Ivan Dragojević has announced that the Basic Court in Danilovgrad has issued a first-instance ruling declaring the decision to dismiss him from his role as Director of the Professional Service of the Danilovgrad Tourist Organization unlawful.

He also shared the contents of the court’s verdict and its reasoning with the media.

“The prolonged malicious campaign and political vendetta orchestrated by the Democrats in Danilovgrad has finally come to an end with the Basic Court’s ruling. I am pleased that justice has prevailed in this matter, allowing me to protect my honor and reputation against the politically motivated attacks from this party in Danilovgrad. The court has confirmed that my dismissal was unlawful and stemmed from political incompetence. Subsequently, an interim director was appointed, and another from the Democrats took over during this short timeframe. The verdict highlights that the reasons given for my dismissal were vague and contradictory, aimed at ousting me regardless of merit. Their malicious campaign consistently sought to tarnish my reputation in both my city and my country. While awaiting a legal resolution, I chose not to respond to the assaults emanating from that source,” he stated.

He affirmed that he “will not resort to anonymous statements or those issued by any political party or group, but will stand behind his own name.”

“The claim has been accepted, and the defendant’s decision No. 074-9511 from May 29, 2023, which dismissed the plaintiff from his role as director of the Professional Service of the ‘Tourist Organization of the Municipality of Danilovgrad’, has been annulled as unlawful,” as stated by Dragojević in accordance with the court’s verdict.

He also shed light on the court’s reasoning.

“In his complaint and arguments presented during the hearing through his attorney, the plaintiff articulated that he was employed as the director of the Professional Service of the ‘Tourist Organization of the Municipality of Danilovgrad’ for a defined term of four years, as per the decision of the organization dated May 28, 2020. On May 17, 2023, the Executive Board of the ‘Tourist Organization of the Municipality of Danilovgrad’ voted to dismiss him from his director position. This decision was deemed unlawful because it contradicted both the rationale and the factual circumstances of the case; specifically, the reasons provided within the contested decision were unclear and inconsistent. The reasoning indicated that on May 12, 2023, the Supervisory Board had recommended initiating dismissal proceedings against him, followed by the Executive Board’s formation of a committee to review the dismissal proposal. He received an email request for his statement regarding the allegations surrounding his dismissal, to which he responded promptly. However, the contested decision fails to present any evidence that a proper inquiry into his alleged liability took place, nor was he granted the opportunity to comment on the committee’s decision regarding the dismissal reasons, as stipulated in Article 48, paragraph 2 of the Statute of the ‘Tourist Organization of the Municipality of Danilovgrad’. The formed commission was not mandated to investigate the allegations underlying the dismissal proposal, which might have established necessary facts about any alleged liability. Consequently, he was left without a chance to present his views on the purported reasons for his dismissal. After a thorough evaluation of all evidence presented, both individually and in relation to one another, the ruling was issued in the operative part of the judgment.”

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