BOK: Adopt amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code that extend detention

The Bureau for Operational Coordination of Intelligence and Security Sector Bodies (BOK) appealed for urgent consideration and adoption of amendments to the Code of Criminal Procedure with the aim of increasing the time frame in which an accused person can remain in custody, as well as complete amendments to the Code of Criminal Procedure, as well as other system laws, in order to create legislative prerequisites for the prevention of procedural abuses and the implementation of efficient and effective judicial procedures.

This was announced by the cabinet of Deputy Prime Minister Aleksa Bečić, coordinator of BOK. That body held a session, with the participation of the Minister of Internal Affairs, Danilo Saranović, and Acting Assistant Director of the Police Administration, Lazar Šćepanović, where a number of current issues under the jurisdiction of intelligence and security sector bodies were discussed.

"BOK, considering the security situation and the continuity of security challenges, which are predominantly determined by mutual confrontations between high-risk organized criminal groups, points out that there was also a double serious murder committed on November 6 in Podgorica, in which both persons were killed, as well as a person who is suspected of directly committing a serious murders (and which at the same time admitted the execution of the previous murder, which is also confirmed by the evidence), was released from custody due to failure to issue first-instance verdicts within three years, just confirmed continuous warnings from the Bureau for Operational Coordination, among other things from the session in October, that one of the key facilitating factors for the operation of organized criminal groups and the complicating of the security situation is the insufficient efficiency of court proceedings, where due to the failure to issue first-instance verdicts, a large number of persons accused of committing serious crimes acts and members of organized criminal groups go free, which increases the number of potential targets, as well as potential perpetrators of serious crimes," the announcement reads.

As it was announced, the Bureau emphasized "the fact of inadequate behavior of the judicial authorities in case of violation of the supervision measures imposed on the defendants", which is why, considering the current legal regulations, the BOK insists that through the field of criminal legislation, the violation of the supervision measures is standardized as a mandatory basis for ordering custody, that is, in a way that will entail sanctioning the defendant through standardizing the violation of prohibition measures as a separate criminal offense.

"BOK, recognizing the enormous efforts, along with numerous difficulties, deficits and challenges, pointed out to the authorities of the intelligence and security sector the obligation to additionally intensify joint activities in connection with preventive, intelligence and operational activities, aimed at preventing the commission of serious crimes and passivating the activities of organized criminal groups , with the obligation of continuous monitoring and undertaking activities in relation to foreign criminal groups," said Bečić's cabinet.

"As part of the analysis of the achieved results, the BOK particularly praised the results of the Police Administration - Sector for the fight against crime and the competent regional security centers, which were achieved during the month of November, which relate to the prevention of the execution and clarification of several serious crimes against life and limb - murders and attempted murders, some of which are related to the activities of high-risk organized criminal groups, as part of which 24 persons were prosecuted, with a special focus on promptly elucidating the double murder committed in Podgorica November 6, 2024. In this regard, the BOK expressed satisfaction with the perseverance, persistence, commitment and professionalism of the police officers who were involved in the implementation of this very complex and demanding task, i.e. the investigation, but also affirmed the results achieved in the fight against economic crime," it added.

The Bureau also "once again affirmed" the adopted amendments to the Law on Internal Affairs and welcomed the finalization of the Ministry of Internal Affairs' activities on the implementation of GRECO recommendations and the harmonization of by-laws, with the expectation that a public call for employment in the Ministry of Internal Affairs will be announced during the month of December. /UP, "which will be the first step towards solving the continuing very pronounced personnel deficit".

The Bureau got acquainted with the implemented and planned activities related to the expansion of the video surveillance system of public areas, the activities of the working group working on the drafting of the Law on Road Traffic Safety, as well as the activities on the implementation of the test version of the stationary radar system. BOK also got acquainted with reports on the work of interdepartmental work teams, and initiatives for the formation of new ones were discussed, as well as a number of other issues within the competence of the Bureau.

"In this regard, the Bureau, in accordance with the provisions of the Law on the Basics of the Intelligence and Security Sector, formed an interdepartmental work team that will be in charge of planning and implementing EMPACT operational activities, coordinated by EUROPOL, which will, for the first time, implement these activities approach from the interdepartmental level, which will align the actions of the authorities of the intelligence and security sector with the policies of EUROPOL and provide a full contribution to the fulfillment of the requirements from the negotiation chapter 24", it is written in announcement.