The State Appeals Commission rejected the appeal of the Commander of the Navy of the Army of Montenegro (AVCG) a week ago as unfounded. Darko Vuković to the decision of the Minister of Defense Dragan Krapović (Democrats) by which he was removed from office at the end of last year - "Vijesti" learns.
Vuković was suspended on December 23, and on the same day disciplinary proceedings were initiated against him on suspicion that, contrary to the order of his superior, the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Montenegro, Miodrag Vuksanović, addressed directly, in a letter, to the head of state and the chairman of the supreme command Jakov Milatović.
As "Vijesti" published at the end of December, Vuković claimed in the letter that Krapović was mobbing him, that is, that his rank was not respected when entering the Ministry building and when arranging seating arrangements at meetings.
Milatović's cabinet assessed that Vuković's suspension represented a humiliation of the Army, while its top man Vuksanović said that Vuković violated the principle of subordination by addressing the president and that therefore the removal was legal.
"... Vuković's actions recently represented a flagrant violation of the principle of subordination and single-seniority in command and the duty to carry out orders...", Vuksanović stated at the time.
The session of the Defense and Security Council, which was scheduled for December 24th and at which Milatović wanted to discuss Vuković's letter, was interrupted without an official explanation and has not yet resumed.
Vuković: Arbitrary assessments of Krapović
Vuković appealed to the State Appeals Commission (whose president and members are appointed by the Government), requesting that the decision according to which he was removed from office be annulled.
In his appeal, as can be seen from the document that "Vijesti" had access to, he stated that the material illegality of the decision consists in the application of "an irrelevant material regulation and its misinterpretation", since, as he claims, Krapović issued the decision based on Article 38, paragraph 1 of the Law on the Armed Forces of Montenegro, while removal from office is regulated by Articles 94 and 113 of the same regulation. Vuković claims that the minister is not competent to remove officers, "which represents a violation of the rule on actual jurisdiction, so the decision is null and void, not just illegal".
"First Sailor" states that the disciplinary proceedings and decision against him were initiated and adopted without the opportunity to comment, and that the application of the summary procedure is a gross violation of the principle of legality and the right to a fair trial.
Vuković, among other things, assessed that the decision made by Krapović was based on "arbitrary value judgments about the 'authority of the superior'", without determining whether Vuksanović's order had been violated and without determining whether there was a real danger to the command system.
The head of the Navy, in the end, also claims that on November 28, 2025, he sent a letter to the Chief of the General Staff, and not to the President of Montenegro, as stated in the Ministry's decision, which (that department), he adds, does not cite any evidence to confirm its claims.
After the adjourned Council session, "Vijesti", citing an unofficial source, reported that Vuković said at the session that he had not sent a letter to Milatović, but that, after being told that the president had proposed that the issue of the letter be the fourth item on the agenda, he stated that he had sent the same letter to Vuksanović, and that he had informed the head of state of its contents.
Commission: Conditions for removal met
In its decision rejecting the appeal, issued on January 29, the Commission concluded that the Ministry acted in accordance with the law when it removed Vuković from office.
In a document signed by the President of the Commission Dejana Zeković, it is stated that pursuant to Article 113 of the Law on the Armed Forces of Montenegro, in order to impose a measure of temporary suspension from work, it is necessary to meet two conditions, and that in this case - both were met.
The first condition, as it says, has been met since it is an indisputable fact that disciplinary proceedings have been initiated against Vuković for a disciplinary offense under Article 157 of the Law on the Armed Forces of Montenegro (failure to execute or refuse orders, orders and decisions of a superior or untimely, unconscionable and negligent performance of duty or duty obligations). As for the second condition, according to which Vuković's presence on duty would be detrimental to the interests of the service, the Ministry, they claim, has provided clear and valid reasons.
They point out that the department explained that Vuković's presence would be harmful because, despite the fact that he was the commander of a unit directly subordinate to the Chief of General Staff, he acted contrary to the order of the top military officer, thereby demonstrating a gross violation of the principles of subordination and unity of command.
"Which is unacceptable from a military perspective and represents a flagrant example of violating the chain of command, which reasons this commission also accepts...", the decision states.
The Commission assessed as unfounded the complaint's allegation that the Minister of Defense is not competent to dismiss officers.
"This is because the provision of Article 38, paragraph 1, item 3 of the Law on the Armed Forces of Montenegro stipulates that the minister decides on admission to service, termination of service and other rights and obligations of persons serving in the Armed Forces, in connection with service in the Armed Forces, and the contested decision was made precisely with reference to the aforementioned norm...", it is written in the document that the editorial team had access to.
Participation in the procedure enabled
The Commission also states that the case files also include an official note from the Acting Chief of the Cabinet of the Chief of General Staff. Rados Djurdjic from December 23rd, which states that the day before, on Vuksanović's instructions, he had informed Vuković by email and telephone that he had been invited to an official interview with the first man of the VCG the next day at nine o'clock, and that the Chief of the Navy had informed him that he "was coming to registration desk 1, where he was not allowed to enter the facility, and that he was heading back."
It says that it follows from Đurđić's note that Vuković did not attend that meeting because he was not authorized to enter on "Ministry registration form 1", in accordance with the Study for the security of that facility, which precisely specifies the persons who have the right to enter on that registration form, since there are two, which Vuković does not dispute in his appeal.
"Based on the above, this Commission finds that the allegations in the appeal that the appellant was not allowed to participate in the removal proceedings in question are unfounded," the Commission's decision states.
Last night, Vuković told "Vijesti" that he does not have the Commission's decision rejecting his appeal, and that he does not want to comment on anything.
He may, within 20 days of receiving the decision, initiate a dispute before the Administrative Court against the Commission's decision.
"The collapse of the story about the illegalities of the Ministry and Krapović"
The Ministry of Defense unofficially told "Vijesti" yesterday that, after the Commission's decision, it is clear that the story about the illegal actions of that department and Krapović in the case of Vuković's suspension has collapsed.
"In this regard, we expect President Milatović to schedule the Defense and Security Council session as soon as possible, which he arbitrarily interrupted and postponed the previous time (December 24) due to dissatisfaction with the Ministry's decision to initiate disciplinary proceedings and suspend Commodore Vuković," claims the newspaper's source from the Ministry.
The session, for which several important issues were proposed for the agenda, was adjourned, as stated, without an official explanation, and an interlocutor from Milatović's office said at the time that it had been "postponed and that a new one will be scheduled, with the same agenda, if nothing changes in the meantime."
"Vijesti" reported at the end of December that Milatović allegedly conditioned the continuation of the session on Vuković's reinstatement, but the then presidential advisor for security and defense Dejan Vukšić denied this.
The editorial team's interlocutor also claims that at the adjourned session, the other two members of the Supreme Command, the heads of parliament and government, Andrija Mandić and Milojko Spajić, were ready to adopt the decisions that were on the agenda.
"President Milatović's postponement has already caused irreparable damage to the system, the Armed Forces of Montenegro and its members who have been proposed for promotion, appointment or dismissal. Something like that is unacceptable," said an interlocutor from Krapović's department.
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