Human Rights Action (HRA) yesterday sent a letter to Chief Special Prosecutor Vladimir Novović, calling on the Special State Prosecutor’s Office (SDT) to inform lawyer Veselin Radulović and the public about the handling of his criminal complaints against Democratic Montenegro and its officials. Radulović has been waiting for information about his complaints for more than a year, while he was summoned for questioning just ten days after Minister of Defence Dragan Krapović filed a complaint against him.

Radulović has so far filed a total of 19 criminal complaints concerning suspected corruption, abuse of office and other possible abuses. The Criminal Procedure Code sets a three-month deadline for deciding on criminal complaints, yet more than a year has passed without a response to his earliest complaints.

HRA considers it unacceptable that complaints filed by public officials against citizens are dealt with urgently, while citizens’ complaints remain unresolved, with no information on whether they are being acted upon at all. This disparity discourages citizens from reporting abuses instead of encouraging them to take an active part in the fight against corruption. This case is particularly concerning because lawyer Radulović has been subjected to repeated, inappropriate public attacks on his reputation and now also faces criminal complaints from the ruling party for daring to report suspected corruption in the public interest. All of this also reflects poorly on the state.

An effective fight against corruption, particularly at high levels, is a key requirement under EU negotiating Chapter 23, while the fight against organised crime is the focus of Chapter 24. Timely and impartial examination of complaints concerning high-ranking officials is essential. HRA expects the SDT to inform Radulović and the public about the actions taken and the reasons for the delays in handling his complaints.