SECOND SECTION

DECISION

Applications nos. 39257/19 and 63511/19 Miroslav ŠAINOVIĆ and others against Serbia and Siniša BOGIĆEVIĆ and others against Serbia

(see appended table)

The European Court of Human Rights (Second Section), sitting on 9 December 2021 as a Committee composed of:

Pauliine Koskelo, President, Branko Lubarda, Marko Bošnjak, judges, and Viktoriya Maradudina, Actng Deputy Section Registrar,

Having regard to the above applications lodged on the dates indicated in the appended table,

Having regard to the observations submitted by the respondent Government and the observations in reply submitted by the applicant,

Having deliberated, decides as follows:

FACTS AND PROCEDURE

The list of applicants is set out in the appended table.

The applicants were represented by Mr R. Glavonjić, a lawyer practising in Čačak.

The applicants’ complaints under Article 6 § 1 of the Convention and Article 1 of Protocol No. 1 concerning the delayed enforcement of domestic decisions given against a socially/State-owned company were communicated to the Serbian Government (“the Government”) on 25 March 2021.

Having regard to the similar subject matter of the applications, the Court finds it appropriate to examine them jointly in a single decision.

The Government submitted that the applicants had failed to inform the Court that the national authorities had acknowledged the alleged breach and that the applicants had sought compensation for non-pecuniary damage suffered as a consequence of it (see the appended table). Moreover, most of the applicants had already been awarded compensation in that connection. They therefore suggested that the Court reject the applications as an abuse of the right of individual application in accordance with Article 35 §§ 3 (a) and 4 of the Convention.

The applicants did not dispute that fact but considered it irrelevant.

The Court reiterates that an application may be rejected as an abuse of the right of individual application within the meaning of Article 35 § 3 (a) of the Convention if, among other reasons, it was knowingly based on false information or if significant information and documents were deliberately omitted, either where they were known from the outset or where new significant developments occurred during the proceedings. Incomplete and therefore misleading information may amount to an abuse of the right of application, especially if the information in question concerns the very core of the case and no sufficient explanation is given for the failure to disclose that information (see Gross v. Switzerland [GC], no. 67810/10, § 28, ECHR 2014; S.A.S. v. France [GC], no. 43835/11, § 67, ECHR 2014; and Denić and Stamenković v. Serbia (dec.) [Committee], nos. 58944/18 and 58948/18, 5 November 2020).

Turning to the present case, the Court notes that the competent domestic court has acknowledged the alleged breach. Most of the applicants have already been afforded redress for it and the proceedings in respect of three applicants are pending. The applicants did not inform the Court about that development before notice of the applications was given to the Government and no convincing explanation for this omission was provided

Having regard to the fact that the information withheld concerned the very core of the applications, the Court finds that such conduct was contrary to the purpose of the right of individual application. Lawyers must understand that, having due regard to the Court’s duty to examine allegations of human rights violations, they must show a high level of professional prudence and meaningful cooperation with the Court by sparing it the introduction of unmeritorious complaints and, both before proceedings have been instituted and thereafter, they must inquire diligently into all the details of the case, meticulously abide by all the relevant rules of procedure and must urge their clients to do the same. Otherwise, the wilful or negligent misuse of the Court’s resources may undermine the credibility of lawyers’ work in the eyes of the Court and even, if it occurs systematically, may result in particular individual lawyers being banned from representing applicants under Rule 36 § 4 (b) of the Rules of Court (see Stevančević v. Bosnia and Herzegovina (dec.), no. 67618/09, § 29, 10 January 2017).

In view of the above, the Court finds that these applications constitute an abuse of the right of individual application and must be rejected in accordance with Article 35 §§ 3 (a) and 4 of the Convention .

For these reasons, the Court, unanimously,

Decides to join the applications;

Declares the applications inadmissible.

Done in English and notified in writing on 13 January 2022.

Viktoriya Maradudina Pauliine Koskelo Acting Deputy Registrar President

APPENDIX

List of applications raising complaints under Article 6 § 1 of the Convention and Article 1 of Protocol No. 1

(delayed enforcement of domestic decisions given against socially/State-owned companies)

No.

Application no.

Date of introduction

Applicant

Year of birth

Relevant domestic decision

Enforcement order

Final domestic decision concerning the claim that the proceedings had been of excessive length

39257/19

05/07/2019

(4 applicants)

Miroslav ŠAINOVIĆ

1963Radovan MILOVANOVIĆ

1961Radomir AVIĆ

1959Snežana GLAVONJIĆ

1957Municipal Court in Čačak, 05/04/2007

24/03/2009

Commercial Court in Čačak

05/09/2019

Commercial Court in Čačak

05/09/2019

Commercial Court in Čačak

05/09/2019

Commercial Court in Čačak

05/09/2019

63511/19

28/11/2019

(3 applicants)

Siniša BOGIĆEVIĆ

1954Srđan MARKOVIĆ

1977Mladen VULIŠIĆ

1954Municipal Court in Čačak, 05/04/2007

08/09/2007

Commercial Court in Čačak

15/06/2018

Commercial Court in Čačak

13/06/2018

Commercial Court in Čačak

15/06/2018