Medenica: I ask to be acquitted, I acted in accordance with the law

I do not feel guilty and I ask you to acquit me. I acted in my capacity as President of the Supreme Court and did not violate a single provision of the law or the court's rules of procedure. There is one issue I would like to raise because no one has done so when it comes to me. The prosecutor handling this case (referring to Zorica Milanović) has since been appointed a judge of the Court of Appeals, and I would not want her husband's career advancement to come at the expense of my family... I would rather die than leave this unsaid - Former Supreme Court President Vesna Medenica told the panel of the Court of Appeals, which reopened the proceedings after overturning two previous judgments.

Following Medenica's testimony and the presentation of evidence, the Court of Appeals concluded the retrial in the case in which she is accused of abusing her official position in 2019 to obtain an unlawful benefit for then-Rožaje judge Milosav Zekić. 

The High Court has twice convicted Medenica in the case, sentencing her to six months in prison on each occasion, but both judgments were subsequently overturned by the Court of Appeals. A new verdict will be delivered on July 17 by a panel chaired by Judge Srđan Vujović.

At the opening of the retrial, reporting judge Predrag Tabaš reviewed Medenica's personal details and asked whether there had been any changes. She replied, with a remark, that „even my detention is temporary and depends on whoever happens to decide“.

Medenica stated that she stood by the defence she had presented during the earlier proceedings but added that she had received a summons to appear before the Special State Prosecutor's Office without any explanation of the allegations against her, adding the summons merely stated that the case concerned the criminal offence of abuse of office.

- Only later did I realise that the case had been opened following an anonymous complaint. Then, as now, I remain firm in my position that this matter fell exclusively within the jurisdiction of the Judicial Council - Medenica said.

She added that evidence presented later in the proceedings confirmed her defence, namely that both she and the Judicial Council had been duly informed.

Special Prosecutor Armin Selmanović maintained the arguments presented in his appeal, in which he requested a harsher sentence for Medenica.

One of Medenica's defence lawyers, Zdravko Begović, argued that there was a reason why the Court of Appeal had twice overturned the previous judgments, stressing that „not every judgment is sacred“.

- Through this indictment, an attempt was made to portray Medenica as negligent in the performance of her duties, and this judgment was meant to serve merely as decoration - Begović said.

Medenica and her defence team requested that the court acquit her of all charges.