After Democrat MP Boris Bogdanović made accusations against the Court of Appeal on social media, related to, as he stated, “the Šaponjić case”, with the claim that the accused was released “not because he is innocent, he was released not because he was acquitted, but because the Court of Appeal was late”, they reacted from the court and announced that they do not have an accused person Šaponjić in the cases at all.
“On the occasion of the announcement by MP Boris Bogdanović, and for the sake of truthfully informing the public, we point out that a check through the official records of this court has established that there is no case related to the accused person “Šaponjić”. The Appellate Court of Montenegro strongly condemns the presentation of inaccurate, unverified and irresponsible statements that mislead the public with claims that the “judiciary is falling apart” and that the safety of citizens is at risk due to the alleged failures of the court,” the Appellate Court denies the statements of Boris Bogdanović.
The Appellate Court says that such claims represent an unfounded collapse of citizens’ trust in the judicial system, cause the spread of unnecessary panic and contribute to the undermining of trust in institutions that are obliged to act solely on the basis of the Constitution and the law.
“The Court of Appeal points out that the work of the court cannot be evaluated by arbitrary political statements, but solely on the basis of facts, in a procedure prescribed by law and by the competent institutions. It is unacceptable that without any basis this court is linked to endangering the safety of citizens, which consciously creates an atmosphere of mistrust and destabilization,” the Court of Appeal said.
In particular, as they state, it is worrisome when the bearers of the public word, ignoring their responsibility towards the citizens, present untruths that can cause public anxiety and harm the reputation of the judicial system.
“The Court of Appeal calls for a responsible, accurate and fact-based public address, with a clear warning that the presentation of inaccurate information for the sake of political or any other interests does not contribute to the strengthening of institutions, but only to the violation of the legal order, public trust and legal uncertainty. This court, as before, will continue to act professionally, legally and impartially, rejecting any attempt to manipulate the public through untrue and irresponsible claims,” the Court of Appeal said in response to Boris Bogdanović’s allegations.
