HRA NEWSLETTER 16 – TOPIC 4

Vesna Moštrokol, a judge of the Court of Appeal and the presiding judge of the panel deciding on appeals against the judgment in the “Coup d’État” case, submitted her resignation. The termination of her judicial office was formally acknowledged by the Judicial Council at its session held on 19 January.

At a press conference presenting the results of the Supreme Court, its President Valentina Pavličić stated that Moštrokol’s resignation would not affect the proceedings in the aforementioned case.

“As a member of the Judicial Council, I have been informed that Judge Moštrokol’s resignation will not affect the duration of the proceedings in the case you are interested in,” Pavličić said in response to a journalist’s question. She additionally stated that Moštrokol had confirmed to her in conversation that she had submitted her resignation for personal reasons.

The increasing frequency of resignations from judicial office has been interpreted by Judicial Council member Rade Ćetković as a consequence of pressure on judges.

“More and more often, spin and manipulated information is used to damage the reputation of the judiciary and to create pressure on judicial independence and decision-making. In this way, all those actors in social and political life who bear significant responsibility for the current state of the judiciary and the rule of law seek to conceal or evade their responsibility, while presenting judges to the public as the sole and exclusive culprits for an insufficiently efficient and effective legal system,” Ćetković told Radio Montenegro.

Former judge and attorney Lazar Aković shared a similar view.

“Judges today work in an environment of institutional insecurity, where it is not always clear whether professional integrity alone will be sufficient to protect them. When an environment is created in which judges are constantly questioned, without distinguishing between those who are responsible and those who act professionally, it inevitably drives people out of the system. The judiciary is not strengthened through pressure, but through trust, stability, and respect for the profession,” Aković said.

HRA NEWSLETTER 16

• N16.T1 – Ten Years in Prison for Vesna Medenica for Unlawful Influence, Her Son Miloš on the Run
• N16.T2 – Who Is Responsible for the Escape of Miloš Medenica?
• N16.T3 – President Requested Clarification from the Constitutional Court Regarding Judge Desanka Lopičić – in Vain
• N16.T4 – Moštrokol Resigned Before a Decision Was Rendered in the “Coup d’État” Case
• N16.T5 – Between Appointments and Resignations: Montenegro Lacks a Significant Number of Judges
• N16.T6 – Pavličić: The Authorities Must Resolve the Issue of Judges’ Retirement
• N16.T7 – The Special Department of the High Court in Podgorica Doubled the Number of Resolved Cases
• N16.T8 – Lower Salaries for Judges and State Prosecutors Due to the Inertia of the Legislature
• N16.T9 – New Pressures on Judges – Court Decision Inappropriately Commented on by Milo Đukanović’s Legal Representatives
• N16.T10 – ANB Former Director Peruničić: I Had No Information That Lazović Was Protecting the Kavač Clan
• N16.BN – BRIEF NEWS