Venice Commission issues opinion on revision of "Mrdić laws"

The Venice Commission has released a follow-up opinion on Serbia's "Mrdić laws," indicating that while significant progress has been made, two crucial recommendations are still pending. The commission notes that Serbia has implemented seven out of the nine recommendations put forth.

The first outstanding recommendation, number seven, pertains to prosecutors within the Organized Crime Prosecutor's Office (TOK). The Venice Commission acknowledges that TOK's institutional capacities have been significantly strengthened, and a mechanism for replacing temporary appointments with regular ones is in place. However, it points out that two out of eleven public prosecutors whose temporary assignments were prematurely terminated have not been reinstated, meaning this aspect of the recommendation is not fully met.

Regarding recommendation eight, which concerns the Special Department for High-Tech Crime, the commission views the proposed amendments to the selection process for its leadership as a positive step. The establishment of a working group to further enhance the department's operational autonomy is also praised. Nevertheless, the recommendation will only be considered fully implemented once the working group's analysis is completed inclusively and within a reasonable timeframe, leading to necessary legislative changes.

Furthermore, the commission addresses recommendation nine, related to the restructuring of court and prosecutor networks. It views the formation of a working group for additional analysis as a welcome development. For this recommendation to be fully implemented, the analyses must be comprehensive and inclusive, concluded within the announced timeframe, and result in appropriate legal amendments if needed. The "Mrdić laws" refer to a package of amendments to several judicial regulations proposed by SNS MP Uglješa Mrdić.

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Ključna preporuka 8: Izmena koja se odnosi na postupak izbora rukovodioca Posebnog odeljenja predstavlja pozitivan korak. Pored toga, osnivanje Radne grupe koja treba dodatno da razmotri kako unaprediti operativnu autonomiju Posebnog odeljenja za visokotehnološki kriminal zaslužuje pohvalu. Komisija konstatuje da su vlasti u ovom trenutku preduzele napore da sprovedu ovu preporuku. Međutim, ova preporuka smatraće se u potpunosti sprovedenom tek ukoliko analiza Radne grupe bude završena na inkluzivan način, u razumnom roku, i bude praćena izmenom zakona ili reformom koja obezbeđuje veću strukturnu i operativnu autonomiju Posebnog odeljenja.