Vasović: I did not disclose official information

Due to a change in the composition of the trial panel, the retrial of Veselin Veljović, former director of the Police Directorate, accused of creating a criminal organization and abuse of office, began today at the Higher Court in Podgorica.

As this case was merged with the indictment against the former head of the Bar criminal police, Ilija Vasović, the defendant presented his defense before the court for the first time.

He denied the prosecution's allegations that he was part of Aleksandar Mrkić's criminal organization, to which, according to the prosecution, he disclosed official information.

Responding to a question from the president of the special panel, Judge Vesna Kovačević, he stated that nothing stated in the indictment of the Special Prosecutor's Office is true.

"It is not true that I disclosed official information to Aleksandar Mrkić about any person or vehicle listed in the indictment," said Vasović.

He also said that he never had a phone in his possession that had the SKY application or crypto installed, but only a work phone that he also used privately.

"I am not guilty and that's it. I was arrested while driving, while I was driving my father to the Clinical Center of Montenegro with my mother. Do you really think I tried to escape with my parents, my dog, and 47 euros in my pocket," asked the accused Vasović.

He added that he was arrested 365 days after the other people accused of belonging to Aleksandar Mrkić's criminal organization were arrested, and that during that time he received warnings that he was the subject of an investigation by the Special Prosecutor's Office and that he would also be handcuffed.

"My defense attorneys can confirm that I contacted them long before my arrest and agreed that they would represent me in order to prove that the heinous lies that were told against me are not true," Vasović pointed out.

He stated that he knew Mrkić, who is on the run, and Veselin Veljović, whom he met officially as the director of the Police Directorate.

Witness: Veljović never called me to intervene for anyone

Testifying today, police officer Saša Knežević said that he remembers that an armored vehicle driven by Aleksandar Mrkić was stopped in 2020.

The witness, answering questions from the accused Veljović, said that he had never called him to intervene for anyone.

Knežević stated that the database determined that there were no violations or criminal charges against him. Regarding the gun license that was found at the time, according to the witness, Mrkić told him that the gun license was obtained through Veselin.

“He called someone and said, ‘These guys are stopping me. Can you tell them not to stop me?’” Knežević said. He could not say for sure whether he said he was calling Veselin or Veselin Veljović. He added that no one ever told him not to control Mrkić.

Responding to a question from lawyer Nikola Martinović about how he remembered the details three years after the event, Knežević said that he remembered it because Mrkić drove it around in a special vehicle.

Judge Vesna Kovačević asked the witness what was so characteristic that he remembered those details after three years, but 10 days ago he could not remember who he had controlled. The witness said that it was an unusual armored vehicle belonging to Mrkić, which he had not seen before.

"I handed over my phone and computer to the investigating authorities. They can check whether Mrkić called me," said Veljović, adding that there are several people in the police force with the same name as him.

Indictment

According to the indictment, Aleksandar Lj. Mrkić, Veselin R. Veljović, Nikola Lj. Mrkić, Mujo Nikočević, Arsenije Kalezić, Stefan D. Bubanja, Nikola D. Bubanja, Željko M. Bulatović from Kolašin, Dušica G. Bulatović. Predrag D. Veljić, Borislav R. Lečić, Nemanja N. Anđelković, Goran M. Gluščević, Nikola M. Bačilović and Sadik A. Elnagar, in the course of 2018, in Cmoja Gora, the defendant Mrkić Aleksandar organized a criminal organization, whose members Veljović Veselin, Nikola Mrkić, Mujo Nikočević, Kalezić Arsenije, Bubanja Stefan, Bubanja Nikola, Bulatović Željko, Bulatović Dušica, Veljić Predrag, Borislav Lečić, Anđelković Nemanja, Gluščević Goran, Bačilović Nikola, Sadig Elnagar and other unidentified persons became defendants. the organization aimed to commit an unspecified number of criminal acts, smuggling and money laundering, in order to gain illegal profits and power. By which the defendant Mrkić Aleksandar committed the criminal offense of creating a criminal organization from Article 401a paragraph 1 in relation to paragraph 6 of the Cme Gora Criminal Code, and the defendants Veljović Veselin, Nikočević Mujo, Mrkić Nikola, Kalezić Arsenije, Bubanja Stefan, Bubanja Nikola, Bulatović Željko, Bulatović Dušica , Veljić Predrag, Lečić Borislav, Anđelković Nemanja, Gluščević Goran, Bačilović Nikola and Sadig Elnagar, the criminal offense of creating a criminal organization from Article 401a paragraph 2 in connection with paragraph 1 16 of the Criminal Code of Cme Gora.

The defendants Mrkić Aleksandar, Nemanja Anđelković and Arsenije Kalezić committed the criminal offense of smuggling as co-perpetrators. Then, the indictment states that the defendants Mrkić Aleksandar, Bubanja Stefan and Bubanja Nikola committed the criminal offense of smuggling as co-perpetrators under Article 265 paragraph 2 in connection with Article 23 paragraph 2 of the Criminal Code of Cme Gora.

The defendant Veljović Veselin committed the criminal offense of abuse of official position under Article 416 paragraph 1 of the Criminal Code of Montenegro.