The former president of the Supreme Court of Montenegro, Vesna Medenica, was sentenced to six months in prison for abuse of office. The verdict was handed down by the High Court in Podgorica.
The Special State Prosecutor’s Office filed an indictment against Medenica, charging her for illegally and without the knowledge of members of the Judicial Council making a decision and archiving the case of the judge of the Basic Court in Rozaje, Milosav Zekic.
The verdict states that, based on the evaluation of the evidence conducted during the procedure, the High Court found that on 23 January 2019, Medenica, as the then President of the Supreme Court, received a submission from a group of citizens, which informed her that the criminal proceedings against Zekic was ongoing before the Basic Court in Kotor.
The submission contained a request that disciplinary proceedings be conducted against that judge, and that it would be appropriate to remove him from the judicial position, which he performed unhindered, until the conclusion of the criminal proceedings.
The court concluded that the action on the petition submitted by the group of citizens was within the jurisdiction of the Judicial Council, not Medenica.
The higher court assessed that Medenica acted with direct intent, because she was aware of her act, the execution of which she wanted.
