The Director of the Public Institution Museums and Galleries Budva, Lucija Đurašković, filed criminal charges against the President of the Municipal Assembly with the Special State Prosecutor's Office (SDT) yesterday. Petar Odžić and Acting Secretary of the Secretariat for Social Affairs Goran Radević, due to, as he claims, the illegal appointment of the Council of the largest cultural institution in Budva.
She is in the SDT, which she heads. Vladimir Novović, submitted an urgent request, requesting the investigators “to react urgently in the event of the election of a person as a member of the Council who does not meet the legal requirements from Article 43 of the Law on Culture”.
Đurašković confirmed to "Vijesti" that she filed criminal charges due to suspicion that on April 2, when the Municipal Assembly session was held, they committed the criminal offense of abuse of official position under Article 416 of the Criminal Code of Montenegro.
"On the agenda of the 5th session of the Budva Municipal Assembly, which was held on April 2, members of the Council of the Public Institution Museums and Galleries of Budva were proposed. However, among the proposed members, no member of the Council from among the employees was proposed, although Article 43 of the Law on Culture stipulates that the Council of a public institution has a president and four members, one of whom is from among the employees of the public institution," states the criminal complaint signed by Đurašković.
As explained, a member of the Council of a public institution founded by the state, in addition to a member of the Council from among employees, is appointed as a recognized creator or recognized expert in a field that is important for the development of culture.
"Also, Article 13 of the Statute prescribes the procedure and manner of determining candidates from among employees for appointment to the management body, i.e. the Council, while Article 16 prescribes the manner of representation of employees by the same. Furthermore, Article 22 of the Statute prescribes that until the election of a new director, the function shall be performed by the previous director, while Article 25 prescribes that if the Council adopts an act or decision that, in the opinion of the director, is contrary to the Law or other regulation, the director shall warn the Council of this, and if the Council, after the warning, maintains its decision, the director shall suspend the execution of that decision, i.e. the Council's act, until the decision of the competent authority," the criminal charges emphasize.
Đurašković states that it follows from everything that the actions taken by the President of the Municipal Assembly, who put to the vote an illegal proposal to appoint a person who does not meet the legal requirements as a member of the Council, constituted the essential elements of the criminal offense of abuse of official position.
Also, as she stated, it follows that the actions taken by the Secretary of the Secretariat for Social Affairs, who, in his capacity as a representative of the proposer, proposed to the Municipal Assembly the adoption of a decision on the appointment of the president and members, constituted essential elements of the criminal offense of abuse of official position.
"Among the proposed members in the proposed resolution, there was no proposed person - a representative from among the employees of the Public Institution Museums and Galleries of Budva, and which proposals were illegally put to a vote on 2. 4. 2025. at the fifth session of the Municipal Assembly by the President of the Municipal Assembly. The aforementioned responsible persons, by knowingly violating the provisions of the Law on Culture contained in Article 43, illegally used their official position and powers as a representative of the proposer, proposed a person who does not meet the legal requirement and, through such actions, illegally obtained an unlawful material benefit for the elected member of the Council in the amount of the remuneration he will receive as a member of the Council. Given that the President of the Assembly put an unlawful proposal to a vote and a person who does not meet the legal requirement was elected, we call on the Special State Prosecutor's Office to react urgently and, by acting quickly, send a clear message to those in power that any gross violation of the Law will be most severely sanctioned, so that they would no longer think of grossly violating the Law. "The above actions represent an obvious abuse of authority and abuse of official position, which has violated the interests of our institution and caused damage to both the legal entity and public interests," Đurašković points out.
She provided Vijesti with a document in which they were informed yesterday by the Budva Municipal Council that the Council of a public institution had been appointed, without any explanation.
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