The judges of the Constitutional Court, five of them, had annual net salaries of 23 to 28 euros last year, all of them own apartments, and some even own several weapons.
Judges have weapons. Budimir Šćepanović (two pieces) and Faruk Resulbegović (three pieces), while the most loans were reported by the judge and president of the Constitutional Court Snezana Armenko. Šćepanović and the judge Desanka Lopičić They do not have loans, but they have apartments for which they received loans from the state on favorable terms.
Armenko has a housing loan from 2022 for a total of 85.950 euros, and her installment is 498,48 euros. She also has two cash loans of 20 thousand and six thousand, also from 2022, while she took out a new one of three thousand euros in 2023. She also has a consumer loan of six thousand euros from 2024. Her husband Lazar Armenko has a mortgage loan of 160 thousand euros (installment of 673,32 euros) from 2020, as well as a cash loan of two thousand euros from 2022.
Armenko reported two credit cards for amounts of 1.590 and 2.000 euros, as well as a current account limit of 2.000 euros.
She was elected as a judge of the Constitutional Court in February 2023, and as the president of that institution in May 2024.
Armenko's net salary as a judge and president of the Constitutional Court last year was a total of 26.964 euros, and as a member of the Editorial Commission she received a total of 3.530 euros in compensation.
She also reported a compensation for March 8 (received based on a court ruling) of 50 euros, then a daily allowance for official travel of 40 euros. From the Civic Alliance, she received compensation of 88,11 euros as a lecturer, and from the Council of Europe, she had two compensations - 3.200 euros as the author of the Environmental Protection Analysis and 600 euros as an expert for checking the content of the online course.
Her husband had an annual income of 20.199 euros as a lawyer, and 11.800 from rent.
Snežana Armenko has an 83 square meter apartment that she bought, while her husband inherited a house with a living space of 72 square meters, a non-residential space of 10 square meters, and a business space of 56 square meters, while he built the 89 square meter house.
He inherited a building plot of 121 square meters, meadows, parts of pastures, forests, reeds..., and as a gift he received a yard of 500 square meters, fields of 67 and 42 square meters, and a building plot of 18 square meters.
Snežana Armenko does not have a motor vehicle, while her husband owns a 2012 Renault Fluence.
Resulbegović has a house, apartments, and business premises
Judge Faruk Resulbegović had a total net salary of 23.943 euros last year, and he also had a total compensation as a member of the Commission for the Preparation of Constitutional Court Decisions of 3.530 euros. His income from other work, activities, etc. (not specified) amounted to 24.810 euros. His wife's income Illyrians It amounted to 3.000 euros last year (it was not stated on what basis).
Resulbegović declared an 87-square-meter house as his inheritance, then two apartments (142 and 70 square meters), a 311-square-meter building plot, a 37-square-meter building plot, and business premises of 70 and 38 square meters. According to data from his file, he purchased business premises of 66 and 128 square meters.
Resulbegović has a 745 BMW 2002 that he bought, and inherited a 4 Citroen C2009. His wife has a 2013 VW Polo.
He also reported weapons - Bernardeli VB practical (2018), CZ shadow 2 (2021), Beretta ARX 160 (2020), which he stated he purchased.
He has a cash loan of 25 thousand euros, taken out in 2022.
Resulbegović was a prosecutor at the Basic State Prosecutor's Office in Ulcinj for many years, and was elected as a judge of the Constitutional Court on November 21, 2023.
Tešić received 1.200 euros for living separately
Judge Momirka Tešić had a total salary of 25.379 euros at the Constitutional Court last year, and she also reported a total compensation of 3.440 euros as a member of the Commission for the Selection of Decisions/Rules of the Constitutional Court.
She received a total of 1.210 euros in compensation for separated living last year (110 euros per month), and was also paid arrears of 1.100 euros. She also reported a compensation of 8 euros for March 50th.
Her husband, Nenad Tešić, had a total salary of 11.623 euros last year, but it was not stated where he was employed.
