The President of the Commercial Court Mladen Grdinić announced that no one, not even the former President of the Supreme Court Vesna Medenica, put pressure on him during the rendering of judgments.
Grdinić pointed out that a possible conviction for his predecessor Blaž Jovanić, who was accused of creating a criminal organization, would be bad for the entire judiciary and society.
As reported by the Radio Television of Montenegro portal, he said this in the "Link" program of Radio Montenegro, saying that the Commercial Court can and must resist the pressures of the powerful.
Grdinić commented on that and the fact that the media connected him with the former president of the Supreme Court, Vesna Medenica, who was accused of being part of a criminal organization, pointing out that the fact that his father was a judge when Medenica was an intern and that he knew her from work, he cannot speaks negatively about his career in any way.
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"I did not talk to Mrs. Medenica in any case under my jurisdiction and in which I acted, so that cannot speak negatively about my career," he pointed out.
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Grdinić said that the fact that he took office after the arrest of the former president of the Commercial Court, Blaž Jovanić, who was accused of creating a criminal organization, also burdens him.
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"When a judge is convicted of a criminal offense that he committed within his jurisdiction, that judgment would not only concern that procedure, but it would be a loss for the entire judicial system and society in Montenegro," Grdinić emphasized.
He states that the creation of a decent and responsible society is based on the creation of strong institutions.
"And they are not created by themselves, but we build and create them ourselves. That's why I think that judges have the greatest responsibility," he said.
Grdinić added that he made all his judgments, which caused criticism, exclusively according to the law, based on facts and evidence.
As he said, he was not biased in the case of the executive director of the Investment and Development Fund, Irene Radović, who sued the governor of the Central Bank of Montenegro, Radoj Žugić, for mobbing.
"That case was transparent, the High Court and the Supreme Court confirmed that verdict unanimously. The decision was not made biased. These are very complex cases and I explained everything in the case. I can say that it was made in the best of intentions using all my knowledge and skills." , said Grdinić.
He pointed out that the Commercial Court can and must respond to the pressures of the powerful, and that the fact that we have been in an acting state for a long time indicates that the situation in the judicial system is not good.
"The commercial court can and must respond to the pressures of the powerful. This is the court on which the entire Montenegrin economy depends," Grdinić said.
He added that that court came to a situation where only four judges worked last year and that the number of cases had increased significantly.
"Until 2020, the promptness of the court was 100 percent. At the end of last year, we were at 68 percent. The number of pending cases increased to 3,5 thousand. So, a huge standstill," Grdinić pointed out.
As he said, this deadlock is a big obstacle for increasing trust in the court, so it is necessary to increase the number of judges, which he proposed to the Judicial Council.
Grdinić concluded that there are no more privileged bankruptcy trustees in the Commercial Court, but that the algorithm selects the trustees.
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