On the last day of her ministerial mandate, Vesna Bratić decided to financially support the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) in Montenegro from the budget for culture.
Bratić was the Minister of Education and Culture in the government of Zdravko Krivokapić, who was dismissed on April 28 last year. The day before her dismissal, the minister signed two contracts worth more than 90.000 euros with Metropolitan Joaniki.
One, in the amount of 40.000 euros, is intended for the reconstruction of the souvenir shop of the monastery in Tivat, and the other of almost 50.000 for the interior of the parish house of the church in Herceg Novi.
The reconstruction of the interior of the parish house, as stated in the explanation, aims to "gather the clergy, hold religious education classes and choir rehearsals", and the church itself is important "especially in the spread of learning and other activities related to Orthodox Christianity and identity".
In the contract for the souvenir shop, it is stated that the production of souvenirs with motifs of the cultural heritage of Orthodox Christianity and the monastery itself, which is "one of the most important pivots of Christianity, the history and culture of Montenegro", has a special significance.
Money distributed without competition
In both cases, the minister distributed financial aid to the SPC without a competition.
Bratić's contracts refer to the provision of the Law on Culture, which allows the discretionary right to support projects of capital importance for Montenegrin culture and the balanced cultural development of the country without a competition.
She briefly told Radio Free Europe (RSE) that her ministry did everything legally.
"In the specific case, every act is harmonized with the Law on Culture. The payment was not realized during my mandate."
Half a year after the signing of the contract with Bratić, the SPC Metropolis turned to the Ministry of Culture for the details of the payment of these funds, but received a reply that the department did not have this information.
Despite promises, as reported by RSE, from the Ministry of Culture and Media, headed by Maša Vlaović, that media outlet did not receive an answer to several questions for more than 15 days. They did not receive answers from the SPC Metropolis in Montenegro either.
The Ministry did not answer whether they paid the contracted funds, whether the reconstruction of the souvenir shop and the interior are among projects of capital importance for Montenegrin culture, and whether the SPC was assisted during its mandate.
In the contracts that RSE had a look at, there is no time limit for the payment of funds.
The SPC, however, is obliged by contract to submit to the Ministry at the end a report on realization with financial documentation confirming the intended use of funds.
Disputed decisions during the mandate
Bratić was a member of Prime Minister Zdravko Krivokapić's government, elected after the pro-Russian Democratic Front, the Democrats and the URA Civic Movement jointly won the majority in the parliamentary elections in August 2020.
Krivokapić determined that his government would have 12 ministries modeled after the 12 apostles, and Bratić was the head of the department of education, science, culture and sports.
One of her first moves as a minister was the mass dismissal of Montenegrin school directors, and among those she appointed to their positions were defenders of war criminals, promoters of the Chetnik movement and anti-vaxxers, RSE reminds.
The dismissed directors sued the state. The Ministry of Education estimates that Bratić's illegal dismissal will cost the state budget around 300.000 euros in compensation to directors.
The Institution of the Protector of Property and Legal Interests of Montenegro sued the former minister before the Basic Court in Podgorica at the end of January. The lawsuit demands that she pay the costs of the illegal dismissals.
During her mandate, Bratić was remembered, among other things, for her strong support of the Serbian Orthodox Church, writes RSE.
Towards the end of her mandate, she approved the granting of licenses to two private religious secondary schools of the SPC in Montenegro, which was a prelude to receiving financial aid of 900.000 euros from the state treasury.
In September 2022, the Center for Civic Education launched an initiative to review licensing.
They stated that licenses for religious schools are valid only after the approval of the National Council, which did not exist in April, when the contested licenses were issued, due to the expired mandate.
Minister of Education Miomir Vojinović said that everything was done according to the law.
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