Prosecutor Boričić: I met Knežević by chance

Podgorica prosecutor Nikola Boričić confirmed that he once attended a match with fugitive businessman Duško Knežević in Belgrade. "Regarding the case of the wanted person (Duško Knežević), I can say that the only thing that is true is that I was once with him at a basketball game in Belgrade. I met Knežević by chance, after he joined a dinner with a group of people. He claims that they were all Montenegrin citizens. After that dinner, the whole group went to the game. We were not alone, there was a larger group of people," said Boričić in an interview before the Prosecutor's Council yesterday.

His four-year mandate expired, so he and eight other colleagues applied for a permanent position.

The prosecutor spoke about his acquaintance with Knežević in response to a question from Council member Aneta Spaić. The media announced yesterday that he is the godfather of Aleksa Stanković, the son of Acting VDT and President of the Prosecutor's Council Ivica Stanković.

Boricic said that this was done on purpose, as a form of pressure on him and the prosecution. VDT Ivica Stanković interrupted Boričić, stating: "Let's not go into detail, maybe you will be heard as a witness tomorrow."

Duško Knežević previously published photos and a video from the match, with Aleksa Stanković and Nikola Boričić. Knežević claimed that Stanković then allegedly asked him that everything related to giving money to his father should go through him, and not through VDT secretary Nenad Vujošević.

The prosecutor in Podgorica Milica Mandić, the basic prosecutor in Ulcinj Faruk Resulbegović, the Rožaj prosecutor Ivan Došljak, the prosecutors of the Pljeval ODT Nataša Bajčeta and Ivan Gačević, as well as the prosecutors in Kotor Srđan Jovanović, Tijana Čelanović and Jana Marinović applied for the competition.

Stanković asked the candidates how satisfied they were with the capacities (spatial, personnel, professional) in the prosecutor's offices where they had worked so far, whether they believed that prosecutors suffered from public pressure, whether and how often they applied the practice of the European Court of Human Rights, how often filed appeals in favor of the defendants and whether prosecutorial appeals affect the criminal policy of the courts.

Almost all candidates answered that there is a lack of typists and counselors. They also stated that public pressure on prosecutors is visible, but that this should not prevent them from doing their job responsibly and professionally.

"Theoretically, public pressure can influence the prosecutor's decision, but I think that, as far as we are concerned, they cannot influence if the Law is applied conscientiously and responsibly", Nataša Bajčeta said.

They claim that the specialization of prosecutors is welcome, especially for public relations and dealing with minors.

When it comes to the practice of the court in Strasbourg, the majority applied the rule that the same matter cannot be decided twice.

TS will decide on candidates for prosecutors. Their colleagues, who were elected earlier, Živko Savović and Jelena Đaletić, took their oaths yesterday for SDT and VDT, respectively.

Jovanović: The code prevents me from defending myself properly

Kotor prosecutor Srđa Jovanović said that he is suffering various pressures and attacks from the parties, who come to "shout" and threaten him. "One lawyer bumped into me in the hallway with the intention of hitting me," he said. When asked by prosecutor Veljko Rutović how he reacts in those situations, he replied that he refrains only because of the code of ethics for prosecutors. When asked by Aneta Spaić if the code is the only thing preventing him from reacting like that, he replied "only that".

When asked by prosecutor Ljubica Bašović what he would do if he found himself in a conflict situation, he said that he would "know how to prevent a conflict" and he would be happy to do so, but then he would be told that he had violated the code of ethics. His other colleagues replied that they would immediately call the police.

Council member Ranka Čarapić asked him if the problem is that an environment has been created in which prosecutors are easy targets for attacks, or if there is something in the behavior of prosecutors that encourages such behavior. "A prosecutor, in addition to expertise, must also have the emotional intelligence to calmly overcome some situations, and this is a skill that further recommends him for this job," she said.

Jovanović said that he was sincere in his address, and Velimir Rakočević said that he understood him and appreciated his sincerity.