The High Court is trying to pre-empt the defendants and their lawyers and finish the proceedings on time as members of the alleged criminal group Radoja Zvicer, would not be released due to legal possibilities and possible failure to issue a first-instance verdict within three years from the indictment.
This was stated by the court in Podgorica, after all the defense attorneys of the defendants left the courtroom during the control of the indictment for murders. Damir Hodžić i Adis Spahić.
"It is about a case in which six defendants are in custody, which after the filing of the indictment has already lasted six months, and according to the current legal solutions, it can last for a maximum of three years," the court's announcement reads.
The defense attorneys decided to leave the courtroom after the High Court separated the proceedings against the three people from the indictment who are abroad, in order to continue the proceedings against the other 28 defendants.
Attorney Miloš Vuksanović then he requested the exemption of the court panel, but that proposal was rejected, because it was judged to lead to the postponement of the hearing.
"After that, most of the defense attorneys expressed their desire to leave the hearing, and all the defendants present, before the defense attorneys left, declared that they were canceling their power of attorney and that they would hire new defense attorneys, that is, defend themselves, which they confirmed individually even after the attorneys left the courtroom roll call", the court said.
One of the defense attorneys, Dejan Lazarevic, he said that he was in solidarity with his colleagues: "What the court did does not look like law, but looks like force."
Then the accused got involved Slobodan Kascelan, informing the court that he will defend himself in the future.
"I cancel the attorney's power of attorney. What will I do? I will defend myself. I have been innocent for three years in prison," he said yesterday in the courtroom.
The court, however, postponed the hearing to review the indictment and called on the defendants to hire new defense attorneys, warning them that otherwise they will be appointed ex officio: "Since these are cases in which defense is mandatory."
The indictment presented that Zvicer ordered the kidnapping at the end of July 2020 Hodzic i Milo Radulović called the Captain, because he believed that they, as close associates of the previously murdered Alan Kožar, knew where the latter hid money and drugs.
Spahić accidentally died because he was in the company of Hodžić's brother-in-law.
On May 17, according to announcements, a hearing will be held to review the indictment against Radoj Zvicer and the other defendants for the murders of Damir Hodžić and Adis Spahić. After canceling the power of attorney of the previous defense attorneys, the judge gave them a deadline to hire new ones or they will be assigned ex officio
"Radoje Zvicer, as the organizer, between the end of July and the second half of August 2020, the defendants Radoje Živković, Milan Vujotić, Dragan Knežević, Marko Miljković i Great Belivuk, ordered them to be found and kidnapped at the right opportunity, and then in an insidious way, out of reckless revenge, base motives - intolerance and hatred, and in order to establish supremacy, they took the lives of members of the opposing criminal organization, Mile Radulović and Damir Hodžić", the indictment states.
In addition to Zvicer, Živković, Vujotić, Knežević, Miljković and Belivuk, the indictment includes Ratko Zivkovic, Nebojša Janković, Stevan Kraljević, Slobodan Kašćelan, Nenad Kaluđerović, Darko Prelević, Davor Perović, Blagoje Gašić, Dejan Gasić, Nikša Perović, Miloš Radonjić, Vladimir Vučković, Petar Đurović, Rade Garović, Mersudin Čolaković, Marko Kilibarda, Aleksandar Paunović, Nikola Spasojević , Radovan Mujović, Milan Knežević, Aleksandar Dragićević, Zoran Kažić, Aleksandar Ljumović, Borko i Bojan Besovic.
Both Belivuk and Miljković participated
Through a video link from the Belgrade High Court, the defendants Veljko Belivuk, Marko Miljković and Nebojša Janković "attended" yesterday's hearing, in the presence of their defense counsel, lawyer Dejan Lazarević.
After most of the lawyers left the courtroom of the High Court, lawyer Lazarevic said that he was in solidarity with his colleagues and added:
"What the court did does not look like law, it looks like force," he said.
Bonus video:
