The former Senator of the State Audit Institution (DRI), Nikola Kovacević, who concluded his service at the end of March 2025, was on the brink of rejoining the institution through a service contract. However, the plan was halted after the Commission for Analysis and Monitoring of Contracts, established by the Government of Montenegro, declined to approve his return as an external expert.

This has been officially confirmed to “News” by the DRI.

The contract was intended to be finalized according to Article 46 of the Law on the SAI, which required Kovačević to offer specialized assistance in auditing the Final Accounts of Montenegro’s Budget for 2024, from April 1 until no later than October 15, 2025.

“Former Senator Nikola Kovacević is not currently employed by the SAI. The service contract was to be established based on the Senate’s decision to engage an external expert, as per Article 46, paragraph 1 of the SAI Law, which states, ‘The institution may engage an external expert in the audit process if the audit necessitates special specialist knowledge.’ The focus of this service contract was to deliver specialist insights regarding the Final Account of Montenegro’s Budget, covering the period from April 1, 2025, until the task’s completion, and no later than October 15, 2025. The Commission for the Analysis and Monitoring of Contracts for Services and Temporary and Occasional Work in State Budget-Funded Spending Units, created by the Government of Montenegro, did not approve the contract on grounds of justification,” stated the SAI.

They added that without the Commission’s consent, the agreed-upon activities could not proceed, which indicates that there was no financial obligation to pay the stipulated amount.

At the end of March, the Parliament appointed Vesna Mihailović as a member of the Senate of the State Audit Institution (SRI) to replace Kovačević. The Senate of the DRI now includes Kovačević, Milan Dabović, Zoran Jelić, Branislav Radulović, and Siniša Čađenović.

The SAI has been without a Senate President since July 2022, when the nine-year term of former President Dabović expired.

According to the Law on the SAI (Article 39), the President of the Senate leads the Senate, represents the institution, and if unable to act, the senior member of the Senate assumes this role.

Following this legal provision, Kovačević managed the institution after Dabović’s term ended, and following Kovačević’s retirement, Zoran Jelić, being the senior senator, took over the institution’s leadership.

Jelić, a long-standing DPS MP, gained public attention following the release of a video where he discussed employing DPS members based on the principle of “one employee, four votes.” This controversy, referred to as “The Recording,” has yet to be resolved by the prosecution. The European Commission, in its progress assessments on Montenegro, has requested clarity regarding the “The Recording” issue.

In March 2013, Jelić expressed his belief that the investigation would prove the case to be fabricated.

“There is no hesitation in discussing the ‘Recording’ case to reveal its true context. If any doubts exist, they should be investigated,” he stated.

As per the SAI Law, the President is appointed for a nine-year term from among the Senate members appointed for life, with the same individual not being eligible for reappointment as Senate President.

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