The President of the Democratic Party of Serbia Parliamentary Group, Boris Bogdanović, announced that the election of a female judge to a judicial position should be a wake-up call for the judicial system, because her husband was convicted of the most serious crimes.
Bogdanović did not name the judge or her husband in the statement.
He said that her election also raises questions to which the authorities must provide an urgent, clear and unambiguous answer.
"The discovery that just a few days ago, a judge was elected to the judicial position whose spouse was finally convicted of the most serious crimes, including attempted aggravated murder and the crimes of illegal possession of weapons and explosives, and that, according to media reports, she is the leader of one of the criminal groups, represents an alarm for the entire judicial system and raises questions to which the authorities must provide an urgent, clear and unambiguous answer. According to available data from the records of the competent authorities, it has been determined that in April 1999, this person was finally sentenced to a 12-year prison sentence, which he served until August 8, 2006. Also, in March 2018, he was given a suspended sentence for the crime of illegal possession of weapons," Bogdanović announced.
He also asked "whether it is normal for this particular convicted person to publicly and proudly share the announcement of his spouse's election to a judicial position."
"What does this tell us about the perception of the independence, integrity and resilience of our judiciary? The question now is, were comprehensive security and ethical checks carried out when judges were elected? Was the potential reputational and institutional risk analyzed? Was it considered how such facts affect the perception of the independence and integrity of the judiciary? From day one, we have been warning that without a thorough check of the integrity of judicial office holders, there is no reform, no justice and no progress. It is precisely because of cases like these that we are calling for an urgent, comprehensive and uncompromising vetting of the judiciary. We cannot build a state on closed eyes and suppressed facts. Someone must start conducting serious, in-depth checks of judges and prosecutors," said Bogdanović.
He added that the lack of vetting has concrete consequences.
"This is an environment in which criminal structures flourished. This is the system from which Miloš Medenica escaped. This is an environment in which responsibility is relativized, and institutions are selectively defended. That is why today we are witnessing the absurdity that the virtual Miloš Medenica, read the Kavački and Škaljar clan and the party that created them, is not attacking the court that sentenced him to a decade in prison, but the police that deprived him of his freedom. What is the logic of this? Who benefits from shifting the blame from the verdict, the meaningless measures to the police? And why are there constant attempts to delegitimize the work of those who enforce the law, instead of accepting the responsibility of those who determine the measures? That is why it is time to stop improvising and turning a blind eye. It is time for a true cleansing of the system. Because without vetting there is no integrity. Without integrity there is no trust. And without trust there is no state," said Bogdanović.
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