MUNICIPAL COURT: RULING ON SOC PROPERTY TO BE BASED ON EVIDENCE PRESENTED

ISTOČNO SARAJEVO, JULY 22 /SRNA/ - The Municipal Court in Bugojno confirmed that proceedings concerning a parcel owned by the Serbian Orthodox Church /SOC/ are underway and that, once the proceedings are completed, it will "issue a ruling solely based on the evidence presented and in accordance with the applicable laws".

"The Court has received a lawsuit in a case concerning the acquisition of a right of way by prescription. The lawsuit has been served on the defendant for a response, and the proceedings are ongoing," the judicial institution told SRNA. Given that the case has not yet been concluded, they stressed that the Court is not in a position to provide additional information or comment on the parties' claims or on the possible outcome of the proceedings. However, they added that "the Municipal Court in Bugojno remains committed to the principles of independence, impartiality and equal treatment of all parties to the proceedings." Earlier, Slaviša Đurić, the parish priest of Bugojno, told SRNA that an attempt was underway to seize the last remaining property of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Bugojno, alleging that local power brokers and politicians, acting in collusion with prosecutors and lawyers, were behind it. Đurić said that a lawsuit seeking recognition of ownership rights against the Serbian Orthodox Church Municipality of Bugojno had been filed by M. I., whose family owns a large residential and commercial building in the town centre, in the immediate vicinity of the SOC's property. He reminded that this parcel had previously been the subject of a legal dispute, but that in 2019 it was finally returned to the possession of the Serbian Orthodox Church under a final and legally binding court ruling.