The trial of lawyer Dimitrije Dapčević, accused of money laundering for the leader of the Kavac crime clan, Radoje Zvicer, is scheduled to begin today at the Higher Court in Podgorica. The main trial hearing has been postponed to March 19th.
The court postponed the hearing so that the court could deliver complete material to the defendant and his lawyers and so that the defendant could prepare and present his defense without any hindrance.
The court rejected the defense's motion to terminate the detention.
The High Court is considering a proposal to accept the offered guarantee in the amount of one million and 350.000 euros, which is the value of the real estate, offered by family members, friends, and godparents.
The court accepted the request of the accused Dapčević to return his confiscated laptop and phone so that he could respond to all the circumstances that the Special State Prosecutor's Office (SDT) put forward against him in an accusatory context.
Special Prosecutor Zoran Vučinć did not oppose the request for the return of the aforementioned items, adding that the Special Police Department (SPO) sent the SDT a report on the obtained electronic devices and a report on their content and analysis on July 24, 2024.
The prosecutor emphasized that the content had been exported to a CD, that a search had been conducted, and that the legal conditions had been met to return the items to the defendant.
Defendant Dapčević said in court today that he can present part of his defense, but cannot comment on the expert's findings and the like because all of his correspondence with clients, which also relates to payments and withdrawals, is in the seized devices, laptop and phone.
He added that communication is an important element, which will be used to prove that nothing is as the SDT presented it in the indictment.
He said that he had no documentation, neither the expert's findings nor the alleged Sky communication.
His defense attorney, Miloš Vuksanović, said that neither during the hearing for the review of the indictment, nor now, the defense does not have and did not have complete case files, that it does not have expert findings, evidence, or Sky documentation.
"Given the circumstances surrounding the entire case, I understood the indictment lexically but not legally. I have no idea what the prosecutor is talking about. The indictment is the prosecutor's narrative. Today, I could present my defense up to the findings and opinion of the economic expert because I do not have that finding. There are payments and disbursements on my phone, computer and email address. They also blocked my email. I would like it returned to me so that I can give my statement. I do not know what the expert specifically examined," said Dapčević, among other things.
He believes that the prosecutor made an alternative in the indictment.
"He made accusations for Sky, so if that doesn't work out for him, then he followed up on the expert's findings," said Dapčević.
He also demanded that the money taken from him be returned, emphasizing that his only profession is law and that he has not worked for 11 months, and that this was the income for him and his family.
"If I had worked as stated in the indictment, I would not have worked more than ten hours a day and had 350 active cases. I would have taken on three cases and tipped my hat. My brother, also a lawyer, Draško Dapčević, and lawyer Vuksanović and several colleagues from Kotor are helping me now. You know that lawyers are paid according to performance," Dapčević pointed out.
Lawyer Miloš Vuksanović and lawyer Draško Dapčević guaranteed, in submitting a request for the termination of detention, that Dimitrije Dapčević would not escape.
They stated that if Dimitrije Dapčević escapes, they will resign from the Bar Association, and that this is their only activity.
Vuksanović pointed out that they are not withdrawing the bail request, but are also submitting a request to the court to terminate the detention.
"Dimitrije Dapčević is a family man. It never occurs to him to flee. I said during the investigation that I was ready to resign from the Bar Association if he escaped. I propose to the court to release him to defend himself while imposing measures," said Vuksanović.
Special Prosecutor Zoran Vučinić opposed the defense's request to terminate the detention.
The SDT has filed an indictment against Dimitrij Dapčević, a lawyer from Budva, for the criminal offense of creating a criminal organization, two extended criminal offenses of money laundering, and two criminal offenses of money laundering, in the total amount of 2.600.000 euros.
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