Raičević, Šćepanović and Radulović elected as members of the Prosecutorial Council

The Parliament of Montenegro today elected Sekula Raičević, Veselin Šćepanović and Sanja Radulović as members of the Prosecutorial Council (PC).

Raičević and Šćepanović were elected as members of the TS from among prominent lawyers who are not lawyers, at the proposal of the Parliamentary Committee for the Political System, Judiciary and Administration, while Radulović was elected as a member of the Council from among lawyers, at the proposal of the Bar Association.

Radulović received the support of 46 and Raičević 47 MPs, while 30 MPs voted for Šćepanović, with 17 abstaining.

"With this majority, we could almost change the Constitution," commented Assembly Speaker Andrija Mandić.

Knežević: Marković surrounded himself with personnel from the Milivoje Katnić era

Supreme State Prosecutor Milorad Marković surrounded himself with personnel from the time when Milivoje Katnić was at the head of the Special State Prosecutor's Office.

This was stated by the leader and MP of the Democratic People's Party (DNP), Milan Knežević, at today's parliamentary session, where MPs discussed the Proposal for the election of two members of the Prosecutorial Council from among eminent lawyers who are not lawyers, as well as the Report from the consultative hearing of the candidate for a member of the Prosecutorial Council from among lawyers, proposed by the Bar Association of Montenegro.

Chairman Nikola Camaj (Albanian Forum - AF) announced at the beginning of the session that Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) MP Drita Lola had resigned from her position. Camaj said that, following Lola's resignation, Neli Savković Vukčević's mandate would begin.

The Chairman of the Committee for the Political System, Judiciary and Administration and DNP MP Vladislav Bojović said that the committee had proposed Veselin Šćepanović and Sekula Raičević as members from among prominent lawyers who are not lawyers, and that the candidate proposed by the Bar Association was Sanja Radulović.

DPS MP Abaz Dizdarević pointed out that the candidates were proposed by the parliamentary committee, namely by the Bar Association.

As he added, Šćepanović and Raičević were the only candidates, which some civil society organizations interpreted as an indicator of insufficient trust in the environment in which the call was being conducted.

"We believe that the lack of interest is a direct consequence of the profanation of the legal profession. It should also be clarified whether parliament plays a role in discrediting candidates. Is there any responsibility on our part in this process?" he said.

He emphasized that he would "express his position on the candidates during the vote."

Democratic MP Momčilo Leković said that "for years we have watched how security structures do not serve the state but crime."

Knežević said that, after the failure to adopt the Report on the Work of the Prosecutor's Office, the question arises "whether we have a Supreme State Prosecutor."

"Formally legally we have it, but essentially we don't. And if this were even remotely a democratic procedure and if we were guided by the Western European standards that we are so proud of, we would be discussing today the election of the Supreme State Prosecutor, not the addition of three members to the Prosecutorial Council. That is why I believe that it is necessary to amend the Law on the Prosecutor's Office as soon as possible, in order to clearly determine and define the competencies of the Supreme State and Chief Special Prosecutors, as well as the Prosecutorial Council," he said.

He added that "nobody needs this kind of prosecution."

"Mr. (Milorad) Marković surrounded himself with Lidija Vukčević, Tanja Božović, Lepa Medenica and all those prosecutors from the time of Milivoje Katnić who flew under the banner of the DPS, supposedly defending the state, while all the while settling scores with us," he said, adding that the Supreme State Prosecutor has "the most authority in Montenegro."

Knežević called on Marković to get involved in the case of "abuse of official position by Katnić, Sasa Čađenović and Zoran Pažin" when they "pressured British lawyer Tommy Cadman and former CIA operative Joseph Assad."

"I call on Mr. Marković to investigate the attempted murder of Dušan Knežević in 2015 when police officers beat him," he said.

He also explained why they voted to appoint Marković as Supreme State Prosecutor.

"After talking to Marković, Mr. (Andrija) Mandić told me that he should be supported because of his suit and shoes because he thinks he is an honest man... Because of those shoes and suits, we decided to vote, because my colleague Mandić calculated that they cost about 45 euros, and today Marković has shoes that cost more than everything on me, except for my head," he pointed out.

DPS MP Aleksandra Vuković Kuč said that "the ruling majority is not talking to the opposition."

Zirojević: Opposition completely excluded from election of members of the Prosecutorial Council

Europe Now Movement (PES) MP Darko Dragović said that "the fight for justice and a fairer society requires strong institutions", and that "Montenegro needs a strong Prosecutorial Council".

"We need to elect qualified and capable candidates. We have candidates who have no political past. This is an indicator that we are not electing politically suitable candidates," he pointed out.

Dragović added that PES will not declare itself for now, but that it has "no objections" to the existing candidates.

Social Democrat (SD) MP Nikola Zirojević said that after the Prosecutor's Office's Work Report was not adopted, there was no comment on it.

"Our position is that this VDT has no legitimacy. This is a direct consequence of the poor and unimplemented attitude towards parliament," he pointed out.

He added that "the opposition is completely excluded from the election of members of the Prosecutorial Council."

Anđela Vojinović (Democrats) said that she knows Raičević, and that she is certain "that he will not be anyone's extended hand."

Andrija Nikolić (DPS) said that there was no will to include the opposition in the election of members of the Prosecutorial Council, and that in 2013 the then parliamentary majority did so.

He also referred to the events that took place in Montenegro.

"Did anyone ever reveal the identity of the hooligans who interrupted the screening of the Montenegrin-Albanian film in Zabjelo? Has anyone been brought to justice? Do we know who burned down the shops of Turkish citizens and chanted 'Kill, slaughter so that no Turk exists'? Do we know who attacked Croatian citizens traveling to the match near Cetinje?" he asked.

He added that his party "cannot constructively participate in the process."

Camaj asked Nikolić why no one spoke out about the beating of Ibrahim Čikić, why no one was held accountable for organizing the "Eagle's Flight" campaign, and added that he was also interested in the answers to the questions posed by the DPS MP.

"I'm interested in why this didn't happen when you were in power, but only now that you're in opposition," Camaj said.

Nikolić told Camaj that "the former regime enabled Albanian refugees from Kosovo to come to Montenegro in 1999," and that he would like to know "why Camaj complains about the position of Albanians during the DPS era."

"If nothing else had been done besides this, I would have remained silent," he pointed out.

Vasilije Čarapić (PES) said that in the past "there were tensions because there was a tendency to control institutions."

His presentation concluded that agenda item.