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European Court of Human Rights
You are here: BAILII >> Databases >> European Court of Human Rights >> ADROVIC AND OTHERS v. MONTENEGRO - 8318/20 (Article 6 - Right to a fair trial : First Section Committee) [2024] ECHR 307 (11 April 2024)
URL: http://www.bailii.org/eu/cases/ECHR/2024/307.html
Cite as: [2024] ECHR 307
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FIRST SECTION
CASE OF ADROVIĆ AND OTHERS v. MONTENEGRO
(Application no. 8318/20)
JUDGMENT
STRASBOURG
11 April 2024
This judgment is final but it may be subject to editorial revision.
In the case of Adrović and Others v. Montenegro,
The European Court of Human Rights (First Section), sitting as a Committee composed of:
Péter Paczolay, President,
Gilberto Felici,
Raffaele Sabato, judges,
and Viktoriya Maradudina, Acting Deputy Section Registrar,
Having deliberated in private on 21 March 2024,
Delivers the following judgment, which was adopted on that date:
1. The case originated in an application against Montenegro lodged with the Court under Article 34 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms ("the Convention") on 24 December 2019.
2. The applicants were represented by Mr D. Prelević, a lawyer practising in Podgorica.
3. The Montenegrin Government ("the Government") were given notice of the application.
THE FACTS
4. The applicants' details and information relevant to the application are set out in the appended table.
5. The applicants complained of the non-enforcement of domestic decisions given against socially/State-owned companies.
6. On 30 May 2019 the Constitutional Court found a violation of the applicants' rights under Article 6 § 1 of the Convention and Article 1 of Protocol No. 1 to the Convention on account of non-enforcement. The applicants were awarded 2,000 euros each in non-pecuniary damage. However, the domestic decisions under consideration remain unenforced until the present day.
THE LAW
- ALLEGED VIOLATION OF ARTICLE 6 § 1 OF THE CONVENTION AND OF ARTICLE 1 OF PROTOCOL No. 1
7. The applicants complained principally of the non-enforcement of domestic decisions given in their favour. They relied, expressly or in substance, on Article 6 § 1 of the Convention and on Article 1 of Protocol No.
1.
8. The Government submitted that the applicants had failed to inform the Court that they had received payment in the amount of approximately 6% of the main debt before the case was communicated to the Government. They invited the Court to reject the application as an abuse of the right of individual application in accordance with Article 35 §§ 3 (a) and 4 of the Convention.
9. The Court reiterates that the execution of a judgment given by any court must be regarded as an integral part of a "hearing" for the purposes of Article 6. It also refers to its case-law concerning the non-enforcement or delayed enforcement of final domestic judgments (see Hornsby v. Greece, no. 18357/91, § 40, Reports of Judgments and Decisions 1997-II).
10. The Court further notes that the decisions in the present case ordered specific action to be taken. The Court therefore considers that the decisions in question constitute "possessions" within the meaning of Article 1 of Protocol No.
1.
11. In the leading cases of R. Kačapor and Others v. Serbia (nos. 2269/06 and 5 others, §§ 97-99, 106-16 and 119-20, 15 January 2008), and Mijanović v. Montenegro (no. 19580/06, §§ 81-91, 17 September 2013), the Court already found a violation in respect of issues similar to those in the present case.
12. Having examined all the material submitted to it, the Court has not found any fact or argument capable of persuading it to reach a different conclusion on the admissibility and merits of these complaints. In particular, as regards the Government's argument (see paragraph 8 above), the Court notes that the payment in question concerned minor percentage of the applicants' claims and that, at the time of the communication of the case, the substantial part of their claims remained unenforced. The Government's objection must therefore be rejected.
13. Having regard to its case-law on the subject, the Court rejects the Government's objection and considers that in the instant case the authorities did not deploy all necessary efforts to enforce fully and in due time the decisions in the applicants' favour.
14. These complaints are therefore admissible and disclose a breach of Article 6 § 1 of the Convention and Article 1 of Protocol No.
1.
- APPLICATION OF ARTICLE 41 OF THE CONVENTION
15. Regard being had to the documents in its possession and its own case-law (see, in particular, R. Kačapor and Others, cited above, §§ 123-26; Stošić v. Serbia, no. 64931/10, §§ 66-68, 1 October 2013; and Mastilović and Others v. Montenegro, no. 28754/10, § 52, 24 February 2022) the Court considers it reasonable not to award the applicants compensation in respect of non-pecuniary damage because it has already been awarded domestically (see paragraph 6 above), but to award them jointly a sum for costs and expenses indicated in the appended table.
