October 12, 2020 - The President of the Supreme Court of Montenegro, Vesna Medenica, announced that she would resign from the position, RTCG, and Vijesti portals have learned unofficially.
Medenica was first elected President of the Supreme Court in 2007, having served before as Supreme State Prosecutor.
Medenica was re-elected President of the Supreme Court in 2014 and 2019.
In the Progress Report on Montenegro, the European Commission (EC) pointed out the judiciary's third mandate problems.
The EC has expressed concern over how the Constitution has been interpreted, allowing Medenica to be elected for the third time.
"Last year's recommendations regarding the judiciary were only partially addressed. In particular, challenges remain with regard to the independence, professionalism, efficiency, and accountability of the judiciary. The decision of the Judicial Council to re-appoint seven court presidents, including the President of the Supreme Court, for at least a third term raises serious concerns over the Judicial Council's interpretation of the letter and the spirit of the Constitutional and legal framework, which limits those appointments to a maximum of two terms in order to prevent over-concentration of power. This is not in line with GRECO recommendations on the independence of the judiciary, which Montenegro is expected to comply with, in order not to reverse earlier achievements in judicial reform," reads "Key findings of the 2020 Report on Montenegro, " published on October 6 by the European Commission.
The Supreme Court told Vijesti last week that it would follow the European Commission's recommendations, without specifying whether Medenica would resign from her position. They reiterated then that the President of the Supreme Court's resignation was her prerogative and that Medenica would keep any such decision to herself.
