The Basic Court in Pljevlja worked well, although it lacked judges and space

The Basic Court in Pljevlja in 2024 had 2.793 cases in its docket, of which 552 were carried over from the previous year.

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Photo: Goran Malidžan
Photo: Goran Malidžan
Disclaimer: The translations are mostly done through AI translator and might not be 100% accurate.

The Basic Court in Pljevlja achieved impressive results last year, despite the fact that the court is short of two judges and that the space and equipment are inadequate.

This is stated in the report on the work of the president of the Basic Court in Pljevlja Marine Jelovac.

"In terms of the work of the court, it can be concluded that all judges acted promptly. About 61,03 percent of the total number of all types of cases in the work were resolved, and about 38,97 percent remained unresolved. The majority of unresolved cases were received in the last quarter of 2024, so there were no procedural prerequisites for their completion," she notes in the report.

The Basic Court in Pljevlja in 2024 had 2.793 cases in its docket, of which 552 were carried over from the previous year.

1.665 cases or 61,03 percent were resolved, 1.063 cases or 38,97 percent remained unresolved, and 65 cases were delegated to another court. In relation to the inflow, 76,52 percent of cases were resolved.

The average monthly inflow of cases was 186,75 cases, and compared to 2023, the inflow is 25 percent higher.

At the end of the reporting period, two criminal cases older than three years, three cases of enforcement of criminal sanctions, five civil cases and one complex non-contentious case remained unresolved.

Three cases of execution of criminal sanctions older than three years also remained unresolved, in which the court could not execute the prison sentence because the convicted persons are on the run, which is why an order was issued to issue an arrest warrant.

The court president achieved 139,73 percent of her annual quota, which is otherwise reduced by 30 percent due to the position she holds.

It has achieved, it writes, great quality in its work, which is confirmed by the number of confirmed judgments of higher court instances - as many as 91,8 percent have confirmed decisions, 4,92 percent have overturned decisions, 1,64 percent have modified decisions, and 1,64 percent have been confirmed/modified/overturned.

Sudinica Sanja Anicic It achieved 132,37 percent of its annual quota. 79,8 percent of its decisions were confirmed, 5,05 percent were modified, 13,13 percent were revoked, and 2,02 percent were confirmed/modified/revoked.

Sudinica Ljiljana Popović It achieved 121,58 percent of the annual quota. It has 79,55 percent of confirmed decisions, 6,82 percent of modified and 13,64 percent of revoked decisions.

"In 2024, the Basic Court in Pljevlja achieved impressive results in its work, taking into account the problems in its work related to the unfilled two judge positions, the inability to form a panel under Article 24, paragraph 7 of the Criminal Procedure Code, the inability to form a panel that would decide on objections to the decision on enforcement issued by a single judge and on objections to the decision on the imposition of interim measures, and the increased inflow of cases due to the delegation of cases from the Basic Court in Žabljak," the Report states.

To the Court in Pljevlja, the High Court in Bijelo Polje delegates cases of all types that were formed before the Basic Court in Žabljak and which does not have judges or court presidents who perform judicial functions.

In 2024, 128 verdicts were issued in the criminal department, five decisions were made, and one case was resolved in another way.

There were 14 acquittals, three dismissals, 111 convictions, and one security measure was imposed - mandatory psychiatric treatment while in prison.

The average duration of proceedings in the criminal department was 148,43 days, and of the total number of decisions made, 48,21 percent were suspended sentences, 29,46 percent were prison sentences, 19,64 percent were prison sentences served in residential premises, 1,75 percent were fines, and one security measure was imposed - mandatory psychiatric treatment at liberty.

Last year, the Basic Court in Pljevlja had 1359 civil cases in its work, of which 514 cases were resolved. 7 cases were delegated. In relation to the influx, 55,09 percent of cases were resolved. There were 5 cases in the work that were older than 3 years.

The average duration of proceedings in small claims cases was 173,88 days.

In 2024, a total of 18 cases were referred to mediation, and out of the 17 completed cases, the parties reached a mediation agreement in nine, while in the remaining cases the mediation procedure was unsuccessful.

In 2024, 33 requests for free legal aid were received, of which 29 were approved.

Free legal aid was granted in three cases to persons with low financial status, in 12 cases to beneficiaries of family financial support, in nine cases to victims of the crime of domestic violence or family violence, and in five cases to persons with disabilities.

The average duration of the proceedings in the criminal department was 148,43 days, and of the total number of decisions made, 48,21 percent were suspended sentences, 29,46 percent were prison sentences, 19,64 percent were prison sentences served in residential premises, 1,75 percent were fines, and one security measure was imposed - mandatory psychiatric treatment at liberty.

The space cannot even be adapted.

Working conditions in the Basic Court in Pljevlja are unsatisfactory in terms of working space and equipment in courtrooms and other premises.

"There are no, nor can there be, special rooms in the court building for the hearing of minors, rooms for the accommodation of prosecutors, lawyers and other parties, but the hallway of the upper floor of the building is used as a waiting room. Access for persons with disabilities is not provided, nor can it be provided in the existing building due to the size and layout of the rooms. Persons in wheelchairs can only access the court reception desk, but not the court registry offices and courtrooms. In the upcoming period, in order to improve the working conditions of judges and court employees, a generator should be installed due to frequent problems with electricity supply and sidewalks around the court building should be improved," said Marina Jelovac, the president of the Basic Court in Pljevlja, in her report.

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