16. The Court further notes that the respondent State has an outstanding obligation to enforce the judgments which remain enforceable.
FOR THESE REASONS, THE COURT, UNANIMOUSLY,
- Declares the application admissible;
- Holds that this application discloses a breach of Article 6 § 1 of the Convention and Article 1 of Protocol No. 1 concerning the non-enforcement of domestic decisions given against socially/State-owned companies;
- Holds that the respondent State shall ensure, by appropriate means, within three months, the enforcement of the pending domestic decisions referred to in the appended table;
- Holds
(a) that the respondent State is to pay the applicants jointly, within three months, the amount indicated in the appended table to be converted into the currency of the respondent State at the rate applicable at the date of settlement;
(b) that from the expiry of the above-mentioned three months until settlement simple interest shall be payable on the above amount at a rate equal to the marginal lending rate of the European Central Bank during the default period plus three percentage points.
Done in English, and notified in writing on 11 April 2024, pursuant to Rule 77 §§ 2 and 3 of the Rules of Court.
Viktoriya Maradudina Péter Paczolay
Acting Deputy Registrar President
APPENDIX
Application raising complaints under Article 6 § 1 of the Convention and Article 1 of Protocol No. 1
(non-enforcement or delayed enforcement of domestic decisions given against socially/State-owned companies)
Date of introduction | Applicant's name Year of birth
| Representative's name and location | Relevant domestic decision | Start date of non-enforcement period
| End date of non-enforcement period Length of enforcement proceedings | Amount awarded for costs and expenses per application (in euros)[1] |
24/12/2019 (356 applicants) | Zifo ADROVIĆ 1959 Grujica PERIŠIĆ 1959 Boris RADOVIĆ 1963 Slobodan MILIĆ 1948 Duško BULATOVIĆ 1966 Danijela JEVRIĆ 1971 Stevan NEDOVIĆ 1953 Slavko OTAŠEVIĆ 1951 Rajko VUČINIĆ 1950 Slavko BOZOVIC 1956 Najdan BULATOVIĆ 1981 Nezir HUREMOVIĆ 1948 Vukosav KLJAJEVIĆ 1950 Boško MARTINOVIĆ 1964 Branislav NENADIĆ 1953 Petar ŠUNDIĆ 1947 Radoš VUJADINOVIĆ 1954 Slavko VUKOVIĆ 1956 Snežana AŠANIN 1970 Miljan BULATOVIĆ 1959 Veselin BULATOVIĆ 1956 Nada GRUJIĆ 1952 Slavka MARAŠ 1951 Savo SAVIČIĆ 1944 Milorad SEKULIĆ 1957 Veselin VUKADINOVIĆ 1950 Radomir ŽARKOVIĆ 1950 Vasko ĆETKOVIĆ 1945 Miladin LAKIĆEVIĆ 1947
