Institutions should do their job, without political pressure and selective justice. This was stated by the President of the Parliament of Montenegro, Andrija Mandić, for RTNK, commenting on the recent arrests in Montenegro. He says that the parliament, through its control function, has repeatedly encouraged the competent authorities to act in accordance with the law.
"Let everyone do their job. Let the institutions do their job. We have repeatedly encouraged and encouraged in parliament, including through the control function, and the prosecutor's report is on the agenda, where we will be able to talk more about specific matters. We think that the Chief Special Prosecutor's Office has done an important job. Of course, what appeared in the media was no secret. The whole of Montenegro knew how the former government was run," said Mandić, reported the RTNK portal.
He adds that the greatest quality of the political changes of 2020 is the freedom that, as he says, has arrived in Montenegro. He adds, however, that the judiciary still has a lot of work to do to gain citizens' trust in justice.
"In order to gain trust in justice, those who have violated the laws need to be brought to justice. And we need to have final verdicts. The judiciary must do its part. Is it possible to change that quickly, is it possible to establish the institutions that Montenegro needs - time will tell. I think that those first actions that the media especially like, when someone is arrested, when various messages are read that confirm everything that the opposition has been talking about for 20 years, are not enough, but we need to have a normal court procedure where the facts will be established, where the defense will have the right to present all its arguments, the prosecution the evidence it has collected and of course we need a court that will properly assess all of this and make a decision based on the law," said Mandić.
He encourages and incites institutions to do their job, but also says that he expects faster results in the processes that have already been initiated. Speaking about the role of the media, Mandić says that journalism in Montenegro should be based on professionalism, not on political influences.
"We know that the ruling regime wanted to use many journalists for its own political goals. We had journalists who did not want to be journalists, but politicians, and you look at it and come to a devastating conclusion that many of them, while engaged in this honorable, noble profession, which should somehow correct our society, were in the function, not of politics, but even of organized criminal groups, and that is what is terrible," said Mandić.
He adds that no one should be above the law - not politicians, not journalists, not anyone else. The law, he says, must apply equally to everyone.
"Whoever breaks the law should face the state and be held accountable for their actions. If ordinary citizens, civil servants, educational and healthcare workers, politicians can do it - I see no reason why there should be a single profession that is outside the law," said Mandić.
He stated that time should show whether Montenegro can build strong and independent institutions that will guarantee the equality of all citizens before the law.
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