Higher Court in Podgorica: We will not and cannot allow any pressure from the public, individuals or interest groups

The Higher Court in Podgorica will not and cannot allow any pressure from the public, individuals or interest groups on its work and decision-making, the court announced tonight regarding the case of the arrested former Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports Vesna Bratić.

Bratić, who was arrested yesterday, was brought to the High Court in Podgorica for questioning tonight, and according to "Vijesti", she will be questioned by the investigating judge of that court, Suzana Mugoša, who will decide whether to order her detention or not.

"In light of current public interest and comments, we would like to inform you that the acting judge is the same judge who has been acting as an investigating judge for years, in the second half of the month, in accordance with the court's pre-determined work schedule. The court will not and cannot allow any pressure from the public, individuals or interest groups on its work and decision-making. Preserving the independence and integrity of the judiciary is the foundation of the rule of law and legal certainty for all citizens. The court remains consistent with the principles of legality, impartiality and professional responsibility," the High Court said in a statement.

Goran Danilović, president of United Montenegro, the party in which Bratić is the president of the Political Council, announced today that "the investigating judge is changed every 15 days in our country, which means two judges in two months."

"Yesterday, the judge we were expecting was on duty, in quotation marks of course. As was certain, Suzana Mugoša has been on duty since yesterday," Danilović said in a post on the social network Facebook.

Bratić was arrested yesterday in an investigation by the Special State Prosecutor's Office (SDT) for damage of at least 400.000 euros caused by the dismissal of more than 140 kindergarten, elementary and secondary school directors.

Bratić held the position of minister for just over a year - from the first post-DPS government elected on December 4, 2020, to February 4, 2022, when she was voted out of office.

In the first half of her term, she dismissed almost all school principals in Montenegro.

While the opposition accused her of political revenge, Bratić justified her dismissals in education by depoliticizing the education system, claiming that some of the dismissed directors had abused educational institutions for political purposes.

Yesterday, after a hearing at the Special State Prosecutor's Office (SDT), she was ordered to be detained, and her legal representative, attorney Mitar Šušić, told "Vijesti" that Bratić denied guilt and stated that she had dismissed directors legally.