Suspects of money laundering were detained for up to 30 days, they denied guilt in court

Vlatko Rašović from Podgorica, the driver of Atlas Grupa owner Duško Knežević, as well as Natko Peličić, Predrag Pejović, Dražen Vujisić, Goran Grujović and Vlado Stevanović were ordered to be detained for up to 30 days after being questioned on suspicion of participating in money laundering.

They were heard in the High Court by trial judge Vladimir Novović.

Inspectors of the special police team arrested them two days ago by order of the Special State Prosecutor's Office, which accuses them of exchanging tens of thousands of dollars into euros in a suspicious manner, "Vijesti" interlocutors said.

During the hearing, Knežević's driver denied the criminal offense he was charged with.

"That my defendant was heard as a suspect, that he presented his defense and that he denied the commission of a criminal offense," said Velibor Marković, the lawyer of the suspect Rašović.

The same defenses were presented by the suspects Pejović and Stevanović, who, just like Peličić and Vujisić, are employed as drivers in the Atlas group.

"I absolutely do not believe in any of their guilt, unfortunately the detention grounds that are according to our law and they are as they are, the possibility of influencing witnesses and possible co-perpetrators - there may be 50 co-perpetrators out there at the moment, so the detention grounds at this moment can remain," said Aleksandar Đurišić, the lawyer of the suspects Pejović and Stevanović.

According to reliable information, they claimed before the special prosecutor's office that they had nothing to do with this crime, or rather that they never converted dollars. Pejović claimed that he did not even have a foreign currency account during that period.

With the arrest of this six-member criminal group, as reliably reported by "Vijesti" Television, the Special Prosecutor's Office did not put an end to this investigation.

"Vijesti" Television has learned that the Special Prosecutor's Office has yet to identify the organizer of this criminal group, but also to determine who the other members are. The interlocutor of TV "Vijesti" adds that it is almost certain that the owner of Atlas Grupa Duško Knežević, who gave a statement before the Special Prosecutor's Office about fifteen days ago, will be on the list of suspects.

A source close to Knežević confirmed that the conversion of 100.000 dollars into euros is disputed by the prosecution, but that "there can be no question of an illegal transaction".

"Vijesti" learned that Knežević was in the Special Prosecutor's Office about fifteen days ago, and that it is possible that he will also be a suspect.