Center for Social Work: Property owned by persons under guardianship is managed conscientiously and responsibly

The Center for Social Work for the Municipalities of Pljevlja and Žabljak reacted to the text by the Center for Investigative Journalism of Montenegro "Abuse of the Most Vulnerable - How They Alienate and Destroy the Property of Persons Under Custody", which was also published on the Vijesti portal on February 9th.

"As stated in the text, 'CIN-CG contacted all social work centers in Montenegro for the purposes of this research and asked them a series of questions related to the way guardians work, control mechanisms, and care for the property of persons under guardianship. - We would like to state that the information in the text was presented without prior consultation with any of the employees of the Public Institution Center for Social Work for the Municipalities of Pljevlja and Žabljak.'

"The disputed text states that 'out of 242 real estate properties of persons under guardianship in Pljevlja, 31 (mostly apartments) were usurped by persons who do not have the legal right to use these residential facilities'... and 'in 13 cases out of 31, the property was misused by family members of the deceased person under guardianship'. - We responsibly claim that the aforementioned real estate properties are not real estate properties owned by persons under guardianship as is insinuated, nor are they used by family members of persons under guardianship, and therefore the property of these persons is not usurped. This is property owned by the state of Montenegro, mainly acquired during the time of the Center's legal predecessor, the SIZ (Self-governing Interest Community for Social Activities) with the right to use it by this Center, and they are mainly prefabricated buildings.

"When it comes to property owned by persons under guardianship, we responsibly claim that it is managed conscientiously and responsibly. Disposing of it, placing encumbrances and restrictions on their property, or giving consent to dispose of it, can be done only and exclusively if it is in the interest of the ward. Every decision/resolution granting the guardian consent to alienate or encumber immovable property owned by the ward is preceded by obtaining the Findings and Opinion of the Expert Team for Guardianship Affairs, or the Conclusion of the Expert Team on the justification of the request for disposal of the ward's property, or placing encumbrances and restrictions on property owned by persons under guardianship. The guardian of the property owned by these persons, whether the guardianship is exercised through a natural person or directly by the guardianship authority, is obliged to submit a report on the status of the property of these persons to the guardianship authority every year," the response reads.