Protected witness questioned at Roganović murder trial, trial closed to the public

The trial of the defendants for the murder of Šćepan Roganović in Herceg Novi on February 13, 2020, continued today at the Higher Court in Podgorica. The public was excluded from the main trial hearing due to the questioning of a protected witness.

In addition to being a cooperating witness, the court granted him the status of a protected witness.

The hearing was conducted under special conditions, as the witness was questioned through a device with a change in voice and appearance.

"In the case against the defendant KV, the main hearing was closed to the public today because a cooperating witness was heard at the same time. The cooperating witness was heard in a special way with the help of technical devices (protective wall, voice changing devices, devices for transmitting images and sound) in the case of the Higher Court in Podgorica and the hearing of the cooperating witness was conducted in a special way in a special room of the Court, separated from the room where the trial panel, the aforementioned parties and the defense attorneys are located, and was conducted using technical devices for transmitting images and sound and with voice changing and protection of the cooperating witness's face, which actions are handled by the Expert Service of the Judicial Council, and in accordance with the letter from the Crime Prevention Sector - Witness Protection Department, where it was stated that the aforementioned person is in the Witness Protection Program and that if he were to be heard in the courtroom, his safety would be at risk," said Ivana Vukmirović, independent public relations advisor at the Higher Court.

The next main hearing is scheduled for April 7th.

In this case, two court proceedings were merged, the indictment included the defendants Igor Vukotić, Mili Bajramović, Krsto Vujić, Marko Radović, Igor Glavaš, Miloš Komar, Slavko Radulović, Miloš Gvozdenović and Dino Ibrahimović. Vukotić, Bajramović and Vujić are being tried in absentia because they are on the run.

In October 2020, the Special State Prosecutor's Office filed an indictment against the defendants for the murder of Šćepan Roganović.

The defendants are Krsto B. Vujić from Herceg Novi, on the run, Mili B. Bajramović aka "Smit" from Podgorica, Igor D. Glavaš from Herceg Novi, Dino A. Ibrahimović from Bar, Miloš B. Komar from Nikšić.

According to the indictment, in September 2019, in Herceg Novi, Vujić organized a criminal organization, the members of which were Miloš Đuričković, and the defendants Bajramović, Glavaš, Ibrahimović, Komar and others unidentified, one of whom is nicknamed "Boki" and the second "Zemunac". As the organizer, Vujić was in charge of implementing a criminal plan for an unspecified number of serious murders and illegal possession of weapons. Đuričković was in charge of carrying out the instructions and orders of the organizers of the criminal organization. The other defendants were also in charge of carrying out the instructions and orders of the organizers of the criminal organization, while Bajramović is alleged in the indictment to directly commit the crimes of aggravated murder and to participate in their planning.

The indictment states that the defendant Vujić Krsto committed the criminal offense of creating a criminal organization from Article 401a paragraph 1 in connection with paragraph 6 of the Criminal Code of Montenegro, and the defendants Bajramović, Glavaš, Ibrahimović and Komar committed the criminal offense of creating a criminal organization from Article 401a paragraph 2 in regarding paragraphs 1 and 6 of the Criminal Code of Montenegro.

The prosecutor alleges that in order to implement the criminal plan, the defendants Vujić, Đuričković and the defendants Bajramović and Glavaš, on February 13, 2020, at around 09:05 a.m., in Herceg Novi, on the stairs, in Sima Matavulja Street, in front of house number 21, killed killed Šćepan Roganović, in co-perpetration and by prior agreement.

The defendants Vujić and Bajramović, as co-perpetrators, committed the criminal offense of aggravated murder, while the defendant Bajramović committed the criminal offense of illegal possession of weapons and explosive substances, and the defendant Glavaš committed the criminal offense of aggravated murder by aiding and abetting.

The second indictment, which was filed in September 2023, accused Igor V. Vukotić from Kotor, who is on the run, Slavko Radulović, Miloš Ž. Gvozdenović from Podgorica and Marko T. Radović from Hereg Novi. The indictment stated that in the second half of 2019, and during 2020, they became members of a criminal organization organized by Krsto Vujić.

Accused Radović is also charged with the criminal offense of illegal possession of weapons and explosive material.

The extra-judicial panel of the Higher Court in Podgorica issued a decision to merge these two criminal cases and conduct a single procedure.