On the Day of State Prosecutors of Montenegro, the Civic Alliance reminds the public of the importance of adequate reforms of this institution, which is one of the most important when it comes to the rule of law, the liberation of institutions and all other elements important for improving the work of all branches of government in our country.
At the beginning, we would like to point out a very important problem, which is that in Montenegro we have not had a full term Supreme State Prosecutor for four years. This situation implies that we cannot have a stable, strong and independent position of the VDT, which is unacceptable, and therefore the new government structures must place the selection of the VDT in full mandate at the top of the agenda. In addition, the connection of a certain number of prosecutors with criminal groups and their prosecution indicates that the prosecutor’s organization is still weak, but also that it can represent a significant obstacle in the fight against organized crime and corruption.
There are still several important issues that must be addressed from multiple levels:
- Inefficient and slow investigations in cases of attacks on journalists, serious violations of human rights such as torture and war crimes, and inadequate prosecution of the increasing number of attacks motivated by religious and national hatred.
- Significant lack of personnel, material and spatial capacities.
It is also necessary to mention the current problem recently discovered in the Basic State Prosecutor’s Office in Podgorica. It refers to the discovery of a certain number of cases dating back to 2016, which have not been assigned to any state prosecutor, which indicates the basic malfunction of one of the most important systems for prosecuting and suppressing criminal offenses.
Of course, today we must not forget the important positive developments in the work of the Special State Prosecutor’s Office, which shows its willingness to deal with the most serious and difficult cases of corruption and organized crime. That is why it is the task of all socio-political actors to support them in this important work with our actions and to contribute from our areas to their independent and efficient work.
Nevertheless, all the mentioned problems point to the necessity of the work of the prosecutor’s offices, the Prosecutor’s Council and the Parliament of Montenegro, to ensure the professionalism and independence of this institution. To achieve these goals, it is important for the prosecution to raise the level of transparency and availability of information about their work. The list of important activities must also include the organization of training for prosecutors for the efficient conduct of investigations and trials, as well as the provision of resources for their efficient work, namely personnel, material and spatial capacities. There is also the improvement of cooperation with other sectors, which is very important, as well as the improvement of quality control of the work of prosecutors’ offices. All this will not only contribute to increasing the quality of the work of this institution, but also to increasing citizens’ trust in the prosecutor’s office that it will provide them with the justice they expect.
