The director of the National Library "Djurdje Crnojević" in Cetinje, Dragica Lompar, submitted a request to the Basic Prosecutor's Office in Podgorica to determine jurisdiction in the case of the counterfeit book by Bećir Vuković, which was awarded the Thirteenth of July Award.
Lompar states that the book "Homeless Houses" that the jury had before it contained in its imprint information copied from the book "Taken to a Deserted Island" by the same author, and in the header of the CIP record the name of the National Library of Montenegro was misused, which brought it into the spotlight for possible complicity in an obvious violation of the provisions of the Law on Publishing Activities.
On this occasion, the National Library addressed the Ministry of Culture on July 11, citing Article 24, which prohibits "placing in circulation publications that do not contain data" prescribed by this Law, while Article 35 provides for penalties.
The Basic State Prosecutor's Office told Television Vijesti that they have filed a case. The question is whether, in addition to misdemeanor liability, there is also criminal liability for the authors and publishers of the book "Homeless Houses", Bećir Vuković and Radomir Uljarević, and the nominee for the award?
Considering that illegal benefits were obtained based on a forged document, and that in addition to the cash prize of 15.000 euros, laureate Bećir Vuković also claims the status of a prominent cultural creator, which means lifelong financial compensation and increases the potential damage?
"The investigation process will determine the possible criminal or misdemeanor liability of a person, and until the procedure is completed, we cannot prejudge the outcome. After a decision is made in the case, the public will be informed in a timely manner," the Basic State Prosecutor's Office in Podgorica told Television Vijesti.
The awarding of the Thirteenth of July Award to Bećir Vuković for the book "Homeless Houses" raised numerous questions regarding its bibliographic status and compliance with procedures.
The National Library of Montenegro has disputed the existence of the book "Houses of the Homeless", which was awarded the Thirteenth of July Award, because it did not find it in any of the regional databases.
Later, a bibliographic record appeared in the National Library of Serbia, but with the status "in print" and dubious data.
It was discovered that the book was registered in place of the already existing publication "Njegoš's Poetry Evenings". The National Library claims that information about the new book was subsequently added to that publication, retroactively for the previous year, which is against the rules.
The question arises as to how the work was rewarded for its contribution in 2024, if it was not registered in the library until 2025.
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