Despite the fact that the Special Department of the High Court in Podgorica resolved more cases than the annual influx last year, it seems that the positive figures are still lost in the second-instance report, where at the level of the complete court, the total backlog has greatly increased.
In the Report on the work of the Judicial Council for the past year, data were published for the most complex and most serious criminal proceedings, according to which 62 cases were received before the Special Division of the High Court in Podgorica, and 66 cases were resolved.
The results, as stated in the report, were mostly achieved after the staffing in the Special Department was increased by as much as 70 percent, so 14 judges and the president of the court are currently working on the most complex cases, and the plan is to increase that number to 20, which is the imagined quota for the number of prosecutors in the Special State Prosecutor’s Office.
Greater efficiency was recorded during 2025 and at the level of the complete High Court in Podgorica, which was the first time after almost 15 years that the coefficient was positive in that court and that the number of resolved cases in relation to the inflow exceeded 100 percent.
However, so that the numbers do not “blur” the true state of affairs in the key report for fulfilling the EU agenda, it is best seen in the part of the promptness rate – the total backlog of “special cases” at the end of the year was reduced from 168 to 164 (-2.38 percent), which is a slight shift, but not enough to reduce the overall large backlog.
If we look at the structure of the cases, a significant part of the solved cases refer to complex, high-profile cases of organized crime and corruption initiated by the Special State Prosecutor’s Office, while a part also refers to cases initiated by injured parties as prosecutors, which are generally concluded quickly.
Judge and spokesperson of the Special Department Vesna Kovačević she announced to “Vijestim” that the results from 2025, as she stated, unequivocally confirm a high degree of process efficiency.
“The number of resolved cases exceeded the number of new ones. This outcome is the result of the consistent, professional and dedicated actions of the judges of the Special Department, because these are the most complex and difficult criminal cases that are handled before this court. The fact that such results were achieved in the most demanding cases is the best testimony to the extraordinary efficiency and dedication of the judges of this department, to reach final verdicts in the shortest possible time,” emphasized Kovačević.
When it comes to the structure of the case, the dominant part consists of criminal proceedings initiated by the SDT, and numerous indictments were combined during the proceedings before the court for the purpose of uniform conduct of proceedings.
“In this way, several indictments that would individually constitute several cases were combined into one court case under one business number. Although it is statistically recorded as one closed case, it is essentially a matter of solving a large number of indictments, often with extremely extensive evidence and a large number of defendants. It is precisely this complexity that additionally affects the duration of proceedings and the difficulty of decision-making, and it is necessary to keep these circumstances in mind when assessing the overall results of the work of the Special Department,” explained Kovačević.
The judge, although she did not clearly specify how many cases from the statistical score for last year refer to cases where the injured party appears as a subsidiary prosecutor, stated in general that “a small part refers to proceedings on the initiative of the injured parties as prosecutors”.
“It is important to emphasize that every case, regardless of who initiates the proceedings, enjoys equal attention and treatment because this is required by the principle of fair trial, which this court consistently adheres to,” she answered.
Resolved 37 on the merits
In the Report on the work of the SS for 2025, it is stated that out of the total number of solved “special cases” – 37 were solved on the merits.
Judge Kovačević clarified that these are cases which, due to their nature and complexity, were under increased public attention, bearing in mind their social importance and influence on the rule of law.
“This number also includes a certain number of inherited cases from an earlier period, in which the proceedings were concluded with the adoption of meritorious court decisions, which contributed to the reduction of the backlog of cases and the improvement of the efficiency of the court’s work,” she stated.
She emphasized that the increase in the total number of solved cases from 43 to 66, which represents an increase of 53.49%, undoubtedly represents a significant indicator of the improvement of the efficiency of the work of the Special Department despite the complex working conditions and the constant increase in the flow of cases.
“This information gains particular importance when viewed in the context of comparative indicators for the same reporting period.
Namely, in the period from the beginning of 2025 to April 22, 2025, 12 cases were formed, of which nine were resolved, while in the same period of the current year, 32 cases were formed, and as many as 21 were resolved. This ratio clearly indicates not only a significant increase in the flow of cases by the Special State Prosecutor’s Office, but also the fact that, despite this, a significantly higher number of completed procedures was achieved. The results indicate the continuous improvement of the organization of the court’s work, as well as the increased engagement of judges and court administration in solving complex cases under the jurisdiction of the Special Department,” said Kovačević.
It takes time…
A slight decrease in the final backlog, with a simultaneous increase in the promptness rate, as explained by judge Vesna Kovačevć, is an important indicator of the stabilization of the work of the Special Department and a hint of the establishment of a long-term trend of improving efficiency.
“Although it is a moderate shift (a reduction in the number of pending cases from 168 to 164), its importance is reflected in the fact that the court, despite the continuous high influx and high complexity of cases, manages to gradually reduce the backlog. It should be borne in mind that a certain period of time was needed from the moment the judges, who took over the inherited cases, were in charge of the cases until the creation of conditions for their meritorious conclusion. For this very reason, the effects of the reorganization and increased involvement could not be fully visible in the earlier period,” she says.
Kovačević announced that she expects these positive trends to be reflected even more clearly through a further reduction in the backlog and an increase in the promptness rate…
“Which will fully confirm the achieved progress in the efficiency of the court’s work,” she stressed.
By reducing the number of cases per judge and electing new judges, the conditions for more efficient and better work have been created, and during the day in the courtrooms of the High Court in Podgorica, about 30 trials are scheduled in a special report.
The lack of courtrooms, administrative staff and associates makes it difficult to work in complex cases with a huge amount of evidence.
“Judges of the Special Division are daily faced with public expectations, complex legal issues and high standards of fair procedure, which requires exceptional dedication and personal responsibility. Despite this, judges strive to maintain a high level of professionalism and concentration, because it is the duty of the court to make every decision with arguments and solely on the basis of law and evidence. It is precisely this need to preserve impartiality and legal certainty in the most demanding circumstances that represents the greatest professional challenge, but also the essence of a judge’s calling. At the same time, every legal and reasoned decision, made regardless of pressures or expectations, confirms that the Special Department fulfills its role in strengthening the rule of law and citizens’ trust in the judiciary,” said Judge Kovačević.
The EU agenda is awaiting verdicts
When asked by “Vijesti” whether the Special Court has an overview/analysis of how many verdicts could be handed down by the end of 2026, when the work on closing the chapter should be completed – Judge Vesna Kovačević said that those numbers will depend on “several objective factors”.
“Projections of the number of verdicts until the end of 2026 must be viewed with a certain amount of caution, bearing in mind the complexity and specificity of the cases under the jurisdiction of the Special Department. However, the indicators so far point to a realistic expectation of continued growth in efficiency. Namely, already in the first quarter, in addition to 21 resolved cases, 11 cases were recorded in which the decisions were made and publicly announced, but are still in the stage of drafting the written report,” she stated.
As she emphasized, the court is clearly determined to act as a priority in cases of organized crime and high corruption, especially bearing in mind their importance in the context of the European integration process and overall public interest.
“The final number of judgments passed will depend on several objective factors, first of all the complexity of factual and legal issues, the scope of the evidentiary proceedings, as well as the process dynamics in individual cases. Bearing in mind the current number of completed proceedings and therefore the judgments passed, we believe that the results of the work will be significantly better compared to the earlier period”, she concluded.
Complaints accumulate a backlog
If you look at the figures from the Report on the work of the Judicial Council for last year, it seems that, despite the progress, the problem is getting more complicated in the second instance report.
In the Special Department last year, there were 1,619 criminal cases for second-instance resolution, and 1,258 were resolved.
The figures show that a new “block” has been created in the second-level report because the backlog has increased by 350 new cases.
Judge Vesna Kovačević stated that appeals against decisions of first-instance courts are decided in the second instance, which implies a wide scope of jurisdiction and a high degree of responsibility in work.
“Such jurisdiction inevitably generates a significant influx of cases, as a result of which the workload of this department is continuously expressed. It should be borne in mind that in one period only one judge acted on this department, which objectively affected the dynamics of handling cases and the accumulation of a backlog. At this moment, two judges are engaged in handling cases, who, despite limited staffing capacities, make significant efforts and achieve exceptional results, reaching over 200% of the norm,” she stated. she.
The judge announced that the election of four more judges in the Special Department is expected, stressing that it is realistic to expect that one of the new ones will be assigned to the second instance report.
On average, work on a case in the Special Department lasted 715 days, which is a significant increase compared to 2023, when the average work was completed in 482 days.
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