The Special State Prosecutor's Office (SDT) filed an indictment against the former director of the Police Administration, Veselin Veljović, for membership in a criminal organization led by fugitive Aleksandar Mrkić.
That prosecutor's document was submitted to the Podgorica High Court, independent public relations consultant Marija Raković confirmed to "Vijesta".
The indictment includes 15 persons, who are charged with criminal offenses - creation of a criminal organization, smuggling, money laundering and abuse of official position.
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Veljović was arrested on July 24 last year in Žabljak, and is charged with membership in a criminal organization and abuse of official position.
The prosecution accuses him of using confidential information to help the head of the criminal organization, Mrkić, to smuggle cigarettes.
According to the same information, in the transcripts from Skaj, the prosecutors read that Veljović informed Mrkić that the police would search the premises of Mujo Nikočević, thereby benefiting him in that illegal business.
The former first policeman denied guilt, explaining to the special prosecutor that he was officially investigating Mrkić and his affairs, and not helping him.
In addition to Veljović and Mrkić, if the indictment is confirmed, Arsenije Kalezić, Mujo Nikočević, Nikola Mrkić, Željko Bulatović, Dušica Bulatović, Predrag Veljić, Borislav Lečić, Nemanja Anđelković, Goran Gluščević, Nikola Bačilović, Sadig Elnagar, Nikola Bubanja will also be on the dock. and Stefan Bubanja.
Yesterday, the Special State Prosecutor's Office made an official statement on the occasion, announcing that they had submitted an indictment against 15 persons to the court.
"Today, the Special State Prosecutor's Office submitted an indictment against 15 defendants to the Special Department of the High Court in Podgorica... for the criminal offenses of creating a criminal organization, two criminal offenses of smuggling, money laundering and abuse of official position. From the evidence gathered in the reconnaissance and investigation, there is a well-founded suspicion that the defendant AM, in 2018, created a criminal organization that operated on the territory of Montenegro, of which the then director of the Police Administration and later adviser to the President of Montenegro for defense and security, the defendant VV and other defendants, with the aim of engaging in cigarette smuggling from the Free Customs Zone of the Port of Bar and money laundering," the announcement states.
It is explained that in the investigation, evidence was also collected from which there is a well-founded suspicion and that the defendant, the former director of the Police Administration, while fulfilling his task in a criminal organization, abused his official position by, among other things, communicating information to the organizer of the criminal organization via encrypted communication obtained by performing police work:
"And which relate to the planning of the execution of the evidentiary action of the search by the police, according to one member of the criminal organization, which provided him with a benefit in the form of having access to data that he was not allowed to obtain and creating time and space conditions for the member of the criminal organization to hide the items of the criminal offense for which is being prosecuted ex officio, so that the police would not find them".
Who is charged with what
Veljović is accused of abuse of official position and membership in a criminal organization, while Aleksandar Mrkić is accused of being the organizer of a criminal group, but also of smuggling.
Nemanja Anđelković and Arsenij Kalezić are also accused of smuggling.
"Aleksandar Mrkić, Kalezić, Elnagar, Bačilović, Nikola Bubanja, Stefan Bubanja, Željko Bulatović and Dušica Bulatović are accused of money laundering," the source of "Vijesti" said.
Detention and trial in absentia
The extrajudicial panel of the High Court extended the detention of the former director of the Police Administration yesterday, at the request of the SDT.
"In the indictment, it is proposed that the custody of the defendants VV, NM and MN be extended, and that the defendants AM, SB, BL, NA, GG, NB and SE, who are on the run or cannot be reached by state authorities and for whom international warrants have been issued, judge in absentia. Finally, in the indictment, it is proposed that the defendant SB impose a security measure of confiscation of the item - a means of transport for which there is a reasonable suspicion that it was intended for the commission of the criminal offense of smuggling," states the statement signed by the prosecutor and SDT spokesman Vukas Radonjić.
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