DUBAJIĆ v. SERBIA

FOURTH SECTION

DECISION

Application no. 49571/22
Vidosava DUBAJIĆ
against Serbia

The European Court of Human Rights (Fourth Section), sitting on 30 May 2024 as a Committee composed of:

 Anne Louise Bormann, President,
 Branko Lubarda,
 Sebastian Răduleţu, judges,

and Viktoriya Maradudina, Acting Deputy Section Registrar,

Having regard to the above application lodged on 14 October 2022,

Having regard to the formal declarations accepting a friendly settlement of the case,

Having deliberated, decides as follows:

FACTS AND PROCEDURE

The applicant’s details are set out in the appended table.

The applicant, who was represented by Mr G. Mandić, a lawyer practising in Zrenjanin, died on 17 July 2023. The Government accepted her son and granddaughter, Mr Aleksandar Dubajić and Ms Zorana Čornij, respectively, as her legal heirs.

The applicant’s complaints under Article 6 § 1 of the Convention and Article 1 of Protocol No. 1 concerning the non-enforcement of a domestic decision against a socially/State-owned company were communicated to the Serbian Government (“the Government”).

The Court received the friendly-settlement declarations, signed by the parties, under which the applicant’s heirs agreed to waive any further claims against Serbia in respect of the facts giving rise to this application, subject to an undertaking by the Government to pay them, jointly, the amounts detailed in the appended table. These amounts will be converted into the currency of the respondent State at the rate applicable on the date of payment, and will be payable within three months from the date of notification of the Court’s decision. In the event of failure to pay these amounts within the above‑mentioned three-month period, the Government undertake to pay simple interest on them, from the expiry of that period until settlement, at a rate equal to the marginal lending rate of the European Central Bank during the default period plus three percentage points. The Government also undertake to ensure the enforcement of the domestic decision under consideration in the case within the same three-month period, and to pay any costs of the domestic enforcement proceedings.

The payment and the enforcement of the domestic decision concerned will constitute the final resolution of the case.

THE LAW

The Court takes note of the death of Ms Vidosava Dubajić and of the wish of her heirs to pursue the proceedings. The Court reiterates that where an applicant dies during the examination of a case, his or her heirs may in principle pursue the application on his or her behalf (see Ječius v. Lithuania, no. 34578/97, § 41, ECHR 2000-IX; Shiryayeva v. Russia, no. 21417/04, § 9, 13 July 2006; and Horváthová v. Slovakia, no. 74456/01, § 26, 17 May 2005). Nothing suggests that the rights the applicant sought to protect through the Convention mechanism were eminently personal and non-transferable (see Malhous v. the Czech Republic [GC], no. 33071/96, 12 July 2001). The Government did not contend that Mr Aleksandar Dubajić and Ms Zorana Čornij had no standing to pursue the case. Therefore, the Court considers that the applicant’s son and granddaughter have a legitimate interest in pursuing the application.

The Court further takes note of the friendly settlement reached between the parties. It is satisfied that the settlement is based on respect for human rights as defined in the Convention and the Protocols thereto and finds no reasons to justify a continued examination of the application.

In view of the above, it is appropriate to strike the case out of the list.

For these reasons, the Court, unanimously,

Decides that Mr Aleksandar Dubajić and Ms Zorana Čornij have standing to continue the proceedings in the stead of the deceased applicant;

Decides to strike the application out of its list of cases in accordance with Article 39 of the Convention.

Done in English and notified in writing on 20 June 2024.

 Viktoriya Maradudina Anne Louise Bormann
 Acting Deputy Registrar President

APPENDIX

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

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

[1] Plus any tax that may be chargeable to the applicants.

[2] Less any amounts which may have already been paid in that regard at the domestic level.

[3] Plus any tax that may be chargeable to the applicants.