Former Minister of Justice Zoran Pažin and member of the Judicial Council Rada Kovačević testified before special prosecutor Zorica Milanović this morning about when, as members of the Judicial Council, they found out about the criminal proceedings against the judge from Rožaj, Milosav Zekić.
The two were heard as witnesses in the investigation conducted by the SDT against Medenica, which was initiated after a report that she abused her official position because she allegedly did not stop the payment of personal income to judge Zekić.
After the hearing, Pažin told the journalists that he had informed the prosecution that he learned about the fact that criminal proceedings were being conducted against Judge Zekić, and that he was subsequently and legally convicted of a criminal offense that makes him unfit to exercise his judicial function, at a session of the Judicial Council, whose was a member.
"When the president of the SS informed us about it," he said.
He pointed out that in the discussion that took place on that occasion, he took the legal position that the resignation of Judge Zekić that he submitted should not be accepted, but that he should be dismissed, because it was previously established that he had committed a criminal act that makes him unworthy to perform the function of a judge .
"The majority of the members of the judicial council had a different opinion, which is their legitimate right, given that it is a collective body and after that the position was taken as it was taken. In any case, it is not clear to me why this is being blamed on the President of the Supreme Court, because neither then the president of the Supreme Court was competent for that issue, nor is the president of the Supreme Court competent for that issue today, because it is the exclusive competence of the Judicial Council," said Pažin.
Medenica attended the hearings at the SDT, as did her legal representative, attorney Zdravko Begović.
Begović said that Pažin was a member of the SS during the period he pleaded guilty to and that he confirmed the defense's position:
"In the testimony given before the prosecutor, he was categorical in his position - that during that period, Medenica neither could, nor had any authority to decide on the status of former judge Milosav Zekić. Therefore, that was enough for the defense, essentially the same thesis is also our Vesna Medenica was informed about the status of judge Zekić at the same moment when the SS was informed about it, which had to undertake further actions as a matter of official duty," said Begović.
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