On May 28, U.S. Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission B. Bix Aliu, Supreme Court Judge Radule Kojović and the Kotor Chief  Basic Prosecutor Danka Zivkovic spoke at the opening of  a two-day Conference on the Use of Expanded Plea Bargaining Procedures, in Budva.  The conference is hosted by the U.S. Embassy Podgorica, in cooperation with the Judicial Training Center of Montenegro, May 28-29.

The aim of the conference is to encourage the use of plea bargaining as an alternative way to conclude cases.  The focus is on the planned amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code which greatly expand the use of plea bargaining.  Judges, prosecutors, and defense attorneys have had the opportunity to discuss the advantages of plea bargaining and present their concerns, as well as hear from experts from the United States and the region.  They will also engage in simulations of plea bargains in an effort to better understand its use in practice.