EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW Maja Popović: The state will defeat the gangsters

That attempt will be prevented, as announced by President Aleksandar Vučić, by a decisive battle against the mafia and organized crime, with the Government and the Ministry of Justice making the maximum contribution. The coordinated participation of all competent state bodies will be required. I am convinced that all state institutions have sufficient knowledge, strength and capacity, and I am confident that the state will win.

o This, for “Novosti”, says the new Minister of Justice, Maja Popović, and explains:

– The system established based on the Law of Organization and Competences of State Bodies in the Repression of Organized Crime, Terrorism and Corruption, has shown that the fight can be very successful. From March 1, 2018 to June 30 of this year, criminal charges were brought against 24,013 people, including local government officials, directors, in the special departments for the repression of corruption in the superior courts and the superior prosecutor’s offices in Belgrade, Novi Sad, Kraljevo and Nis. public companies, officials of the republic. The courts convicted 1,295 of them. It is a clear message that there are no protected persons, no matter what foreigners they belong to and whatever role they perform. The best example is the recent arrest of former leaders of the municipalities of Prijepolje and Arilje, as well as the Deputy Minister of Agriculture.

Photo of Ž. Knezevic

o Do procedures in Serbia take too long?

– Court proceedings take too long and this ministry will work to improve the efficiency of the courts. One of the priorities will be to find the most suitable solution to resolve disputes as soon as possible. In particular, the litigation departments in Belgrade are overburdened and a Task Force has already been formed within the Ministry with the exclusive task of alleviating the litigation departments, with special reference to Belgrade. We expect results soon. This will also prevent the outflow of state money from the budget, given the enormous amounts that the state loses in compensation for damages to citizens for violating the right to a trial within a reasonable time. In the previous period, the Ministry worked on solving this problem. We are also considering the possibility of urgent interventions in the Civil Procedure Law, with the idea that the controversy of small value is further relaxed by prescribing a greater discretion of the procedural body, that is, the acting judge, which can be used and thus contribute to a faster culmination of this type of case. A draft of amendments has already been made.

o The president of the Supreme Court of Cassation said that they are working on the reform of the Enforcement and Security Law and that he will propose the cancellation of old claims of less than 10 euros …

– The Ministry of Justice is always open to all constructive solutions, and we certainly respect everything that comes from the Supreme Court of Cassation as the highest judicial instance as a proposal and suggestion.

o Many old debts, assigned to executors, have grown enormously due to interest. Debtors are announcing lawsuits. Is there a commitment?

– Absolutely. Now all the focus is on the utilities, which have often, for more than ten years, taken a passive stance in all cases where they are executive creditor. The status quo is not sustainable, as there are hundreds of thousands of old unsolved enforcement cases that go unaddressed. We also had the absence of a judicial commitment to deal with these cases. We are trying to find a common language with the utilities and I am sure we will reach an agreement.

o What is happening with the adoption of the new constitution?

– In 2018, the Ministry of Justice drafted amendments to the Constitution in the field of justice, in order to further strengthen the rule of law and harmonize it with European standards, which were positively evaluated by the Venice Commission, and its The writing was accompanied by a transparent public debate process. At the end of November 2018, the Government sent a proposal to the Assembly to modify the supreme legal act. Meanwhile, a new Assembly and a new government have been elected, so it is necessary to resubmit the same proposal to reform the Constitution to the new Assembly. After that, the implementation of the additional procedure is in the hands of the people’s deputies. In her speech, Prime Minister Ana Brnabić stated that the government will continue to support changes to the Constitution in the field of justice.

o Will the Constitution be changed if an agreement is reached on Kosovo and Metohija, since the preamble is very clear in that regard?

– The draft amendment to the Constitution of the Republic of Serbia mainly refers to changes in the judiciary, that is, the way of electing judges and prosecutors, and they have no contact points with Kosovo and Metohija.

o Can Serbia help The Hague more in the evidence against Thaci?

– Taking into account the issue of Serbia’s formal cooperation with this court, as well as the fact that it represents a body of the so-called Republic of Kosovo, the application letters are received through the Office of the EU Delegation in Serbia So far, the Ministry has received 12 requests from the Special Prosecutor’s Office and responded to nine.

o Do you think that the so-called terrorists will the KLA finally get justice?

– We have been waiting an unacceptably long time for the first indictments to be brought before the Hague court for crimes committed against Serbs and other non-Albanians in Kosovo and Metohija. This raised the suspicion of all Serbian citizens that justice can be done for Serbian victims. I am glad that action has finally been taken on this issue, but the question is whether all those responsible for numerous crimes, of the thousands of dead, brutally tortured, disappeared, exiled, will receive justice. The only fair thing would be that all those who committed crimes were convicted and duly punished.

o Will you reactivate the guarantees that our convicts, including Mladic, will be able to serve their sentences in Serbia?

– Serbia raised this issue in 2009. In recent years, this initiative was presented in all sessions of the UN Security Council, where cooperation with the Hague Tribunal was discussed, but we have not received a response yet. We must not allow this issue to go unresolved before the end of the MMCT’s mandate. Serbia is ready to assume the obligation and responsibility for the execution of the prison sentences imposed on its citizens before the Court and to accept international supervision in this regard. Our competent institutions will provide clear guarantees that convicted persons will not be released early without the timely decisions of the MMKT.

o Can we expect bigger infrastructure projects in your department?

– Improving the judicial infrastructure will continue to be one of the Ministry’s priorities. From 2012 to 2019, more than 200,000 square meters were completely rebuilt and expanded, rehabilitated and built, including the Palace of Justice in Kragujevac, the construction of which is ongoing. Almost 12 billion dinars were invested in all of that. We are financing the construction of the imposing building in Kragujevac entirely from budget, and the right conditions can increase the efficiency of the work of the courts by up to 60 percent, because they allow a greater number of courtrooms and thus a more frequent audience scheduling. I believe that the first phase of the reconstruction of the part of the Nis “Filip Kljajić” barracks will soon be completed, to meet the needs of the special departments for the fight against corruption in that city.