ADROVIC AND OTHERS v. MONTENEGRO - 8318/20 (Article 6 - Right to a fair trial : First Section Committee) [2024] ECHR 307 (11 April 2024)

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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:

PROCEDURE


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

  1. 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.

  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,

  1. Declares the application admissible;
  2. 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;
  3. 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;
  4. 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)

Application no.

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]

8318/20

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.


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URL: http://www.bailii.org/eu/cases/ECHR/2024/307.html