In front of the Parliamentary Committee for Political System, Judiciary and Administration, the candidate of the Prosecutorial Council for the Supreme State Prosecutor, Maja Jovanović, welcomed the fact that the procedure for electing the VDT for a full term has finally been started.
Jovanović, who in the period from February 5, 2022 to February of this year was the acting head of the VDT, said that she has been a prosecutor for over 20 years and that she conducted her work adhering to the highest standards of the profession, protecting the public interest and seeking justice for victims and injured parties.
She mentioned that during her acting mandate, she made a decision, that is, submitted a proposal to the Prosecutorial Council (TS) that the chief special prosecutor be Vladimir Novović, which the TS accepted.
"I consider it to be one of the most important decisions we made during my acting mandate," Jovanović said.
She mentioned that cooperation with international judicial bodies has been improved, but also that investigations are being intensified in cases of attacks on journalists, and that she has given general instructions to basic prosecutors' offices on procedures in cases of domestic and family violence.
Jovanović stated that she believed that the issue of safety and better working conditions and spatial capacities would be resolved by now, but that it did not depend on the state prosecutor's organization.
"With international partners, first of all the US Embassy, we tried to improve the security conditions in the existing spatial capacities as much as possible. I had planned to improve and solve a number of difficult issues, but the period of half a year, which was extended for another six, was not enough for that. It is necessary for VDT to get strong legitimacy and support for visible results to implement its program and vision of reform without political pressure and uncertainty in the mandate of five years," said Jovanović.
She also mentioned the work of the Prosecutor's Council and stated that it achieved "significant results" in a short period of time.
"We formed all the commissions, over 200 complaints were resolved, 23 candidates for prosecutors were elected, 11 prosecutors and managers were elected..." she said.
Jovanović made the decision to apply for the post of VDT for a full term precisely because of this, as she emphasized.
"I believe that the positions of the VDT would contribute to the realization of concrete and visible results. If you give me support, I am ready to show it in practice. That does not mean that I will make decisions in accordance with your expectations or anyone's political needs. If such a VDT- and if you want, I'm telling you now, don't vote for me," she ordered, and then continued...
"I don't want to run away from the topic that marked the public dialogue. We had occasions when the agreement on VDT had already been reached, and the Minister of Justice publicly invited me to withdraw my candidacy. At no point did I think about that because my actions were not neither the Minister of Justice nor any other politician could influence. I have also heard that my staying slows down our European path - which I believe is not true," she stated.
Board member Slaven Radunović asked Jovanović about the event of a few days ago - how is it possible that after six years, the unchanged indictment for money laundering, among other things, against Nebojsa Medojević, was withdrawn at the end of the judicial process.
"Is this proof that the people who led that process - Milivoje Katnić and Lidija Vukčević - were practically abusing the indictment because it is difficult to find a basis for it being withdrawn now, the indictment unchanged," asked Radunović.
Jovanović said that no verdict has been reached in the case and that it would be "very unprofessional for her to make any comment because the case is still alive".
Board member Ervin Ibrahimović agreed that the importance of the VDT is enormous and that we have a need that without the supreme state prosecutor in full term, we cannot expect reforms in the state prosecution organization.
"During the period when you were acting VDT, you showed that you can successfully fight against organized crime and corruption, and I congratulate you on that," he said.
Ibrahimović asked the question that if Jovanović was elected as the VDT, how he would continue investigations in the prosecution of war crimes, and then listed the cases "Deportation", "Kaluđerski laz", "Bukovica"...
"Tell us specifically what you think you are doing in those cases. And as a child of the prosecution, did you recognize the key weaknesses of the prosecution," asked Ibrahimović.
Jovanović emphasized that during her acting mandate there was a short period in terms of reforms because long-term plans are needed.
"In SDT, as far as I am sure, seven cases of war crimes are active and three prosecutors are working on them. During my acting mandate, I started work on revising the existing Strategy, and in that part we have the help of UNDP, and that Strategy will also be followed Action plan. I believe that there should be two prosecutors who would exclusively deal with war crimes. Changes to the CPC are underway and I hope that this House will help the changes to open up greater opportunities for us and then we will be able to use evidence from "The Hague. We don't have that at the moment. One of the prosecutors who works on war crimes is already going to The Hague in January, but at the moment we can't approach that until there are changes to the Criminal Procedure Act," she answered.
Ibrahimović said that based on the results of war crimes investigations so far, we cannot say that "the prosecutor's office sincerely wants to face the past and prosecute all those who were the inspirers and actors of the terrible war crimes committed in Montenegro"...
The TS proposal for the supreme state prosecutor Maja Jovanović mentioned that numerous deficiencies in the prosecution system should be changed - the information system but also the way of opening financial investigations.
She mentioned that SDT, at the time she was acting VDT, established the practice of opening financial investigations in parallel with criminal investigations.
MP Nikola Rovčanin was interested in the opinion on whether the special prosecutor Sanja Jovićević is in a conflict of interest because she resigned from membership in the TS, and in the meeting for the election of three prosecutors in the VDT.
"You will understand that I am not in a position to comment on the decisions that the Supreme Court should make based on the interpretation of the Law. The opinion of the Ministry of Justice is not binding, it is of a consultative nature," answered Jovanović. She explained that for two and a half years the advertisement for filling in the VDT did not come up because "the shortage of prosecutors in the Supreme State Prosecutor's Office is the smallest".
Board member Jovan Vučurović was interested in Jovanović's position on the "coup d'etat" case, as well as his opinion based on the SKY correspondence in which members of criminal organizations "mention the purchase of verdicts"...
Jovanović repeated that she is not able to express an opinion on cases that have been concluded illegally, and she knows about the SKY correspondence that an investigation is being conducted at the SDT regarding that data.
"Did these SKY correspondences, which we are reading now, exist in the prosecutor's office at the time when you were acting VDT", Vučurović asked, and then he asked whether "Petar Lazović was undercover"...
"I had no contact with the SKY correspondence, and the ones I read in the media I immediately gave an order to form a case," she answered.
Jovanović emphasized that "she would have no problem, not only for Katnić, but also for anyone, to initiate the proceedings".
"Whoever it is," Jovanovic said.
The Vice-President of the Board, Nikola Zirojević, was interested in the opinion of whether "creating a media circus by presenting SKY correspondence and messages from the phones of some persons helps the investigation".
"As far as the SKY correspondence is concerned, I know that at the time when I was the acting director of the VDT, I know that a case was formed as to how that data reached the media. Now I wouldn't know what's going on with that. Besides, I think that, as you say, the media circus it does not affect the work of prosecutors," she said.
Jovanović said that they are currently using the SKY correspondence as evidence, but that the European Court of Human Rights will decide on that.
MP Andrija Nikolić said that at the last session of the Committee for the Political System, they noted that there was no political dialogue regarding this important topic, but that Jovanović in her introductory speech "problematized the atmosphere regarding the election of the VDT".
"We could hear bidding on other candidates as well as certain statements that with your withdrawal we could choose VDT already in December," asked Nikolić.
He also asked the question whether he "approves the too long duration of detention of persons from the proceedings of the SDT, but also whether he thinks that there is unnatural political pressure on the judiciary in the coup d'état case".
Jovanović repeated that she believes that she is already "disqualified in this procedure" from the start, but that she trusts the members of the Assembly to look at all three candidates and make the right decision.
She did not want to comment on the duration of detention, because that is determined by the court, but also on the case of "coup d'état" because the proceedings have not been legally concluded.
In the introductory part, Vasilije Čarapić expressed the opinion that Jovanović "achieved good results and progress" during her mandate as acting VDT.
MP Dražen Petrić stated that they agreed that the prosecutor's office needs changes, but also that appointments should be made to key judicial functions.
"We heard that 50 prosecutors, as well as associates and advisors, are missing. This is alarming information. How to fill the prosecutor's organization and whether there are any incentive measures," asked Petrić.
He also asked what changes to the CPC would help in the reforms. "Can the tunnel happen to the prosecutor's office as well," Petrić asked.
Jovanović explained that it is legally stipulated that the training lasts 18 months, I believe that the wages are also at a low level, which makes them decide to leave and look for better working conditions.
"That's why we don't have enough prosecutors, associates and advisers who are interested in the work," she stated.
MP Ivan Vuković was interested in the fact that, bearing in mind, a number of persons are in detention because they were mentioned in correspondence, and that this was enough to determine their detention in inhumane conditions.
"In one of those correspondences, one of the heads of the criminal organization states the following: Abaz reports that he is replacing these. Our friend. It is clear that it is former Prime Minister Dritan Abazović. It is February 23, 2023, and on March 1, one of them he says: Commanders dismissed, everyone... so everything is happening on Sunday. How is it possible that no one recognized the need to question Abazović," asked Vuković.
Jovanović repeated that she understood why the public was interested in this, but "that she would not make any comments at this moment".
She repeated that in no case is the SKY evidence alone, but it is also related to other evidence.
The President of the Committee for Justice, Milun Zogović, was interested in the opinion about the "coup d'état"...
"Prosecutor Saša Čađenović is in custody, without going into the details of the others' communications, I would add that in my opinion, whoever is plebeian to hold a high office must have a clear position on this brutal subterfuge with the aim of destroying people's lives", it is emotional counted by Zogović.
Andrija Nikolić was interested in how Zogović knew what was found in Saša Čađenović's computer, and the President of the Board that he "found out about it from the media".
Because of that discussion, Čarapić reacted, who emphasized that if this practice of public discourse on the Board continues, he will no longer participate in the further work of the Board.
"According to the story that you were written off in advance, the public heard that you successfully resisted Abazović's pressure, and that you were written off because you were disobedient," asked Zirojević.
Jovanovic said that she heard that Abazovič brought her to the acting mayor's office, and then emphasized that no one ever put pressure on her.
"I don't know how to play these dirty games, I repeat, I will not participate in it," said Jovanović and added that "it is inappropriate for the Minister of Justice to withdraw from the VDT election process."
Bonus video:
