Former President of the Commercial Court Blazo Jovanić he had a diplomatic passport on two occasions, and his special travel document was canceled on May 31 last year, twenty days after he was arrested by order of the Special State Prosecutor's Office on suspicion of organizing a criminal group and abusing his official position.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs replied to the "News" that the former first man of the Commercial Court held a diplomatic passport in the period from July 16, 2014 to March 22, 2019, and then six days later, on March 28, 2019, he obtained a new privileged travel document. , which was annulled for him only on May 31, 2022, while he was in the Investigation Prison in Spuž.
Jovanić, as president of the Commercial Court, according to the function he performed, and according to the Government Decree on persons who are issued diplomatic and official passports, could not obtain such a document except at his personal request and for the purposes of an official trip, but only with the approval of the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
The MFA replied that a diplomatic passport was issued to Jovanić on two occasions pursuant to Article 6 of the Regulation, which stipulates that the Minister of Foreign Affairs can, but exceptionally, at the reasoned request of the competent state authority, approve the issuance of a diplomatic passport for a specific official trip abroad.
"Article 6 of the Regulation on persons to whom diplomatic and official passports are issued (Official Gazette of Montenegro 34/13) stipulates that the Minister of Foreign Affairs may, exceptionally, at the reasoned request of the competent state authority, approve the issuance of a diplomatic passport for a specific official trip abroad and persons not listed in art. 1, 2, 3 and 4 of this regulation, when the interests of Montenegro require it," reads the MFA's reply.
Judging by the responses of the MFA, Jovanić has had a diplomatic passport for more than eight years almost continuously, which was first issued to him during the mandate of the former Minister of Foreign Affairs. Igor Lukšić, and then in 2019 when he was at the head of the MFA Srdjan Darmanovic.
To the question of "Vijesti", whether Jovanić, if his diplomatic passport was granted as an exception for a special, explained official trip in which the state had an interest, was obliged to return it and cancel it upon his return, the MFA answered:
"According to Article 18 of the Law on Travel Documents ('Official Gazette of Montenegro', no. 21/08, 25/2008 - amended, 40/2011 - other laws, 39/2013 and 54/2016), the right to a diplomatic passport ceases and before the expiry of the validity period of the passport in case of termination of function, other capacity or reason for issuing the same", states the MFA.
This means that Jovanić or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which granted him such a privileged travel document, had to cancel such a document after his return from abroad, on the basis of which he received the minister's approval to issue a diplomatic passport.
The holder of a diplomatic passport has full diplomatic immunity and diplomatic privileges in the country in which he exercises his functions or in which he officially resides. The status of a person with this document, during an unofficial stay in a country, is regulated by the domestic law and practice of that country.
According to the Government Decree, diplomatic passports are issued to the President of the State, the Assembly, the Government, as well as the Presidents of the Constitutional Court, the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeal and the Administrative Court of Montenegro, in addition to the diplomatic staff of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and military diplomatic representatives in missions.
Diplomatic passports are also issued to the Vice-President of the Assembly and the Government, ministers, deputies, the Chief of the General Staff of the Army of Montenegro, the Director of the National Security Agency, the Supreme State Prosecutor, the Protector of Human Rights and Freedoms, the Governor, the President of the Senate of the State Audit Institution, and the first man of the Montenegrin Olympic Committee. committee.
Accusations
The Higher Court in Podgorica confirmed the indictment of the Special State Prosecutor's Office against the former president of the Commercial Court, Blaž Jovanić, for the criminal offense of creating a criminal organization.
Officers of the Special Police Department arrested Jovanić on May 9 last year in the premises of the Commercial Court due to the SDT's suspicion that he had formed a criminal organization and committed abuse of official position.
Since then, Jovanić has been in the custody of the Investigation Prison in Spuz, and on February 24 of this year, the High Court confirmed the SDT indictment against him and the criminal organization.
In addition to Jovanić, the prosecution also charges Saša Zejak, Snežana Jović, Sanja Lješković, Ranko Radinović, Sreten Mrvaljević, Pavić Globarević, Stana Čelebić, Darko Perović, Omer Markišić, Dejan Golubović, Danijela and Dušan Laković, as well as the company "Titan security" from Podgorica. "Securitas Montenegro" and "Ogimar MNE" and "Top force system" from Nikšić, that they committed the criminal offense of creating a criminal organization and several criminal offenses of abuse of official position.
Among other things, the defendant Jovanić is accused of having organized a criminal organization in 2015 that operated on the territory of Montenegro until April 2022.
"Whose members became the other defendant natural and legal persons and several other, for now unknown persons, whose goal is to commit criminal acts of abuse of official position, with the aim of obtaining illegal profits, and the activity of the criminal organization is planned for an unlimited period and based on the application of certain rules of internal control and discipline of members", states SDT.
In four years, 15 documents by special approval
In the period from 2016 to October 2020, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued 15 diplomatic passports, according to Article 6 of the Regulation on persons to whom diplomatic and official passports are issued.
According to the approval of the MFA ministers at the time, the then president of the Investment and Development Fund Zoran Vukčević, former director of the Civil Aviation Agency Dragan Đurović, president of the Islamic Community Rifat Fejzić, director of the Diaspora Administration Predrag Mitrović, former secretary of the National Security Council Slavko Stojanović... .
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