Montenegro’s government paid €5.2 million from the state budget in the first quarter of 2025 due to enforced court rulings and unpaid invoices, according to the report by the State Attorney for Property Interests, Bojana Ćirović. The amount is slightly lower than the €6 million paid in the same period last year, but the trend of forced collections continues.
Ćirović once again warned that part of these costs may result from negligent conduct by state institutions, urging authorities to investigate the causes and take corrective measures.
The report highlights persistent issues — mainly the failure of institutions to comply with final rulings on fees owed to lawyers, experts, and interpreters. Such delays increase expenses through interest and enforcement costs. Ministries of Defence and Interior remain the most frequent targets of lawsuits, primarily related to employment disputes.
Although state bodies are legally obliged to voluntarily execute court decisions within deadlines to avoid forced collection, many still ignore these obligations, the report notes.
On a positive note, Montenegro achieved several major legal victories. Courts rejected a €100 million claim from the bankrupt airline Montenegro Airlines, dismissed a €3.5 million compensation claim from Croatian citizen Damir Strmečki, and saw the withdrawal of a €20 million lawsuit by the company Otrant Star from Sutomore. Additionally, Uniprom withdrew its €1 million VAT refund claim, and Provladeks lost its €650,000 case against the state.
Several major cases are still pending, including an appeal against a ruling granting €14.7 million to Duško Šarić’s company Level Ing, and a revision case filed by Irish businessman Louis Maguire, who sought €20.6 million in damages.
During the first quarter of 2025, the State Attorney’s Office received 524 new lawsuits, more than half of which were filed in Podgorica.