Colombian Costana Jose Aleksandar (43) was aware while being interrogated by the Special State Prosecutor's Office and then said that he did not need a lawyer.
This can be seen from the video recording of his hearing, which was watched yesterday in the Podgorica High Court.
He, his countryman Caicedo Bandoya Juan David and Goran Brajović from Podgorica are on trial on suspicion of being members of a criminal organization that operated on an international level and was formed with the aim of committing the most serious crimes.
Presenting his defense before the special panel of judge Biljana Uskoković, Jose Aleksandar previously said that the Nikšić police harassed and beat him, so he accepted to admit that they came to Montenegro to kill for money out of fear for his life.
That's why, as he claims, he told the special prosecutor that he came to kill someone for 25.000 euros, because that's what the police persuaded them to say.
At the same time, he said that he did not know that he had the right to hire a lawyer.
In order to verify those allegations, the audio and video recording of his defense before special prosecutor Saša Čađenović was played yesterday in the courtroom. In the video, you can see and hear how the prosecutor, in the presence of an interpreter, takes personal information from him, and the defendant then says that in Colombia he was sentenced to seven years in prison for murder, but that he was released from prison earlier due to good behavior. He then rejected the prosecutor's proposal to inform the diplomatic representation of Colombia in Belgrade about his arrest.
After it was presented to him that he was suspected of belonging to a criminal organization that planned murders in Montenegro, the defendant decided not to present a defense, but answered the questions of the special prosecutor.
The prosecutor told the accused that at that stage of the criminal proceedings, membership in a criminal organization does not have the right to a lawyer ex officio, but that he can hire a lawyer of his choice. Costana Jose Aleksandar said that he had no money, and added that he did not want a lawyer.
Judge Uskoković said that the court was interested in why he claimed that he was not aware that he was in front of the prosecutor and that he did not know that he should hire a lawyer.
"I knew about the right to have a lawyer, but I realized that a lawyer is not provided for this case," explained the accused.
Bonus video:
