The appeal of the Special State Prosecutor's Office (SDT) proposing to order detention for former Supreme Court President Vesna Medenica, due to procedural assumptions, has not yet reached the Court of Appeals.
Independent Public Relations Advisor of the Higher Court in Podgorica, Ivana Vukmirović, told "Vijesti" that the procedural prerequisites for sending the case to the Court of Appeal for a decision have not yet been met.
Last Saturday, the SDT proposed in its appeal that Vesna Medenica's decision of the Higher Court in Podgorica be reversed and detention ordered. This was requested by the prosecution in an urgent procedure.
On January 28, the panel of Judge Vesna Kovačević handed down the first-instance verdict, sentencing the former first lady of the judicial branch of government to a decade in prison, and imposing supervision measures on her - a ban on leaving Kolašin and the confiscation of her travel document.
The SDT appealed the decision of the High Court because they believe that these surveillance measures are not sufficient "to ensure her presence in further criminal proceedings."
The court unofficially announced that in order to submit an appeal, it is also necessary for the parties to the proceedings, namely Vesna Medenica's lawyers, Zdravko Begović and Zdenko Tomanović, to receive the appeal from the SDT and to submit a statement to the Higher Court in Podgorica.
This procedure is being hampered by the fact that attorney Tomanović is in Belgrade, and he has asked the court to send him letters exclusively by mail, which is greatly slowing down the process.
"The Special State Prosecutor's Office has filed an appeal against the decision of the Higher Court in Podgorica, which rejected the proposal to order detention for the accused, and imposed supervision measures. The appeal proposed to the Court of Appeal of Montenegro to reverse the decision and order detention," said spokesperson and special prosecutor Vukas Radonjić.
After the escape of Miloš Medenica, who disappeared from house arrest on the eve of the verdict, the SDT assessed that there was a real danger and fear that Vesna Medenica would join her son during the escape.
Vesna Medenica was sentenced to ten years in prison and a fine of 50.000 euros for the criminal offense of unlawful influence over judges.
The Council assessed that there was insufficient evidence that she was a member of the criminal organization formed by her son Miloš Medenica.
The verdict was handed down by Judge Vesna Kovačević, emphasizing that this was one of the most serious cases of breach of trust in the judiciary, given that the criminal acts were "committed by a person who held the highest judicial office in the state during the relevant period."
Her son was sentenced to ten years and two months in prison and ordered to pay 50.000 euros.
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