressing his confidence that her engagement would make a strong contribution to the further development of the traditionally good and friendly relations, as well as allied cooperation, between Montenegro and the United Kingdom.

Ambassador Jones highlighted the importance of the close and friendly relations between the two countries, emphasising the progress Montenegro is making in the fight against corruption and smuggling, as well as in strengthening institutional resilience. She welcomed the efforts made to date and expressed the United Kingdom's readiness, as a close ally and partner, to continue supporting Montenegro in strengthening the rule of law.

The interlocutors particularly highlighted the successful cooperation between Montenegrin institutions and the relevant institutions of the United Kingdom in the fight against smuggling. In this context, Ambassador Jones referred to successfully implemented joint activities related to the inventory and destruction of seized smuggled tobacco, describing them as an important example of concrete and effective international cooperation in the fight against organised crime.

Deputy Prime Minister Koprivica stressed that the credible inventory and subsequent destruction of 138,000 packages of seized tobacco, with operational and legal support from HMRC, are the best confirmation of trust, effective cooperation and a shared commitment to combating organised crime and illicit flows.

The credible inventory and destruction of 138,000 packages of seized smuggled tobacco have shown that Montenegro and its partners can jointly carry out complex operations and send a clear message that there is no room for organised crime, Koprivica said.

He briefed the Ambassador on the key reforms Montenegro is implementing to strengthen the rule of law, judicial independence and the effectiveness of the fight against corruption and organised crime. He particularly highlighted the importance of constitutional changes aimed at further strengthening judicial independence and the accountability of public officials, as well as improving mechanisms for preventing corruption and safeguarding the integrity of institutions.

Our goal is not only to improve the legislative framework, but to build a system in which the integrity of public officials, accountability and the rule of law will be genuine standards of the functioning of the State, Koprivica stressed.

To this end, he noted, new anti-corruption legislation has been adopted, the capacities of the Special State Prosecutor's Office have been further strengthened, a new criminal offence of illicit enrichment of public officials has been introduced, and a new comprehensive Law on the Confiscation of Proceeds of Crime has been adopted.

We are building a system in which corruption must not pay off, and criminally acquired assets must not remain in the hands of those who obtained them unlawfully, Koprivica said.

The interlocutors assessed that the cooperation between Montenegro and the United Kingdom to date provides a strong foundation for continued joint work, particularly in the areas of combating corruption, organised crime and smuggling, strengthening institutional integrity, financial investigations and advancing the rule of law.