During the investigation, all material and witness statements were collected. Appreciating the content of this evidence, I find that the indictment against Budimir Krstović and Marina Krstović is justified and based on the law. I suggest that the panel confirm the indictment.
This was announced yesterday in the Podgorica High Court by state prosecutor Tanja Božović, at the hearing for the review of the indictment brought by the Higher State Prosecutor's Office in Podgorica against Budimir Krstović (66) and his daughter Marina, for smuggling 1,2 tons of cocaine.
The defense attorneys, lawyers Borivoje Đukanović, Dragoljub Đukanović, Stefan Jovanović and Željko Đukanović, proposed to the court to issue a decision suspending the criminal proceedings - because there is no reason to suspect that they committed a criminal offense.
The defendant, Budimir Krstović, pointed out that it was a set-up, which, he claims, served as a good political story. He said that he has been importing bananas for 32 years and that his company "San Francisco" has never made a single mistake.
This was all set up to make a good political story. I have had more difficult cases in my life, so this is nothing difficult. My brother was kidnapped a few years ago, my mother was also robbed... they took 110.000 euros in the middle of the day, they attacked and robbed my workers... Nothing was ever solved. In 1999, I was threatened that they would kidnap my children, that's why I took them away from Belgrade"...
Marina Krstović said in court that the reputation of their family business is impeccable.
Lawyer Borivoje Đukanović emphasized that the indictment only stated in general terms that the defendants Krstović committed a criminal offense.
"The indictment failed to state the specifics of the act of committing the criminal act. It was not indicated how the crime was committed, the place and the means. "No evidence was presented, it was only generally presented that the defendants committed a criminal offense," said Đukanović.
He added that the defense does not dispute that cocaine was found in the warehouse owned by Krstović.
"It clearly follows that there is no basis for suspicion, which is an indisputable procedural and legal basis. We suggest that the court issue a decision rejecting the accusation and suspending the criminal legal proceedings, because there is not enough evidence that the defendants are reasonably suspected of having committed a criminal offense. Each controlled the delivery must not interrupt the flow, until it is determined who the drug is intended for. Why, why was the flow interrupted. Here, the flow of cocaine transfer was interrupted in an unprecedented way in order to blame Budimir Krstović," said the lawyer.
His colleague Dragoljub Đukanović stated that the indictment did not specify who the officers of the Podgorica Security Center found in the warehouse during the search, adding that this is the basic thing that should be stated.
"Even in the remotest doubt, there is no evidence that the Krstovićs committed a criminal offense. Three containers with bananas arrived for Krstović, and the freight forwarder was choosing one to go to Serbia. When 1,2 tons of cocaine arrived, Budo Krstović was at a funeral," said lawyer Đukanović.
Lawyer Jovanović said that Marina Krstović's only job was to contract the purchase of bananas, since she knows Spanish and English...
"We don't know how or when the cocaine was paid for." Marina was only involved in translation from Spanish and English. Marina Krstović has only one responsibility - to order bananas. Marina haggled around 20 cents for the price of a kilo of bananas, or two euros per carton, that was her job. The criminal proceedings should be stopped because there is not enough, but not a single proof that they committed a criminal act".
The defendant Budimir Krstović told the court that he has been trading fruit and vegetables for 32 years and that there is no evidence against him that he was involved in cocaine smuggling.
"This was all set up for me to make a good political story. I've had more difficult cases in my life, so this is nothing difficult. My brother was kidnapped a few years ago, my mother was also robbed... they took 110.000 euros in the middle of the day. , they attacked and robbed my workers... Nothing was ever resolved. In 1999, I was threatened that they would kidnap my children, that's why I took them away from Belgrade...
As for the container with bananas, we did not participate in the selection of the truck, the forwarding, nor in the tracking. The same thing happened to my friend Dragan Bokan, the owner of Volija, when cocaine was found in the warehouse, which someone managed to insert into a shipment of bananas. I wrote to everyone in the country, to the President and Vice President of the Government of Montenegro Zdravko Krivokapić and Dritan Abazović, to the President of Montenegro Milo Đukanović. For one television, Abazović said that I am not the orderer and owner of the goods, but that I am there somewhere. Đukanović addressed a newspaper stating that cocaine smuggling is done by drug cartels and gangs and that we are not the owners. People from the government and the opposition stated that we have nothing to do with drugs. My daughter Sandra, who works in London, contacted Mr. Escobar, then the OSCE, the US Embassy. She reached out to agents who used to work in the DEA, to investigate everything and establish the truth."
I'd rather kill myself than tell a kid to sell drugs
Defendant Krstović repeated that he never had a single blemish in his career and that he can justify every dinar earned.
"I found out that I was under secret surveillance measures for a year and a half because of business cooperation with a company in the Netherlands. Ninety percent of people know that I have nothing to do with this crime. The police ask me if I suspect anyone, and I have never had coffee with anyone, nor made a phone call, I am not from that milieu. Fortunately for me, I never even saw cocaine. I request that my case be compared with the case of 'Volija' and that it be established that neither I nor Bokan have anything to do with drugs. I believe that this was set up for me for the sake of a police-political story. And it can be seen that the same is the case with 'Volie'. I heard that there was another spare seal on our container, as in the case of 'Volija'. "I would rather kill myself than tell my child to sell drugs," said Budimir Krstović.
Prosecutor Tanja Božović responded, stating that the seal number with Krstović was not identical to the one on the delivery note, while in the case of "Volija" that number was the same.
Bonus video:
