Return of the case on the Media Center's criminal charges in the case of last year's re-appointment Boris Raonic the post of general director of the Radio and Television of Montenegro (RTCG) to the Basic State Prosecutor's Office (ODT) in Podgorica is just a continuation of the procrastination of the procedure that has been going on for a year, the director of that organization told "Vijesta" yesterday Goran Đurović.
While he expects that the ODT will "repeat the same procedural actions and establish what has long been publicly established and confirmed", a member of the RTCG Council Marijana Camović Veličković believes that the Basic Prosecutor's Office is "certainly aware of the public interest that the decision, whatever it may be, is finally made, because the Special State Prosecutor's Office spent too much time hesitating to make a statement".
Head of ODT Podgorica Dusko Milanović confirmed yesterday to "Vijesta" that his colleagues from the Special State Prosecutor's Office returned to him the case, in which the charges against Raonic, as well as certain members of the RTCG Council, were consolidated due to suspicion of abuse of official position.
The case was returned because the amendments to the Law on Special Prosecution provide that the members of the RTCG Council and the General Director are not "high public officials", who should be dealt with by special prosecutors.
The non-governmental organization Media Center filed a criminal complaint against the president of the RTCG Council Veselin Drljević and members Filip Lazović, Naod Zorić, Predrag Miranovića i Amine Murić due to the suspicion that they refused to execute a final and enforceable court verdict and enabled the elected general manager Raonic to obtain an illegal benefit.
At the end of July, a criminal case was submitted to the SDT against three suspects due to suspicion that they had committed the criminal offense of abuse of official position by inciting individual members of the Council. In question are reports against Raonic, a representative of the legal service Želimir Mićović and RTCG lawyers Zorica Đukanović.
There will be a decision soon... But not special prosecutors
The SDT investigated the cases against Raonic and some members of the RTCG Council for more than a year, and the chief special prosecutor Vladimir Novović recently, during a guest appearance on Vijesti Television, he claimed that the necessary documentation, minutes and audio recording of the Council session had been obtained, that persons had been questioned as suspects and as witnesses.
"I think that the prosecutor, as he informed me, also asked for the ballots to be delivered to him, in order to check something that is important for him to make a decision. As the prosecutor informed me, I expect that the prosecutor's decision will be made very soon."
He said that, as far as he was told, the members of the RTCG Council did not answer the questions.
"Voting is secret and therefore it is necessary for the prosecutor to obtain those ballots."
Special prosecutor Vukas Radonjic yesterday announced that, after the amendments to the SDT Act came into force, that prosecutor's office is responsible for the criminal prosecution of high-ranking public officials, for the criminal offense of abuse of office, and that the members of the RTCG Council and the general director of RTCG "are not high-ranking public officials".
DON'T MISS IT
At the end of February, Radonjić told "Vijesta" that "SDT follows the appropriate proceedings that were initiated before the Supreme Court of Montenegro and the Basic Court in Podgorica regarding the last decision of the Council on the election of the general director of RTCG, because the decisions in those proceedings are important for decision-making and criminal charges".
The confirmation of the Supreme Court soon arrived, but also a new verdict of the Podgorica Basic Court, according to which Raonic was illegally elected again in the summer of last year.
Instead of a decision in the case, the SDT decided to use the new legal possibilities and return the files to the ODT.
The general manager goes down in history for a full, illegal mandate
Goran Đurović assesses that "thanks to his political mentors, Raonić will very likely go down in history as a public official who brought the entire four-year mandate to an end, despite final court rulings that unequivocally indicate that he was appointed against the law in August 2021, and then for a second time." road in June 2023".
"When one day Raonic ends his illegal mandate, the damage of over 170.000 euros that he received for his wages will remain, which will never be returned to the citizens. It remains to be seen how much damage there will be for the annulment of the decisions he made, which the employees will initiate before the regular courts", emphasizes Đurović.
He reminds that in June 2023, the president of the RTCG Council, Veselin Drljević, put on the agenda of the session of that body, contrary to the final judgment of the High Court in Podgorica, the declaration of four candidates for the position of general director of RTCG. "In the final judgment of the High Court, it was clearly ruled that the election of Raonic in August 2021 was illegal and the members of the RTCG Council were instructed to choose between the three remaining candidates in the re-election process. Council President Veselin Drljević, by putting to a vote the choice between four candidates, including Raonic, has proven to have committed the criminal offense of disobeying the court verdict," says Đurović.
That is why, he believes, the ODT has no need to delay, because for at least one member of the Council, it has indisputable proof of a committed criminal act.
"It is tragic that the members of the RTCG Council who participated in the commission of the crime defended themselves at the hearing by the SDT by remaining silent. This speaks of their integrity and the need to be replaced as soon as possible by persons with integrity," he says.
He emphasizes that, in the meantime, the Basic Court in Podgorica confirmed with two verdicts that the election of Raonic in June 2023 was once again illegal.
"Whether that will be enough for ODT to speed up the procedure remains to be seen. The experience so far does not inspire optimism that the rule of law will be achieved and justice will be achieved," Đurović emphasizes.
Camović Veličković, on the other hand, believes that he should be "rejoicing that the ODT will again have the opportunity to express himself".
"Mr. Milanović has already said that they will decide quickly if the case is returned to them, so I hope that will happen. Especially, since numerous evidences have been obtained in the meantime that the final court verdict was not implemented and that, despite it, the same person was elected to the position of general director, and final verdicts are expected soon that will confirm this. It is not a difficult task for the ODT to conclude who did it and on whose order", she concluded.
Bonus video:
