Public Prosecutor's Office for Organized Crime (JTOK) it reacted on Tuesday on the occasion of the visit of the president Aleksandar Vučić in the show "Cirilica Milomir Marić" broadcast on Monday evening on TV Prva.
The collegium of JTOK assesses in a statement that Vučić made, as they claim, "shameless claims with which he disparages and criminalizes the public prosecutors of JTOK", Insider writes.
They also state that Vučić "exceeded and abused his rights under the law and by the Constitution given powers and tried to exercise undue and impermissible influence" on that prosecution, by commenting on current criminal investigations.
"With insulting and untrue statements, Aleksandar Vučić is once again targeting acting prosecutors and trying to use the position of authority and power of the president Republic exerts an illegal influence on the outcome of the initiated proceedings, by making claims that these are 'fictional cases,'" the statement stated.
JTOK states that with such "inadmissible statements of the President of the Republic", with which the holders of judicial positions are "disparaged and slandered", in addition to the effort to create an image in the public of "illegal behavior and lynching atmosphere", directly carries out "obstruction of justice which collapses the constitutional and legal order and rule of law".
This is the first time that JTOK reacts to the statements of Aleksandar Vučić.
"Defense of the profession": The judiciary is independent according to the Constitution
On Tuesday, the informal community of judges and prosecutors "Defense of the Profession" sent an open letter to the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, stating that it is unconstitutional and illegal for "anyone outside the competent courts, least of all the president of the state as an executive authority, to evaluate the correctness of court decisions."
In the letter, they "reminded" the president that according to the Constitution of Serbia, the judiciary is independent and that the court's decision can only be reviewed by the competent court in the procedure prescribed by law, as well as by the Constitutional Court in the procedure on a constitutional appeal.
"We have to remind you that judges are independent and judge on the basis of the Constitution, confirmed international treaties, laws, generally accepted rules of international law and other general acts, adopted in accordance with the law. We have to remind you that no one outside the public prosecutor's office can influence the public prosecutors in their actions and decisions in a particular case," they stated in the letter to Vučić.
They reminded that the constitutional powers of the President of Serbia do not include the making of court decisions, nor their review.
"It is unconstitutional and illegal for anyone outside the competent courts, least of all the president of the state as an executive authority, to assess the correctness of court decisions. It is inappropriate to call judges and prosecutors, because of acting according to the law and the decisions made, bandits, foreign mercenaries, traitors, blockaders, chasers. The president of the state cannot review court decisions (because he is not competent), he cannot threaten judges and prosecutors with dismissal (because he is not competent), the president of the state cannot should insult judges and prosecutors (because it's not polite)," reads the letter of the informal community of judges and prosecutors.
Vučić: You are a corrupt gang in the prosecutor's office
On Monday evening, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, speaking about the proceedings against several officials for alleged falsification of documents during the removal of the protection of cultural property from the General Staff complex, called certain prosecutors from the Prosecutor's Office for Organized Crime criminals and a corrupt gang.
"Here I am telling you that you are a corrupt gang in the prosecutor's offices, in most of the prosecutor's offices, that you have as many corrupt judges you work with under your control, but I also think that most of the prosecutors and judges are honest and responsible people," Vučić told Prva television.
He assessed that the entire procedure is being conducted because of the General Staff "because an order came from outside and because Serbia must not establish better relations with the Trump administration."
Vučić admitted that he exaggerated, but again emphasized that he was telling the truth
In a statement to journalists in Brussels, Vučić commented on the statement of the JTOK Collegium, in which it is stated that yesterday on Prva television he exceeded and abused his powers given by law and the Constitution.
"As for the reaction of (prosecutor for organized crime Mladen) Nenadić and that circle around him, they are right about one thing, I did exaggerate, maybe I did whatever they said about constitutional powers, but unfortunately I spoke the truth. I spoke from the heart, I only spoke the truth. Should I have told the truth, they are probably right, I should have kept quiet," said Vučić.
As he said, the truth is much harder than what he was saying.
"Within those frameworks, they believed that I wanted to influence them, because I don't want to influence mobsters and criminals, I never wanted to influence them, nor do they influence me," said Vučić.
