Constitutional Court president urged to resign

BELGRADE Opposition DSS party leader Vojislav Kostunica on Wednesday called on Constitutional Court (USS) President Dragisa Slijepcevic to resign. Only this would reinstate the good reputation and honor to the court, that are now shaken, Kostunica said in a statement for Beta, and added: Constitutional Court president urged to resign "He (Slijepcevic) dragged through the mud and exposed to ridicule the honorable profession of a judge, and the work of the Constitutional Court." The former Yugoslav president and Serbian prime minister believes that Slijepcevic "demonstrated utter legal ineptness and lack of knowledge when he equated a decree from 2002 about the administrative line (with Kosovo) with a 2011 decree about the crossings between Serbia and Kosovo, that was drafted based on the Brussels agreement." "The public can assure itself that the 2002 decree is constitutional, in no way bringing into question the constitutional fact that Kosovo is an integral part of Serbia, whereas the 2011 decree goes against the Constitution, because it breaks Serbia apart and separates Kosovo," Kostunica stated. His party previously asked the court to appraise the government decrees brought on the basis of the agreements reached by Belgrade and Pristina. Kostunica added that the public should also learn that three Constitutional Court judges - two of whom were rapporteurs - had submitted their dissenting opinions to the court's conclusion that the procedure to appraise the constitutionality of the decrees should be delayed. "This shows there are honorable Constitutional Court judges, while their written explanation represents an exceptional example that proves the disputed decrees are against the Constitution. The rapporteur-judges have formally proposed that the Constitutional Court should reach a decision 'that will ascertain that the disputed decrees are not in line with the Constitution'," he said. Speaking on Tuesday, Dragisa Slijepcevic said that the DSS, while it was the party heading the government, "could have canceled a decree on the control on crossing the administrative line with Kosovo, the abolishing of which it is now asking from the Constitutional Court." Slijepcevic went on to say that the decree was passed "by the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SRJ) while it was headed precisely by the DSS leader." According to him, the decree was in force during the two terms that Kostunica served as prime minister from 2004 until 2008, "and was replaced by a new one" in 2011. Slijepcevic further accused Kostunica of "not telling the truth" when he said that the Constitutional Court was silent on the DSS request to appraise the constitutionality of the government decisions related to Kosovo, and added that the request was filed in October 2012, "a full ten months after the decree came into force." (File) Beta

Constitutional Court president urged to resign

"He (Slijepčević) dragged through the mud and exposed to ridicule the honorable profession of a judge, and the work of the Constitutional Court."

The former Yugoslav president and Serbian prime minister believes that Slijepčević "demonstrated utter legal ineptness and lack of knowledge when he equated a decree from 2002 about the administrative line (with Kosovo) with a 2011 decree about the crossings between Serbia and Kosovo, that was drafted based on the Brussels agreement."

"The public can assure itself that the 2002 decree is constitutional, in no way bringing into question the constitutional fact that Kosovo is an integral part of Serbia, whereas the 2011 decree goes against the Constitution, because it breaks Serbia apart and separates Kosovo," Koštunica stated.

His party previously asked the court to appraise the government decrees brought on the basis of the agreements reached by Belgrade and Priština.

Koštunica added that the public should also learn that three Constitutional Court judges - two of whom were rapporteurs - had submitted their dissenting opinions to the court's conclusion that the procedure to appraise the constitutionality of the decrees should be delayed.

"This shows there are honorable Constitutional Court judges, while their written explanation represents an exceptional example that proves the disputed decrees are against the Constitution. The rapporteur-judges have formally proposed that the Constitutional Court should reach a decision 'that will ascertain that the disputed decrees are not in line with the Constitution'," he said.

Speaking on Tuesday, Dragiša Slijepčević said that the DSS, while it was the party heading the government, "could have canceled a decree on the control on crossing the administrative line with Kosovo, the abolishing of which it is now asking from the Constitutional Court."

Slijepčevič went on to say that the decree was passed "by the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SRJ) while it was headed precisely by the DSS leader."

According to him, the decree was in force during the two terms that Koštunica served as prime minister from 2004 until 2008, "and was replaced by a new one" in 2011.

Slijepčević further accused Koštunica of "not telling the truth" when he said that the Constitutional Court was silent on the DSS request to appraise the constitutionality of the government decisions related to Kosovo, and added that the request was filed in October 2012, "a full ten months after the decree came into force."