Supreme Court President Advocates for Higher Salaries for Judges and Promises Resolution of Old Cases
The President of the Supreme Court of Montenegro, Valentina Pavličić, has urgently requested a temporary solution to increase judges’ salaries. In a letter to Prime Minister Milojko Spajić, Deputy Prime Minister Momo Koprivica, Minister of Justice Bojan Božović, and Minister of Finance Novica Vuković, she proposed a temporary 30% salary increase for judges through amendments to the Law on Salaries in the Public Sector, until a special law is enacted. Pavličić emphasized that this increase is crucial for ensuring judicial independence and supporting Montenegro’s EU integration, and she anticipates a prompt response from the government.
In addition to addressing salary concerns, Pavličić announced measures aimed at improving the efficiency of the judiciary. She mentioned the introduction of a National Program to resolve cases older than three years and shared plans for forming a Working Group to monitor the pace of work and prevent the accumulation of new backlogged cases.
New Member Elected to the Prosecutorial Council, but Body Still Incomplete
The Conference of State Prosecutors has elected Armin Selmanović as a member of the Prosecutorial Council, representing state prosecutors from the Supreme State Prosecutor’s Office. However, the Council remains incomplete. Following the resignations of lawyers Siniša Gazivoda and Miloš Vuksanović in August and September 2024, the Council lacks representatives from the ranks of distinguished lawyers. There has been no information regarding new activities from the Committee for Political System, Judiciary, and Administration in 2025, which is responsible for initiating the procedure to elect the missing members of the Prosecutorial Council.
Lack of Prosecutors and Experts in Pljevlja
The Basic State Prosecutor’s Office in Pljevlja, which serves the municipalities of Pljevlja, Žabljak, and Šavnik, is facing a significant shortage of prosecutors. This issue was highlighted in the Office’s annual report.
As of August 2024, apart from the head prosecutor, Sanja Golubović, only one prosecutor was employed at the office. Since then, another prosecutor has been hired. According to its organizational structure, the office is supposed to have four prosecutors in addition to the head prosecutor.
Moreover, the Basic State Prosecutor’s Office in Pljevlja is also lacking experts in various fields, including traffic, occupational safety, environmental science, economics, and electrical engineering. While experts are available at the state level, their absence in this region hampers the conduct of investigative actions, particularly when timely access to critical sites is essential for gathering evidence.
Candidates Interviewed for Prosecutorial Leadership Positions in Bar and Kotor
The Prosecutorial Council has proceeded with the selection process for the heads of the Basic State Prosecutor’s Offices in Bar and Kotor. Candidates Radovan Đurišić for the Bar office and Tijana Čelanović for the Kotor office have both been interviewed.
New Judges Elected for the Higher Court in Podgorica and the Misdemeanor Court
The Higher Court in Podgorica has appointed new judges following the Judicial Council’s selection of Sanja Došljak, Branislav Leković, Radovan Vlaović, Nikola Boričić, and Dragan Babović for judicial positions. These judges were among those who applied for the court’s vacancy announcement published on the last day of 2024.
During the sixth session of the Judicial Council, it was also decided to appoint Radenko Bošković, the current misdemeanor court judge in Podgorica, to the position of judge for the Higher Misdemeanor Court of Montenegro.
Additionally, the Council announced public calls for the president of the Basic Court in Cetinje and one judge position in the Higher Court in Podgorica. There were also internal announcements for three judicial positions in the Basic Court in Podgorica and one in the Misdemeanor Court in Podgorica.
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