May 27, 2015
The United States Embassy Podgorica, in cooperation with the Judicial Training Center of Montenegro, will host a two-day Conference on the Use of Expanded Plea Bargaining Procedures, on May 28-29. U.S. Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission B. Bix Aliu, President of the Supreme Court Vesna Medenica, and the Kotor Chief Basic Prosecutor Danka Zivkovic will speak at the opening of the conference in Budva on May 28.
The aim of the conference is to encourage the use of plea bargaining as an alternative way to conclude cases. The focus will be on the planned amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code which greatly expand the use of plea bargaining. Judges, prosecutors, and defense attorneys will have 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.
The conference at Hotel Iberostar Bellevue in Becici, Budva will commence on Thursday, May 28, at 09:30 a.m. Media are invited to attend the opening remarks and are asked to arrive 15 minutes prior to the beginning.
