Two days ago, the Podgorica Basic Court returned the indictment against the Basic State Prosecutor's Office (ODT) to the Basic State Prosecutor's Office (ODT) for further processing. Miljana Pavličić, former assistant director of the Institute of Public Health, to complete the investigation within two months.
According to information from "Vijesti", the judge Borko Lončar He asked the prosecution to clarify on the basis of what documentation Pavličić was employed and signed contracts and annexes to the employment contract, in order to assess whether there were any shortcomings in the work of those responsible at the Institute of Public Health (IJZ) or whether Pavličić misled them.
The Podgorica ODT should also collect evidence of the occupancy of the position held by Pavličić, before and after the disputed event, in order to assess whether there is a reasonable suspicion regarding the essential element of the extended criminal offense of fraud - damage caused to a healthcare institution.
The ODT filed a criminal case back in November 2023, after "Vijesti" wrote that Miljana Pavličić had worked in responsible positions for years on the basis of a forged certificate of completion of studies at the Faculty of Chemistry, University of Belgrade. Prosecutor Marija Kazic filed an indictment against Pavličić in January of this year for the criminal offense of fraud in extended duration.
Pavličić was given a suspended sentence in 2014 for falsifying data on her completed studies at the Faculty of Chemistry at the University of Belgrade. The conviction, as previously explained by the Basic Court in Podgorica, did not even reach the IJZ, because Pavličić said in her general statements given during the trial that she was not employed. However, data from her employment record showed that the former assistant director did not terminate her employment at the IJZ from 2010 to 2023.
Judge Lončar allegedly stated in his ruling that it remained unclear in the proceedings before the prosecutor what documentation Pavličić submitted when she was employed and on the basis of which documentation she later concluded several contracts and annexes to the contract. According to sources for "Vijesti", he requested that it be determined whether and on what basis the authorities at the Public Health Institute concluded that the submitted copy of the certified certificate was proof of her professional qualifications, and whether Pavličić underwent the procedure for recognizing a foreign educational document.
"Vijesti" previously reported that the assistant director of the Public Health Institute forged a decision from the Ministry of Education on the validation of a diploma from the Faculty of Chemistry of the University of Belgrade and submitted it to her employer.
The court allegedly pointed out to the prosecution that it was important to clarify whether Pavličić submitted to the IJZ a request for recognition of a foreign diploma and a decision on recognition of the document when she was employed, and if so, in what form, and if not, to assess these facts from the aspect of the question of what documentation the defendant could have used to mislead and possibly maintain the IJZ.
According to unofficial information, the court also noted that in the proceedings before the prosecutor, the circumstances related to whether the position that Pavličić held from 2014 to 2023 was systematized, as claimed by the witness, the former director, were not clarified. Igor Galić.
The prosecution, among other things, needs to obtain an act on the internal systematization of jobs for the disputed period, whether that job existed before and after the indictment and who filled it, all in order to determine whether the IJZ suffered damage in the form of the salaries received by Pavličić.
Defense attorney Pavličić, attorney Ljubiša Novaković, recently said during the review of the indictment in the Podgorica Basic Court that she "is not proud of the way she entered that institution, but when she arrived, she gave 200 percent of herself to her work". He also claimed that she "could not deceive the state and state authorities because the state declared her guilty of the criminal offense of forging a document".
Pavličić started working at the Institute of Public Health in 2010, and for the first year she worked at that institution as an intern in the laboratory for testing the quality of food and general objects and the laboratory for testing water, air and soil. From September 2011 to February 2018, she held the position of analyst, and her job description included determining quality parameters in food, spectrophotometric determination of phosphate, nitrite and diastase content, determining the content of preservatives, sweeteners, contaminants, HMF sugar using HPLC and ELISA tests, keeping records and preparing documentation for accreditation.
Since 2018, Pavličić has also been the person responsible for ISO 17025 standards at that healthcare institution.
This standard is a reference for laboratories, which allows them to implement a thorough quality system and demonstrate that they are competent to provide valid and reliable results. Thanks to this standard, test reports and certificates from accredited laboratories can be accepted worldwide, without the need for additional testing.
Pavličić was also the president of the Commission for Accreditation of Health Institutions, which was formed by the Ministry of Health.
Judge Lončar allegedly stated in his ruling that it remained unclear in the proceedings before the prosecutor what documentation Pavličić submitted when she was employed and on the basis of which documentation she later concluded several contracts and annexes to the contract. According to sources for "Vijesti", he requested that it be determined whether and on what basis the authorities at the Public Health Institute concluded that the submitted copy of the certified certificate was proof of her professional qualifications, and whether Pavličić underwent the procedure for recognizing a foreign educational document.
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