Court rules in favor of Brankica Stankovic and Veran Matic

Almost thirteen years after airing of TV show Insajder (Insider) on television B92, in which the son of former district attorney in Belgrade Milovan Bozovic was mentioned, Supreme Court of Cassation in Belgrade had judged in favor of Brankica Stankovi and VeranMmati, who were legally represented in the process by Kruna Savovi, partner in ivkovi Samardi law office.

Program Insider that was aired on December 11, 2006, dealt with the delicate position of district attorneys and the possibilities of exerting illegal pressure on their work. The subject of the legal battle that had lasted for almost 12 years was the issue whether or not it is allowed to publish the following statements: "It turned out that the name of his son (pertaining to the son of the District Attorney in Belgrade, Milovan Bozovic) was also named in the White Book of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, where he was depicted as a man who was in close relations with the organized criminal group that has close ties with Montenegrin mafia".

The lawsuit against Brankica Stankovi and Veran Mati was submitted by the son of the then Belgrade District Attorney. Higher Court and the Court of Appeal in Belgrade had taken a diametrically different view on this issue. Higher Court considered that publishing such statement is allowed and in the public interest. In its rationale for making such decision, Higher Court stated that the position of District Attorney is among the most significant positions in the judiciary system, as it has under its auspices the prosecution of the perpetrators that committed the most serious crimes. Any kind of relation of the son of District Attorney with any criminal organization represents information that the public needs to be duly informed of. This court had...

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