The case of Svetozar Marović signifies a setback for the rule of law in Montenegro, according to Dejan Milovac from the Network for the Affirmation of the Non-Governmental Sector (MANS) in an interview with Radio Free Europe (RFE).

For the past nine years, Montenegro has been waiting for extradition of Marović from Belgrade, as he has been serving a prison sentence for organized crime and causing multi-million-dollar damage to Budva.

The Ministry of Justice has announced that it intends to send a seventh request for Marović’s extradition to Serbia.

The statute of limitations on Marović’s sentence, which is three and a half years, will begin in October 2026.

Previously, Marović served as the head of the Montenegrin parliament and was a close associate of Milo Đukanović, also acting as the chief ideologue of the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS), the ruling party in Montenegro for thirty years until the elections of August 2020.

Upon admitting to being the leader of a criminal organization, Marović was released from six months of detention in May 2016 and traveled to Belgrade for treatment of depression instead of serving his sentence, according to his lawyers.

He never returned to Montenegro, which issued an Interpol arrest warrant for him in May 2017.

Since that time, Montenegro has officially submitted six extradition requests to the Serbian Ministry of Justice, which have gone unanswered.

Current Justice Minister Bojan Božović stated on April 28 that he would be sending a new request for Marović’s extradition.

As of May 8, RFE/RL had not received an update from Božović’s office regarding whether the request has been sent. The Serbian Ministry of Justice also confirmed on May 8 that it received RFE/RL’s inquiry but did not provide further details.

Milovac Doubts Justice Will Be Served

Dejan Milovac, director of the MANS Research Center, believes the Marović case demonstrates that even after DPS’s removal from government, the state struggles to deliver justice.

“Although this case was touted as a success in combating high-level corruption, few would claim that justice has been served for Marović and his family,” he conveyed to RFE/RL.

He suspects that this outcome has been orchestrated from the very beginning.

“It’s hard to believe anything other than that the outcome was intended from the start, ensuring that Marović would not serve a single day of his prison sentence in Montenegro,” he stated.

This issue remains a contentious point between Serbia and Montenegro.

“Efforts from the subsequent governments to address this matter and bring justice to the citizens of Montenegro have been alarmingly minimal,” Milovac remarked.

He firmly believes that Marović’s prison sentence will ultimately expire.

“I see no progress in submitting requests, nor is this topic a priority in discussions between the ministries of justice in both countries,” Milovac added.

Repeated Requests, Yet Marović Remains Free

Montenegro has sent six requests to Serbia over the course of nine years.

RFE/RL obtained this information in February 2025 from the Ministry of Justice, via MANS.

Over the years, extradition pleas and urgent requests have been submitted to Serbia by four different ministers, beginning with the first request during the DPS administration when Marović was a prominent official.

On April 2, 2019, Minister Zoran Pažin sent a request for a response from Belgrade dated June 20, 2020.

Minister Vladimir Leposavić issued a second request on December 28, 2020.

Minister Andrej Milović followed with a request on January 28, 2022, and again on April 12, 2022.

Finally, Minister Marko Kovač made an urgent request on August 5, 2022, emphasizing the risk of Marović’s sentence expiring.

“Since this individual was convicted in mid-2016, there’s a risk that the absolute statute of limitations will take effect in 2026,” the plea outlined.

Vučić: Extradition is Complicated

The Serbian Ministry of Justice responded to Montenegro’s first request in April 2019, acknowledging receipt and stating that they would refer the documents to the appropriate court for processing.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and former Prime Minister Ana Brnabić have occasionally commented on the extradition requests.

Vučić noted in March 2021 that the matter lay with the Serbian judicial authorities, remarking, “You wouldn’t believe how complicated it is.”

Brnabić echoed this sentiment in November of the same year, emphasizing that the decision was a judicial matter, not something for her as Prime Minister to resolve.

In 2011, Serbia and Montenegro signed a Mutual Extradition Treaty that covers serious crimes, organized crime, corruption, and war crimes. However, this agreement has not been invoked in Marović’s case.

Since April 2022, Svetozar Marović has been placed on a blacklist by the United States.

Details of Marović’s Conviction

Marović was arrested in December 2015 and released from custody in Spuž after five months on May 17, 2016, by admitting to leading an organized crime group that inflicted tens of millions of euros in damages to Budva.

He received a sentence of three years and nine months in prison, along with a requirement to pay 1.1 million euros in damages to the state and an additional 100,000 euros for humanitarian causes.

After failing to make the payment, the Higher Court in Podgorica adjusted his sentence to a one-year prison term.

However, this sentence has since become statute-barred, as confirmed by the Basic Court in Kotor on June 28, 2021.

Marović, who had not previously spoken to the media, made public comments for the first time in August 2020, mentioning that signing the plea agreement was a means to protect his family.

Statute of Limitations Applies to Marović’s Son Miloš

The statute of limitations also affected his son, Miloš Marović, who was sentenced to a year in prison for fraud related to state land sales in Budva.

He subsequently applied for and received Serbian citizenship, requesting to serve his prison sentence there. However, his sentence became statute-barred in September 2020.

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