Ministry of Defense: Procedure initiated to verify the use of sick leave by member of the Montenegrin Army Luka Ivanović

The Ministry of Defense announced that, in order to fully and legally determine the employment and legal status of a member of the Armed Forces of Montenegro, Luka Ivanović, a procedure has been initiated to verify the use of sick leave and compliance with the applicable regulations on temporary incapacity for work.

"The subject of the review relates to multiple consecutive sick leaves issued in the period from July 1, 2021 to July 28, 2021, and from July 29, 2021 to July 31, 2021, and then from August 1, 2021 to August 31, 2021, and all of them were issued retroactively, six months after the temporary inability to work, which additionally required verification of the actions of the competent authorities in accordance with the law," the Ministry of Defense announced.

They add that all of the aforementioned retroactive remittances were issued by the elected doctor, Jelena Stanković.

"In accordance with Articles 36 and 37 of the Law on Mandatory Health Insurance, temporary incapacity for work for up to 30 days is determined by a selected doctor, while after that period, the decision is made based on the findings of the competent medical commission. The case in question requires determining whether this procedure was fully complied with. During 2023 and 2025, the Ministry of Defense sent several addresses and urgent requests to the competent institutions, with the aim of obtaining complete documentation and conducting legally prescribed checks," the Ministry of Defense said in a statement.

They also state that they expect the competent authorities, within their powers, to conduct a review and submit the results, in order to ensure complete legality and protection of the rights of all participants in the procedure.