Podgorica, (MINA) – The judiciary is prepared for an objective and professionally conducted process to assess its integrity and professionalism, but not for a political, media-led or any other populist selection process, said Supreme Court President Valentina Pavlicic.

She said that the Montenegrin judiciary is not opposed to integrity checks for judicial employees, but on the contrary, is open to any reform process that strengthens public trust in the judiciary and the overall stability of the state.

“However, as the president of the highest court and head of the judicial branch in Montenegro, aware of the long-standing challenges in the work of the courts, the status of judges and the responsibility of the judicial function, I believe that matters of this nature and gravity, which may have deep and long-lasting consequences for the functioning of the state, including its position in the EU negotiation process, cannot and must not be addressed through hasty moves”, the press release said.

According to Pavlicic, the responses to these issues must be the result of a serious, professional and inclusive dialogue of all three branches of government, in accordance with the legal order and the principles of the rule of law.

“Consequently, and regarding the conclusions of the National Security Council, as an operational body of the executive branch, in which the introduction of vetting is announced without prior consultation with the judiciary, I would like to stress that this opens up numerous constitutional and institutional issues that require careful and responsible consideration, institutional coordination and action by all three branches of government”, said Pavlicic.