Podgorica, (MINA) – The Draft Law on the National Security Agency (ANB) is unconstitutional and against international standards, the Network for the Affirmation of the NGO Sector (MANS) assessed, while the Institute Alternativa (IA) noted that this Draft contains a number of significant flaws in terms of further limiting the judicial control of the application of the ANB authorities, as well as employment and public procurement.

The MANS expressed their strong opposition to the Draft Law on ANB, adopted by the Government without a public debate and submitted to the Parliament under urgent procedure.

“Adopting laws in this manner, especially those that concern the fundamental rights of citizens, reveals a troubling willingness of the government to bypass public scrutiny”, the MANS stated in a press release.

The MANS stated that the Draft gives the ANB extensive and unlimited powers to collect data on citizens without judicial supervision, including access to personal and sensitive dta, and insight into citizens’ communication data and electronic records.

President of IA’s Board of Directors, Stevo Muk, said that there is no justified reason for the Draft Law on ANB to be “rushed” through the parliamentary procedure in a few days, without any prior discussion and consultation.

“Especially because it is a legal text that contains a number of significant flaws in terms of further limiting judicial control of the application of the powers of ANB officials, complete exclusion from the public procurement system and the introduction of full discretion in the hiring process”, the press release says.

According to Muk, the Draft Law on ANB, a state body that represents an isolated island in the Montenegrin legal system, additionally excludes it from the system and introduces even less oversight and responsibility.