Emir MUSTAGRUDIĆ 1964 Radmila VUKMIROVIĆ 1949 Nada ĆETKOVIĆ 1956 Dragoljub DRAGOJEVIĆ 1957 Savo DROBNJAK 1959 Radosav KONJEVIĆ 1961 Zoran ŠĆEKIĆ 1961 Radoman BULATOVIĆ 1951 Diko GAZDIĆ 1951 Stanka GOVEDARICA 1950 Vesna LJUMOVIĆ 1966 Milenko MARAŠ 1956 Marija KLIKOVAC 1956 Predrag DEJANOVIĆ 1962 Goran FILIPOVIĆ 1961 Đorđije MUGOŠA 1950 Vidak VUKIĆEVIĆ 1962
Milija DEDIĆ 1947 Stanuša JOVANOVIĆ 1955 Nikola LOPIČIĆ 1951 Goran PEJOVIĆ 1972 Neđeljko PETROVIĆ 1970 Zagorka PETROVIĆ 1953 Svetozar VUKČEVIĆ 1948 Ljubiša ASANOVIĆ 1950 Milan GOGIĆ 1954 Tomislav IVANOVIĆ 1951 Miladin NIKOLIĆ 1960 Slavka PETROVIĆ 1958 Vukić STANIĆ 1949 Živko VUJOVIĆ 1954 Dušica ŽIVALJEVIĆ 1955 Vukota ĐURIŠIĆ 1950 Veselin GAČEVIĆ 1958
Božidar MALOVIĆ 1955 Dejan RADEVIĆ 1956 Senka RAKČEVIĆ 1952 Đerđ ĐOKIĆ 1985 Mirko GARDAŠEVIĆ 1957 Milojka KOVAČEVIĆ 1957 Milorad KOVAČEVIĆ 1951 Ivan POPOVIĆ 1978 Trajko RADIČKOVIĆ 1954 Đorđije DURKOVIĆ 1947 Dragan RADONJIĆ 1956 Slobodan RAIČEVIĆ 1953 Milorad BABIĆ 1946 Radisav BOŠKOVIĆ 1949 Novo DABANOVIĆ 1948 Ranko GARDAŠEVIĆ 1952 Slavko MEDENICA 1956
Slavko VUKČEVIĆ 1952 Nevenka BOLJEVIĆ 1964 Milenko GARDAŠEVIĆ 1965 Dragoslav MARKOVIĆ 1951 Velimir OTAŠEVIĆ 1951 Veselin RADINOVIĆ 1945 Vukašin ŠĆEKIĆ 1945 Senka VIDIĆ 1953 Krsto GLOBAREVIĆ 1946 Zoran KLISIĆ 1957 Velimir RADINOVIĆ 1954 Halim BALIĆ 1947 Milorad BURZANOVIĆ 1958 Vidosava JOVANOVIĆ 1956 Marko OSTOJIĆ 1960 Zoran PEJATOVIĆ 1959 Milan PEJOVIĆ 1954
Nataša RADINOVIĆ 1972 Milenko REŠETAR 1953 Vukomir GOLUBOVIĆ 1949 Gojko KALUĐEROVIĆ 1965 Natalija PERIĆ 1951 Rajko BOLJEVIĆ 1959 Vidosava BRNOVIĆ 1951 Lidija KALEZIĆ 1957 Jakša LEKOVIĆ 1973 Božidar MAROVIĆ 1945 Zdravko RADULOVIĆ 1949 Vida BOJANOVIĆ 1949 Dragan KOJIĆ 1950 Dušan MRDAK 1953 Božidar VLAHOVIĆ 1962 Andrija BRAJOVIĆ 1956 Ilija DEDIĆ 1944
Radivoje DOBRAŠINOVIĆ 1949 Dragoljub KALEZIĆ 1951 Željka KALUĐEROVIĆ 1968 Milan KOVAČEVIĆ 1951 Drago KRALJEVIĆ 1959 Vojislav VUJOVIĆ 1951 Miloica ZINDOVIĆ 1949 Zarija BRNOVIĆ 1954 Vera RADOVIĆ 1958 Radovan MILIĆ 1958 Tomislav ŠĆEKIĆ 1965 Mihailo TOMOVIĆ 1949 Božidar ŠĆEKIĆ 1950 Branka JOVANOVIĆ 1954 Nataša MILOŠEVIĆ 1964 Mirjana RADOVIĆ 1955 Nela STOJANOVIĆ 1968
Vera TRAJKOVIĆ 1954 Mira VLAHOVIĆ 1962 Gano ELEZOVIĆ 1953 Stanica KALEZIĆ 1948 Miloš RADULOVIĆ 1951 Radmila STOŽINIĆ 1950 Vanja ĐEKIĆ 1985 Radovan ŠĆEKIĆ 1954 Racko VUKČEVIĆ 1951 Anton LJUĐUROVIĆ 1964 Slavko VUJOTIĆ 1952 Duško BULATOVIĆ 1972 Vesna GILIĆ 1950 Petar JEVRIĆ 1951 Zdravko PETKOVIĆ 1952 Hamid ŠABOTIĆ 1964 Ljubomir VUKMIROVIĆ 1955
Dragoljub JOVANOVIĆ 1951 Žarko PETROVIĆ 1958 Dragan SAVOVIĆ 1946 Dragan SEKULIĆ 1956 Tanja BAJOVIĆ 1967 Nataša BULATOVIĆ 1965 Ranko DARMANOVIĆ 1955 Milinko KRUNIĆ 1947 Milovan RABRENOVIĆ 1953 Petar KARANIKIĆ 1949 Momčilo BABIĆ 1954 Miloš JOVANOVIĆ 1964 Ika KAPETANOVIĆ 1952 Branko RAKČEVIĆ 1947 Radonja VLAHOVIĆ 1959 Dragan FILIPOVIĆ 1972 Zoran KEKOVIĆ 1954
Hafiz CANOVIĆ 1951 Nikola BUKILIĆ 1958 Dragomir BOŠKOVIĆ 1959 Ljubiša VUKSANOVIĆ 1957 Veselin RADOVIĆ 1961 Jusuf MUHOVIĆ 1944 Momčilo JOKIĆ 1958 Draško BUKILIĆ 1952 Milorad BAJIĆ 1949 Ruždija TALJANOVIĆ 1950 Zlatana SMOLOVIĆ 1947 Milenko RADONJIĆ 1979 Zoran POPOVIĆ 1966 Marta MIRANOVIĆ 1949 Milka KULIĆ 1954 Novak RADULOVIĆ 1956 Milan MUGOŠA 1954
Borislav MARKOVIĆ 1950 Rahman LJIKAJ 1943 Jovo JOVANOVIĆ 1952 Bajo ĐUROVIĆ 1945 Dragutin NIKOLIĆ 1956 Dragomir ZEČEVIĆ 1952 Novo RUTOVIĆ 1959 Momčilo RAKČEVIĆ 1947 Vera POPIVODA 1965 Miljan MILJKOVIĆ 1951 Milosava MARTIĆ 1954 Ismet BAJRAMOVIĆ 1957 Rajko VUKOVIĆ 1955 Dragić JELIĆ 1957 Milica DŽANKIĆ 1952 Mijomir CAMOVIĆ 1951 Slavka ZEČEVIĆ 1964
Radojka VUKSANOVIĆ 1955 Radoje VLAHOVIĆ 1951 Branko PAJOVIĆ 1961 Ljuca IVEZAJ 1952 Darko ĐURIČKOVIĆ 1954 Čedomir FILIPOVIĆ 1961 Milorad JOKSOVIĆ 1958 Dragiša LAKIĆEVIĆ 1949 Velizar POPOVIĆ 1958 Ratko RADONJIĆ 1948 Želimir GLAVATOVIĆ 1956 Veselin MIROTIĆ 1949 Branislav MITROVIĆ 1949 Neđeljko MUGOŠA 1964 Novak RADONJIĆ 1947 Veselin RADULOVIĆ 1969 Radovan VUKOVIĆ 1946
Svetozar BEŠOVIĆ 1959 Jadranka MEDOJEVIĆ 1965 Vesna RAKČEVIĆ 1956 Esad RAMOVIĆ 1957 Vlado ŠOFRANAC 1965 Žarko MUGOŠA 1949 Stanka NOVAKOVIĆ 1952 Bojan VUKOVIĆ 1980 Milorad BEČANOVIĆ 1950 Miladin ĆUPIĆ 1950 Džemalj ĐOKOVIĆ 1950 Dušanka MAŠKOVIĆ 1954 Safet ASANOVIĆ 1965 Snežana MIROTIĆ 1958 Miodrag RADUNOVIĆ 1959 Veselin KLIKOVAC 1953 Nenad RADINOVIĆ 1965
Novka RADULOVIĆ 1958 Božidar TATAR 1953 Ferid ĆOSOVIĆ 1950 Veselin KAŽIĆ 1955 Slađana KOVAČEVIĆ 1968 Mara MINIĆ 1959 Faid PIROVIĆ 1952 Anđelko POPOVIĆ 1953 Milenko JOVANOVIĆ 1949 Radmila LAMBULIĆ 1949 Momir BEČANOVIĆ 1960 Đerđ ĐOKIĆ 1951 Radovan LUTOVAC 1963 Matija MIĆKOVIĆ 1994 Svetlana ČOLEVIĆ 1963 Melvida DECOVIĆ 1957 Isljam ĐOKOVIĆ 1956
Ljiljana MILUTINOVIĆ 1956 Veliša POPOVIĆ 1949 Brahim ĐOKIĆ 1958 Halil HAKŠABANOVIĆ 1960 Zorica PUPOVIĆ 1950 Milovan STOJANOVIĆ 1951 Mihailo VUJOVIĆ 1956 Mirko MARUNOVIĆ 1942 Slavko RADIČKOVIĆ 1951 Frano VULJAJ 1954 Dejan BOLJEVIĆ 1960 Milić ĐURIŠIĆ 1961 Elmedin HADŽIMUHOVIĆ 1960 Novelja JELIĆ 1963 Stjefan LJAJČAJ 1964 Mustafa OSMANAGIĆ 1957 Sanja PAJOVIĆ 1966
Slobodan RADULOVIĆ 1948 Miloš RAIČEVIĆ 1947 Mihailo RAKOČEVIĆ 1958 Božidar RAŠOVIĆ 1952 Zoran VUKAŠEVIĆ 1949 Sonja SEKULIĆ 1953 Slavko STOJANOVIĆ 1955 Boris JOVIĆEVIĆ 1976 Đuro POPOVIĆ 1948 Milanka ŠĆEPANOVIĆ 1959 Slobodan VUKČEVIĆ 1944 Zorka ZINDOVIĆ 1948 Jelena BABIĆ 1951 Zoran JANKOVIĆ 1965 Stanuša ŠUKOVIĆ 1959 Vukica KANDIĆ 1954 Nikola ŠOŠKIĆ 1955
Ljubo TERZIĆ 1953 Milorad KOMNENIĆ 1987 Milan RADULOVIĆ 1949 Ranko VUKČEVIĆ 1958 Vladimir BOŽOVIĆ 1950 Radislav KUKOVIĆ 1962 Radoslav PEJOVIĆ 1953 Goran RADULOVIĆ 1964 Žarko SAVOVIĆ 1957 Blagota VUKOSLAVOVIĆ 1952 Milosav BJELOGRLIĆ 1954 Vesna BOŽOVIĆ 1956 Vučeta MARKOVIĆ 1952 Velizar SEKULOVIĆ 1948 Veselin ASANOVIĆ 1967 Velimir KAPETANOVIĆ 1946 Blago KRSTOVIĆ 1949
Jugoslav MAŠKOVIĆ 1961 Goranka MIJAILOVIĆ 1969 Milijana VUKČEVIĆ 1961 Goran DEDIĆ 1958 Radmila LAKOVIĆ 1967 Nataša LEKOVIĆ 1965 Jovanka LUTOVAC 1956 Svetislav MARAŠ 1965 Vesko ŠĆEKIĆ 1961 Željko VUKČEVIĆ 1966 Dragan BURZANOVIĆ 1955 Nikola GOJČEVIĆ 1954 Čedo KOJOVIĆ 1959 Dušanka LALEVIĆ 1949 Nataša NIKOLIĆ 1963 Žarko PETROVIĆ 1961 Spasoje RADINOVIĆ 1965
Miloš VUKAŠINOVIĆ 1950 Goran BOLJEVIĆ 1961 Ljubomir BORIČIĆ 1965 Zoran KALUĐEROVIĆ 1957 Milorad STOŽINIĆ 1951 Darko JOLIĆ 1966 Savo RADULOVIĆ 1947 Milivoje BRNOVIĆ 1963 Rajko IVANOVIĆ 1956
Household Biljana BIGOVIC 1966 Ivana BIGOVIĆ 1976 Marija BIGOVIĆ 1980 Vesna BIGOVIĆ 1962 Nikola BIGOVIĆ 2003 Marko BIGOVIĆ 1984
Household Mihajlo BULATOVIĆ 1981 Ivan BULATOVIĆ 1979
Household Igor BULATOVIĆ 1987 Nikola BULATOVIĆ 1985
Household Mladen GLOBAREVIĆ 1988 Miroslav GLOBAREVIĆ 1976 Miroljub GLOBAREVIĆ 1980
Household Darinka DELIBAŠIĆ 1954 Gojko PEROVIĆ 1956
Household Miloš MILOŠEVIĆ 1975 Boris MILOŠEVIĆ 1979
Household Slađana ŠĆEPANOVIĆ 1997 Boris ŠĆEPANOVIĆ 2001
Household Milan VUJISIĆ 1982 Ivana ZEČEVIĆ 1985 Marijana ĆULAFIĆ 1980
Household Valentina VUKOSLAVOVIĆ JAĆIMOVIĆ 1983 Mirjana VUKOSLAVOVIĆ 1959
Household Zorana POPIVODA 1997 Miodrag POPIVODA 1994 Gordana POPIVODA 1962 Jelena POPIVODA 1975 Lana POPIVODA 1999 | Prelević Dragan Podgorica | Commercial Court of Montenegro 16/10/2017
Commercial Court of Montenegro 28/11/2017
| 16/10/2017
28/11/2017
| pending more than 6 years, 4 months and 4 days
pending more than 6 years, 2 months and 23 days
| 250 |
[1] Plus any tax that may be chargeable to the applicants.