To the Montenegrin soldiers Rajko Krivokapić i Dragutin Lalatović Their salaries will be reduced by a third for the period they spent in detention in Kosovo, as they will be given the status of "removed from duty", while an investigation will be initiated as part of disciplinary proceedings for going abroad without the knowledge of their superiors and abusing sick leave, according to the response from the Ministry of Defense (MOD) to "Vijesti" and an interlocutor from that department.
"The Armed Forces of Montenegro (AFM) will take into account all the facts and circumstances of the specific case and, in accordance with the Law on the Armed Forces of Montenegro, make an appropriate decision. In this context, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Montenegro points out that the aforementioned law stipulates that persons serving in the Armed Forces are removed from duty while in custody," they told "Vijesti".
Responding to the question of whether disciplinary proceedings will be initiated against the soldier for failing to report his travel, the department Dragan Krapović They said that they were informed by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Montenegro that an assessment is underway as to whether Krivokapić and Lalatović violated military discipline.
"After the procedure is completed, a decision will be made in accordance with the law," they stressed.
Krivokapić and Lalatović, together with Marinka Jovanović, arrested after the celebration of the Founder's Day in Visoki Dečani on November 24th for the inscription "Kosovo is Serbia" on their license plates, and two days later they were sentenced to thirty days in detention, which was later extended for the same number of days.
They were charged with “inciting hatred and intolerance.” Although their detention was extended until January 23rd at the end of December, they were released seven days before the deadline, and a day later the Kosovo Special Prosecution Office suspended the investigation against the three Montenegrin citizens.
They spent 55 days in detention, so they will most likely be "taxed" on their entire December salary, as well as part of their November and January salaries.
A source from the Armed Forces of Montenegro previously told "Vijesti" that Krivokapić and Lalatović did not notify their commander that they would be going to Kosovo, which they were legally obliged to do.
According to the Law on the Republic of Croatia (Article 63), a person serving in the army can travel abroad, but must report the trip to "a superior in a position directly subordinate to the Chief of the General Staff of the Republic of Croatia...". The Chief of the General Staff can limit travel abroad due to the needs of the service, and in conditions of war or state of emergency, you can go abroad only with the approval of the Minister of Defense.
The Ministry of Defense did not respond to the question of "Vijesti" at the time whether the two soldiers had reported their trip abroad to their superiors, and the newspaper's source from the Armed Forces of Montenegro said on that occasion that, based on media reports from the competent institutions in Kosovo, the Chief of General Staff Zoran Lazarevic asked the Ministry of Defense to request official notification of the arrest and detention of Krivokapić and Lalatović through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and to wait for that document to initiate the procedure.
"Vijesti" then announced that they had unofficially learned that one of the arrested soldiers had been on sick leave since October, and that the other had taken sick leave immediately before the incident in Kosovo, and that he had been on vacation until then.
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On that occasion, a source from the Ministry of Health told the newspaper that the minister had previously requested from the National Commission for Sick Leave Control at the Ministry of Health to investigate the sick leave of employees in his ministry, as well as individual members of the Armed Forces of Montenegro.
The Act on the Armed Forces of Serbia (Article 113) states that a person serving in the Army is removed from duty while he is in custody, while serving a prison sentence, and if he is caught committing a disciplinary offense or if criminal proceedings have been initiated against him or proceedings due to a disciplinary offense, if his presence on duty would be harmful to the interests of the service. A person cannot come to work during the suspension from duty.
According to the same act (Article 132), two-thirds of the salary paid in the month before the removal, or three-quarters if he is supporting a family, is paid to the person who is removed from duty.
The unpaid part of the salary will be paid in case of suspension of the disciplinary proceedings or acquittal for a disciplinary offense, and if the criminal proceedings were suspended by a final decision or it was established in the disciplinary decision that no disciplinary offense was committed, or the person was acquitted of the charge by a final judgment of the court or it was rejected.
Immediately after the arrest, when asked to comment on the arrest, Krapović said that, according to his knowledge and the assessments of their superiors, these were good and exemplary members of the Armed Forces of Montenegro, but that it was necessary to establish all the facts.
"When it comes to this case, nothing will be done 'off the cuff', nor will anyone be 'beheaded', if anyone expects such treatment... In this, as in all other cases, it is necessary to establish all relevant facts and circumstances...", he said on that occasion.
The head of parliament and New Serbian Democracy also reacted to their arrest. Andrija Mandic, who called on the Pristina administration to release them urgently, as well as the office of the Deputy Prime Minister Filip Ivanovic, which stated that they expect "our citizens to be provided with impartial and fair treatment, with respect for fundamental human rights and freedoms."
The families of the arrested young men protested several times in front of the Parliament, and on one occasion they were joined by an NSD MP and the mayor of the Municipality of Nikšić. Marko Kovacevic.
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