Tešić bought a 47-square-meter apartment last year, while her husband owns 50 percent of a 105-square-meter house and a 300-square-meter yard (inheritance). Nenad Tešić owns a 2012 VW Golf.
She has shares in Otrant komerc (62) and Izbor Bar (2.000), and her husband in Luka Bar (1.050) and Port of Adria (1.050). Tešić reported a loan of 15.000 euros from 2024.
Tešić is a former judge of the Basic Court in Kotor, and was elected as a judge of the Constitutional Court at the end of February 2023.
Lopičić earned the most
Desanka Lopičić had a total annual income of 28.435 euros net based on her basic salary at the Constitutional Court.
In addition, she received a total of 2.150 euros as a lecturer at the Center for Training in the Judiciary and State Prosecutor's Office, and 3.580 euros as a member of the Commission for the Verification of Professional Competence.
According to her property records, she owns a 75-square-meter apartment for which the government gave her a loan of 2009 euros in 75, and for which her installment was only 79,8 euros. It is an apartment in the professorial buildings (at the University of Montenegro), where the square meter was then estimated at 860 euros.
Due to the granting of housing loans on favorable terms, an indictment for abuse of office was filed against members of the Commission for Resolving Housing Issues of the Government of Montenegro from 2016-2020. They were acquitted of the charges by the judge of the specialized department of the Higher Court in Podgorica, Vesna Kovačević, on Friday. This is a first-instance verdict.
This is Lopičić's second mandate in the Constitutional Court. She was elected a judge of the Constitutional Court for the first time on June 23, 2005, at the proposal of the President of Montenegro, and for the second time on January 15, 2014. She also served as president of the Constitutional Court, and then as presiding judge (2020), which was deemed unconstitutional.
The mandate of a judge of the Constitutional Court is 12 years.
Lopičić completed 40 years of service this summer, which made her eligible for retirement under the Pension and Disability Insurance Act (PIO). However, the majority opinion in the Constitutional Court is that judges of that court should retire under the Labor Act, and not the PIO regulation, like judges of other courts.
The Pension and Disability Insurance Act stipulates an age limit for retirement of 65 years of age and at least 15 years of insurance service, or 40 years of insurance service and 61 years of age. According to the Labor Act, employment terminates by force of law when an employee reaches the age of 66 years of age and at least 15 years of insurance service.
All judges of the Constitutional Court retired under the Labor Law, except for Judge Dragan Đuranović, who was declared by the Parliament at the end of last year to have ceased to hold office because she had reached the retirement age under the Pension and Disability Insurance Act. This led to a sharp reaction from the opposition and part of the public, which led to the parliament's work being blocked until an agreement was reached to ask the Venice Commission, which is still considering the issue, for its opinion.
Pursuant to the Labor Law, the term of office of judge Budimir Šćepanović will end at the end of this month.
President of Montenegro Jakov Milatovic sent a proposal to the Assembly to Mirjana Vučinić elected as a judge of the Constitutional Court, instead of Šćepanović.
The Constitutional Committee of the Parliament has stopped the procedure for the election of two judges (successors of Dragana Đuranović and Milorad Gogić), until the opinion of the Venice Commission is received.
Šćepanović reported inheritance
According to his asset declaration, Šćepanović had a salary of a total of 27.400 euros last year and a fee of 3.530 as a member of the Editorial Committee.
His wife Tanja Scepanovic Her salary last year was a total of 8.342 euros (it was not stated where she works).
Šćepanović has a 90-square-meter apartment, which he bought with state assistance for just over 13 euros. His apartment is located in the University Center in Podgorica.
Last year, he reported that he inherited half of the 200 and 75 square meter houses, a 500 square meter yard, as well as part of an outbuilding and garage, pastures, and an uncategorized road.
Šćepanović has a building plot of 1.109 square meters (purchase), while his wife inherited a pasture of 714 square meters and a forest of 2.516 square meters.
Šćepanović has two motor vehicles: a 2009 Nissan X-Trail and a 1998 Opel Vectra.
He also owns weapons – a “zastava M 70” from 1985 (inheritance) and a “zastava arms M 70A” from 1993 (purchase).
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