Retirements delay hearings

The problem due to the retirement of a large number of judges is also felt in the Podgorica High Court, but it is certainly most pronounced in the Supreme Court of Montenegro, "Vijesti" reported.

As it was said, this will certainly affect the promptness of the work of individual courts, because due to the lack of judges, individual hearings are already being postponed.

Referring to the Constitution and the Law on Pension and Disability Insurance, the Judicial Council, at the sessions held at the end of July and beginning of August, noted the termination of judicial function for a number of judges who meet the conditions for retirement.

These are judges of the Supreme Court of Montenegro, the Commercial Court, the Administrative Court, and the High Court in Podgorica, as well as judges of individual basic courts.

As the PR service of the Supreme Court told "Vijesti", they are the ones who are missing the most judges - in the course of 2021, 12 judges will no longer serve as judges.

"Due to the retirement, during this calendar year, the function of judges ceased for 12 judges. Those are the judges Rada Kovačević, Natalija Filipović, Snezana Aleksic, Dragica Milacic, Stanka Vučinić, Petar Stojanovic, Svetlana Vujanović, Vesna Begović, Dušanka Radović, Branimir Femic, Ranka Vukovic i Lidija Ivanovic.

"The lack of judges will certainly affect the work of the Supreme Court, given that the court functions with six judges, in accordance with the Amended Annual Work Schedule. Retired judges discharged a total of 969 pending cases. The Supreme Court lacks 13 judges, that is, 12 judges and the president of the court", the Public Relations Service of the Supreme Court answered the questions of "Vijesti".

They remind that the selection of judges is the responsibility of the Judicial Council.

The problem of the lack of judges is also to some extent maintained at the High Court in Podgorica.

Independent consultant for public relations Aida Muzurović states that it is to the judges Miljani Pavlićević i Dragica Vuković ceased to function as a judge due to retirement.

"We are talking about judges who acted in the criminal department", says Muzurović.

"Hearings in the cases in which the mentioned judges acted are postponed, and this certainly slows down the work of the court. However, now, the cases of those judges have been handed over to other judges who are assigned to work in the departments in which the said judges acted, and other judges of this court have been appointed as members of the council instead of them. At the same time, we point out that, apart from the aforementioned judges, before the aforementioned decision of the Judicial Council, one judge was terminated due to retirement, while after the aforementioned decision, two judges were terminated at personal request. "This court lacks seven judges, and the selection of judges is not within the jurisdiction of this court, but of the Judicial Council, so we cannot comment on the selection of new judges," said public relations adviser Aida Muzurović.

Sekulić, Šljivančanin, Bašović also left...

At the session of the Judicial Council on February 19, it was noted that the functions of Verica Sekulić and Vjera Šljivančanin, judges of the High Court in Podgorica, were terminated at their personal request.

At the session held electronically on June 1, the Judicial Council noted the termination of the function Miroslav Bašović, also a judge of the High Court in Podgorica, due to the acquisition of the right to an old-age pension.

At its session on September 6, the Judicial Council noted the termination of the function of High Court judge Branka Bošković, at her personal request.

According to the annual work schedule of judges for 2021, judge Miljana Pavlićević was assigned to the criminal department, while judge Dragica Vuković was a member of the special department for trials in the field of organized crime, corruption, terrorism and war crimes. According to the same schedule, Judge Bašović was in the investigation department.

In addition to these duties, judge Vuković was the president of panel 1, second-instance criminal department, and judge Bašović was a member, while judge Pavlićević was president of panel 2, second-instance criminal department, and judge Bošković was a member.

Judge Sekulić was the president of panel 1, second-instance civil department, and judge Šljivančanin was president of panel 7, second-instance civil department.