Bešović says that the arsenal of weapons is his

The trial of "Bešović's group" for illegal possession of weapons has begun
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Investigation after the police found weapons at the Old Airport, Photo: Savo Prelevic
Investigation after the police found weapons at the Old Airport, Photo: Savo Prelevic
Disclaimer: The translations are mostly done through AI translator and might not be 100% accurate.
Ažurirano: 01.06.2019. 11:51h

Filip Bešović from Podgorica said that his arsenal of weapons was found in an apartment at the Old Airport, that it has nothing to do with the other accused, nor with the murder of Miodrag Kruščić and the wounding of journalist Olivera Lakić.

He stated this at the beginning of the trial in the Basic Court in Podgorica, where he, his godfather Luka Bulatović, former police officer Goran Rakočević and Dejan Vukašinović are on trial for illegal possession of weapons and explosive substances.

"My right to defense is threatened, due to the actions of the High Prosecutor's Office, it is not clear to me that two proceedings are being conducted." "I feel guilty for Bulatović, who has been in custody for 10 months because he rented an apartment to me," said Bešović.

He, as well as Vukašinović and Rakočević, did not want to answer the questions of the court, the prosecution, or their defense attorneys.

Vukašinović and Rakočević defended themselves by remaining silent, and did not even want to plead guilty.

"It is not clear to me what is being charged against me. Shameful decision of the Higher Prosecutor's Office", commented Rakočević.

Bulatović was the only one who said he was not guilty and was the only one who wanted to answer questions.

When asked by prosecutor Ana Bošković, he said that he did not know who lived in the apartment he rented, that Bešović told him that he needed that apartment for his free time and his girlfriend, and that he had been there twice when he needed something is fixed.

He added that he did not know Vukašinović.

After the presentation of the defense, the defense attorneys requested the abolition of custody for the defendants, while the prosecutor was against it.

Judge Larisa Mijušković Stamatović refused to cancel the custody, accepting the prosecution's explanation that there is still a danger that he will repeat the crime, but also escape, due to the circumstances under which the crime was committed.

The trial continues on June 20.

Since a larger quantity of weapons is involved, according to the Criminal Code, they face sentences of one to eight years in prison.

At the end of July last year, the police discovered that the accused allegedly used several "stellar" apartments in Zabjelo and Stari aerodrome, and during the search, a large amount of weapons, bombs, phantoms and things used to disguise crimes were found.

After that, the police and the prosecution connected the accused with the murder of Kruščić and the wounding of Lakić.

Vukašinović and Bulatović were arrested at the end of July last year after the police found a prepared explosive device in the apartment they were using, which they deactivated, and then they also found three explosive charges of great destructive power, a bomb, detonator capsules, 638 pieces of pistol ammunition, tools and parts used to make explosive devices...

A week earlier, they arrested Bešović, in whose apartment they found 21 cartridges for activating explosives, tracking devices, 16.000 euros, cocaine...

The accused are allegedly members of the "Kavak" criminal clan, and the weapon was supposed to be used in a conflict with the opposing "Skaljar" clan.

Defense counsel: The High Prosecutor's Office deals with the same weapon

The defense attorneys demanded that the charge be dismissed, because, as they explained, the accused are already under investigation before the High Prosecutor's Office, but the judge stated that this was a separate procedure and that the order of the VDT did not include illegal possession of weapons.

Lawyer Marko Radović asked the prosecutor to state whether this criminal offense was committed within the framework of a criminal organization that was formed in 2016 in Podgorica, as stated in the order of the VDT, but the prosecutor said that she had already pleaded in the indictment.

The lawyers claim that the same weapons are covered by the order of the VDT.

The judge added that they should have discussed it when the indictment was confirmed, not now.

"When this indictment was confirmed, we did not know about the VDT investigation," the lawyer stated.

That indictment was confirmed a few days before the VDT initiated proceedings against the same defendants, Marij Milošević, Aleksandar Ljumović, Mijail Stojanović, Marinko Rajković, Filip Knežević and Sanja Božović, suspecting them of criminal conspiracy and aggravated murder, as well as wounding the journalist.

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