We no longer have a problem with backlogged cases, nor with a large number of unfinished cases, said President of the Supreme Court Vesna Medenica, at the reception of ambassadors with diplomatic missions in Montenegro.
Italian ambassador Sergio Barbanti believes that the verdict against Duško Šarić showed that there are no untouchables in Montenegro, while his German colleague emphasized that it is equally important that there is a verdict in the area of corruption as well as in the area of organized crime.
When he asked if she was still convinced that the verdict in the "Zavala" case would soon be passed, Medenica emphasized that the courts are autonomous and independent in their work, that the process has moved on, and that the court has yet to declare on May XNUMX defense proposals.
"It remains for the Court to pronounce on the defense's proposals on May XNUMX, and to see whether they will go to the extension of the main trial, or to the closing statements of the defense counsel and the accused and to end the process," said Medenica.
Courts are being slowed down by a lack of courtrooms
At the meeting that was held in order to acquaint the ambassador with the results of the Montenegrin courts' work in 2011, and the facts that recommend Montenegro for the opening of chapters 23 and 24, that is, the opening of negotiations with the European Union, in June, Medenica stated, among other things, that the Judicial Council for the previous four years had a very successful and transparent activity, and all cases in Montenegrin courts are in the procedure.
"One former president was sentenced to one year in prison for abuse of office"
"However, what is partly slowing us down is the lack of capacity, i.e. courtrooms," said Medenica, adding that the construction of the Palace of Justice could also solve that problem.
She noted that only one candidate initiated a court case dissatisfied with the decision of the judicial council, and that he was unsuccessful in that case.
She added that 37 judges had been terminated from their duties, 28 of whom requested it at their personal request, seven due to fulfilling the conditions for an old-age pension, and two judges were dismissed due to a prison sentence.
"One former president was sentenced for abuse of office to a one-year prison sentence, he served that sentence, and a judge of the High Court in Bijelo Polje was sentenced to a seven-year sentence for accepting bribes"
Citizens sent 280 complaints
As Medenica said, 20 of them were temporarily removed from the judicial function due to the committed criminal offense, and 80 decisions were made on the temporary assignment of judges to other courts due to the temporary increase in the volume of work and the large number of pending cases.
American Ambassador Sue Kay Brown congratulated Medenica on the results she presented
Citizens sent 280 complaints due to dissatisfaction with the way their dispute was resolved or due to the length of the procedure.
"Only one was evaluated by the special prosecutor, who assessed that there were no elements of corruption in the actions of the reported judge," said Medenica.
American Ambassador Sue Kay Brown congratulated Medenica on the results she presented, and after the presentation of the president of the Supreme Court and the ambassador's questions, the informal meeting "behind closed doors" continued.
The media make a mockery of the judiciary
The Ambassador of Bulgaria, Maja Dobreva, asked if there were any incentive measures that would motivate the best students of the Faculty of Law to decide on the judicial position, to which Medenica replied that if you want a strong judicial system, you must always take care of it - with which to motivate young people to opt for that profession.
She emphasized that there is not much interest in the position of judge in the north
"It is very tempting, but at the same time it is a profession with a lot of weight and sacrifice. You have also seen how much the judicial profession is now being ridiculed by the media and many others. This does not give a real incentive to young people to opt for the position of judge," she stated.
She emphasized that there is not much interest in the position of judge in the north, and that it is a big problem to find adequate staff there.
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