The former head of the Podgorica police, Petar Šestović, repeated what his colleagues stated earlier - the police acted legally towards Ivan Bušković and there is no knowledge that the process was staged.
He said this while testifying in the proceedings against Bušković's brother and five of his friends, who were accused of giving him a false alibi for the time when he beat journalist Olivera Lakić. The trial ended yesterday, and the verdict will be pronounced tomorrow.
Nikola Bušković, Dragoslav Perazić, Ivan Siništaj, Borko Čađenović, Branko Bašović and Simo Đurović were accused of lying in court on May 28, 2012, when they testified that Ivan played football with them on March 7 of that year, in the time from 21 to 22 hours. Then the journalist was attacked.
Šestović said that he the police marked Bušković as a striker for only a few days after the attack. He is said they reached the suspect, among other things, they came on the basis of Bušković's telephone listings.
"After that, the act of identification was carried out, there were six or seven faces behind the mirror, the injured party pointed to a certain person as the perpetrator. After she identified him, I remember that she asked us to bring him closer to the mirror, it seems to me that she looked at his eyes, after which she was sure it was him," Šestović stated.
Responding to the defenders of the accused, Šestović replied that it was not true that "he told a journalist that he was sorry that an innocent man was going to prison".
Prosecutor Vukas Radonjić recalled that the final verdict established that Bušković was on the Boulevard of St. Peter Cetinjski, not on the football field, at the time of the attack on Lakićeva...
He added that it was undoubtedly established that the accused gave false testimony, knowingly and with the intention of providing the other with an alibi. The lawyers of the defendants stated that the only evidence in the proceedings was the "scandalous" verdict by which Bušković was declared guilty of the attack on Lakić.
"In addition to the six of them, who were categorical that he played football with them, eight more witnesses confirmed their story... In my practice, there has never been a case where dozens of people who say the same thing are not believed... Every verdict, even valid, it can be overturned in a thousand ways, it is not a holy book", said lawyer Branislav Tapušković.
The criminal offense of giving a false statement is punishable by three months to five years in prison. Although Bušković was legally convicted for the attack on Lakić, the motive was never established.
U valid ruled the judge Željka Jovović stated that are his friends "football players", testified falsely, so it is the prosecution filed an indictment motion against them. Lakić's since February 2011. target of harassment and threats, and later physical attacks.
"I wouldn't lie about beating a woman"
The accused Simo Đurović, in his closing words, repeated his claims before the Court - that they played football that day and that he took Bušković to the field.
"I have a small child, I would never lie about something like that. I would never give an alibi for beating a woman," Đurović pointed out.
Among others, Đurović was arrested in the "Marta" police operation. That group was accused of drug smuggling.
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