Chief of the General Staff of the Army of Montenegro Zoran Lazarevic he sued the Ministry of Defense because, as he stated, they repeatedly discriminated against him with their decisions.
In the lawsuit, which was submitted to the Basic Court in Podgorica on October 11, it is stated, among other things, that the Ministry "injured his officer's honor and dignity" with numerous decisions.
The lawsuit alleges that the Ministry of Defense discriminated against General Lazarevic in the period from August 28 to October 10, 2024.
"In this period, the prosecutor was exposed to direct and indirect discrimination by the defendant (Minister of Defense Dragan Krapović), who first tried to dismiss Lazarevic by proposing to the Council for Defense and Security his dismissal due to his age, so when he failed to do so, he brought an illegal the decision by which the decision by which the plaintiff's duration of service was extended until June 8.6.2025, XNUMX ceased to be valid. year", it is stated in the lawsuit, which "Vijesti" had access to.
The request asks the court to hear the witness, the Minister of Defense Dragan Krapović, and, if necessary, other members of the Council for Defense and Security, the President of the State Jakov Milatović and the Prime Minister Milojko Spajić.
Lazarevic's attorney, lawyer Miloš Vukčević he listed for "Vijesti" the key items, which he claims are discriminatory towards the brigadier general, stating that the Ministry decided to "discriminate against Lazarevic based on his age".
"For many persons, the minister did not initiate procedures for the termination of the validity of their decisions, which again treated the prosecutor unequally and made differences in relation to other employees who were in the same situation. In addition, from the minister's statement Dragan Krapović it is clearly seen that the defendant has a strong assumption that Lazarevic is a member of a political party or organization, namely an opposition one, even though the plaintiff is not a member of any political party but a person who performs his duties professionally. Therefore, when such a statement of the minister is related to his behavior and actions, only one conclusion can be drawn that the defendant treated the plaintiff unequally in relation to other employees, excluding him and restricting him in relation to the others", states Vukčević.
The public disagreement between the Brigadier General and the Minister of Defense began at the end of the summer after Krapović canceled the decision, which extended Lazarević's military service until the summer of the following year.
At the session of the Security and Defense Council on August 28 this year, Krapović insisted that Lazarević be dismissed, which was supported by the President of the Assembly Andrija Mandic and Prime Minister Spajić. As this body makes decisions by consensus, and the president of the state was against retirement, the decision waited for a new session.
Weeks followed, during which there were numerous accusations between Krapović and Milatović about the correctness of the decision, and at the same time the Minister of Defense issued an order prohibiting Lazarević's activities abroad, because the general allegedly, during official and informal talks in Prague, "commented negatively on the political situation in Montenegro", some members of the supreme command... Lazarevic denied these claims, claiming that they were "absolutely incorrect".
Krapović then disclosed the information that in March of this year, General Lazarević "organized to bring a Yamaha motorcycle, which he bought in Slovenia for his son, in an official military vehicle".
Lazarevic also sent a letter to the members of the Council for Defense and Security in which he accused the Minister of Defense "of actions that harm the VCG".
The session of the Council on October 11, at which the decision was supposed to be made, was paused because President Milatović refused to replace Lazarević.
Lawyer Vukčević chronologically listed in the lawsuit that Minister Krapović by order "removed all activities of Lazarevic abroad and thus prevented him from performing his duties outside the country", which, as he stated in the lawsuit, "hurt his honor and dignity as an officer".
"At the same time, calling into question the credibility and integrity of the state of Montenegro as a committed member of the Alliance. The manifestation of discrimination by this act is clearly seen through the fact that no other activity abroad of any other member of the Army was targeted or subject to a prohibition order, but on the contrary - the defendant directed her discriminatory behavior directly against the prosecutor. As a special humiliation, which the plaintiff experienced from the defendant, is that each of his addresses at the Ceremonial Academy on the occasion of the Army Day celebration was purposefully and intentionally omitted from all social media posts of the defendant's official account, as well as from the official announcement on the website. states the lawyer.
The prosecutor was exposed to direct and indirect discrimination by the Minister of Defense Dragan Krapović, who first tried to dismiss Lazarevic by proposing to the Council for Defense and Security that he be dismissed due to his age, and when he failed to do so, he issued an illegal decision that ceased to be valid decision by which the plaintiff's duration of service was extended until June 8.6.2025, XNUMX. year, it is stated in the lawsuit
Vukčević emphasizes that General Lazarevic experienced a particularly severe form of discrimination on October 10, 2024, when the Ministry of Defense, i.e. Minister Krapović, publicly accused him of having committed illegal acts, and that the political centers of power and opposition parties led by the former president were behind him. Milo Đukanović.
"Maybe Lazarevic and the political centers behind him thought they could do anything, but now they will face the law," Minister Krapovic said at a press conference on October 10.
Lazarevic's lawyer states in the claim that the minister's statement "clearly shows that the defendant has a strong assumption that the plaintiff is a member of a political party or organization, and that of the opposition"...
The lawsuit requests the court to prohibit the Ministry of Defense from repeating the discrimination.
Only one conclusion can be drawn - that the state treated the plaintiff unequally compared to other employees, according to Lazarevic's legal representative.
Ministry of Defense: We have received a complaint and we will respond to the allegations
The Ministry of Defense confirmed to "Vijesta" that it received the complaint of Brigadier General Zoran Lazarevic for a statement.
In their response, they stated that Dragan Krapović, as the Minister of Defense, affirms the right of every individual to seek legal protection before the competent courts in relation to the perception that his rights have been denied or threatened.
"It is certainly a legitimate and civilized way and an opportunity for everyone to fight for their rights", according to the Public Relations Service.
In their response, they announced that they believe that General Lazarevic's lawsuit will be unsuccessful.
"The Ministry of Defense will certainly respond to the allegations of the lawsuit within the deadline defined by law," the answer reads.
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