Only stronger cooperation between all institutions in information chain and true and prompt informing can achieve a balance between the public’s right to know and the interests of the prosecutorial investigation – it was concluded at the workshop „Prevention of Information Leakage with Aim of Raising Quality of Prosecutorial Investigation and Professional Disclosure of Information in Public “, that took place in Belgrade on November 18.
The workshop, supported by EU-funded ‘’Judicial Efficiency Project’’ (JEP), presented a unique opportunity where representatives of the Public Prosecutor’s Offices, Ministry of Interior, health institutions and the media, had chance to discuss on important measures and steps necessary for preventing the leak of information, as well as on professionalisation of informing the public on criminal proceedings.
Key speakers included Томо Zorić, Secretary of State Prosecutorial Coucil, Brian LeDuc, Team Leader of JEP project, Milica ljubičić, Coordinator for the Communication Strategy of the Public Prosecutors’s Offices, Miloš Oparnica, Assitant Minister – Ministry of Interior, Mirjana Golubović of Judical Academy, and Bojana Mlađenović, journalist of National Broadcast Corporation and JEP expert. In addition, other participants included representative of Commisioner for Information Office, as well as 30 representatives of Public Prosecutors Offices and 20 journalists.
Over the constructive and vivid discussion, participants agreed on the strong need for cooperation of all in the information chain and thatinstitutions need to have clear and precize mechanism that will be applied when information, that should not be publicly known, leak during the investigation phase.
In addition, participants had the opportunity to express their views in a panel discussion entitled“How to reconcile the interests and pave the way for the media to high-quality, timely and accurate information”. The goal was to educate Public Prosecutors Offices and other institutions’representatives who are appointed to work with the media in order to properly place information, and on the other hand to fully respond to the demands on informing the public in the way that does not infringe any of the principles of criminal procedure.It was concluded that only true and promptly informing can achieve a balance between the public’s right to know and the interests of the investigation.
Workshop in Belgrade is the first in a series of interactive workshops supported by the EU that will be held in December in Novi Sad, Nis and Kragujevac. After the workshops, based on the conclusions formulated, the plan is to develop the Manual with instructions for the proper reporting of criminal proceedings which would provide an important prerequisite for sustainable cooperation of all stakeholders in this process. The manual will be presented at the final workshop which will be held in the second quarter of 2017, in Belgrade.
