The Media Center called on the ruling parties to view the RTCG Council case as an opportunity for the judiciary to demonstrate its integrity and not to exert unprincipled pressure on the courts with their statements.
"Last week, a part of the parties that make up the government (DNP, SNP, UCG) issued statements with the intention of standing up for the members of the RTCG Council who, with their decisions, violated the law and enabled the RTCG Director General to illegally acquire around 200.000 euros in the previous four years. The Basic Court in Podgorica has issued a completely legal and evidence-based verdict regarding the case of abuse of official position by members of the RTCG Council who ignored final court verdicts and, contrary to the law, appointed Boris Raonić as the Director General of RTCG," reads the statement signed by the director of the Media Center, Goran Đurović.
He adds that the Basic Court could have imposed a two-year prison sentence on RTCG Council members Veselin Drljević, Filip Lazović, Naod Zorić and Amina Murić, instead of a seven-month suspended sentence, "because they enabled Boris Raonić to illegally acquire more than 30.000 euros, which the law prescribes as the basis for a more severe sentence."
"Instead of praising or at least remaining silent about the first-instance verdict, which should be an example of the judiciary being able to stop illegal actions in public enterprises, the parties that until 2020 demanded from the prosecution and courts what they are now challenging have spoken out. The arguments of some of the ruling parties boil down to leaving those under their control untouched, even when they violate the law. One ruling party has questioned the Basic Court's verdict with an alleged argument and question as to whether someone will be able to arrest members of the Government tomorrow for making a decision because it is a collective body. The distorted logic of some of the ruling parties and the lawyers of the first-instance convicted members of the RTCG Council is that one cannot be held accountable for a decision made by a collective body. Let us remind the public (reminding these ruling parties of the meaning of the rule of law is pointless) that the former long-standing opposition until 2020 was fully entitled to demand the arrest of Milo Đukanović and the entire then Government for the illegal decision on guarantees for "The Aluminum Plant, which caused damage to Montenegro worth more than 120 million euros," said Đurović.
If, as he added, there had been a free prosecution and a professional court back then, we would be living in a better country today.
"If the prosecution had arrested all the former councilors of the Tivat Municipal Assembly for making an illegal decision to forgive utilities to Porto Montenegro, which caused damage to the Tivat municipality in excess of 5,5 million euros, we would be living in a better country today. If the prosecution had arrested Milo Đukanović at that time because, as the president of the state, he publicly incited councilors of the Tivat Municipality to commit a crime and make an illegal decision, we would be living in a better country today. While the ruling parties dispute the indictment and verdict against the members of the RTCG Council as a collective body, they at the same time publicly support the work of the prosecution in the proceedings against former members of the housing commission, which caused damage to the state in excess of 2,6 million euros with its decisions on granting favorable loans to public officials. It seems that some of the ruling parties find it acceptable when former public officials of the DPS and their coalition partners at the time are prosecuted for decisions of collective bodies that caused damage to the state, while the problem arises when the law begins to be applied to their subordinates in the collective bodies of public enterprises, specifically in RTCG".
Đurović also said that the lack of principles on the part of the ruling parties is obvious, and the conclusion is "that there is no difference between them and the DPS in their attitude towards institutions. Institutions are good when they make decisions in their favor, and they are not good when they make decisions against their interests."
"Despite all the public warnings from NGOs, final court rulings, guidelines for action given through the High Court ruling, some members of the RTCG Council decided to ignore everything, listen to political mentors and the illegal general director, and today the blame is being placed on the prosecutor's office and the court because the members of the Council violated the laws. Due to the absurd story of the lawyers of the first-instance convicted members of the RTCG Council and the ruling political parties, that one cannot be held accountable for the decisions of a collective body, we remind you that neither the Constitution nor the Criminal Code provide for exemptions of collective bodies from liability. Liability is individual, and the indictment was not filed against the Council as a collective body and against all members of the RTCG Council, but against those who made the illegal decision. In the final phase of negotiations with the EU and the expected completion of the process of closing chapters 23 and 24 next year, every decision that contributes to the implementation of the principle of the rule of law and the readiness of institutions to have equal treatment towards all citizens, every final ruling in serious cases, should be welcomed if we sincerely want to come from the desired goal," said Đurović.
The fact that, as Đurović stated, the state prosecutor's office "makes occasional outbursts or reacts slowly, and the courts do not always make decisions based on the law in all cases, does not mean that what they do well should be rendered meaningless just because it does not suit the current political interest."
"The parties that are today challenging the work of the prosecutor's office and the first-instance court decision in the case of the members of the RTCG Council when they find themselves in opposition again may change their story again, but they have shown in this example what they really care about. Their only interest is political control over RTCG, because their impression of improving the quality of RTCG programming cannot justify continuous violation of the law and disrespect for court rulings. According to the logic of the ruling political parties, we actually do not need either the prosecutor's office or the courts because the only thing that matters is what the parties think about the work of an institution or individual, and the laws are irrelevant," said Đurović.
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