The Criminal Chamber of the Court of Appeal of Montenegro, presided over by Judge Vesna Moštrokol, in the trial of the defendant Igor Laković, accused of committing the criminal offense of "serious bodily harm resulting in death", decided to order a new expert examination of the cause of death of the late Svetislav Milošević.
The court order was read today by Judge Predrag Tabaš.
"The proposal of lawyer Nebojša Asanović, the attorney of the injured party's family, is accepted. A new forensic medical examination of the cause of death of Svetislav Milošević is ordered. The examination is entrusted to the forensic medical board of the Faculty of Medicine in Podgorica, which will determine the cause of death of the injured party Svetislav Milošević based on the autopsy findings and photographs taken during the autopsy, as well as the entire case files. The forensic medical board is obliged to submit its findings within 30 days of receiving the court order," the judge said.
At the main hearing held in mid-December 2024, forensic expert Nemanja Radojević said that the cause of Milošević's death was congenital anomalies of the blood vessels.
Radiologist's report: Does not indicate the presence of pathological changes
At the trial held on January 24, the court reviewed a report from the private health institution "Hippocrates" dated March 5, 2021, which stated that the magnetic resonance examination did not indicate that Svetislav Milošević had any disease.
The Court of Appeals has obtained the original documentation, which was read out today. On February 7, 2025, the "Hippokrat" health institution submitted to the court the magnetic resonance imaging scan of Svetislav Milošević's examination dated March 5, 2021, and the report of a specialist radiologist. The doctor's conclusion states that the "MR" does not indicate the presence of pathological changes.
Dr. Radojević: Autopsy is a more reliable method
After the court read the radiologist's report, forensic expert Dr. Radojević stated that he stood by his findings and opinion on Milošević's cause of death.
"I can say that an autopsy is an incomparably more reliable method for determining morphological changes than any type of imaging. During the autopsy, I took photographs, which are in the case files and are subject to any verification. As for the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan from March 05, 03, no changes were described in the blood vessels, or rather their condition in terms of poor development and diameter. The question is in what sense this scan was taken and what the radiologist focused on," said Radojević.
Responding to a question from State Prosecutor Lidija Vukčević, expert witness Dr. Radojević said:
"I am not competent to provide expert opinion on the MRI scan itself. That is the responsibility of the radiologist. I can only interpret his findings."
Attorney Nebojša Asanović proposed to the court that the autopsy results regarding Milošević's birth defect and cause of death be verified. He suggested that a new expert examination be entrusted to an institute.
Defense: Expert's findings not questioned
Attorney Mirko Bošković, the defendant's defense attorney, opposed the proposal of the attorney for the injured Milošević family. He noted that expert witness Dr. Radojević was testifying for the sixth time and that nothing had changed. He added that his findings had not been called into question by anything.
"The proposal boils down to doubting the expert witness, but that doubt is not substantiated by anything. Respecting the undeniable pain of the injured family, I have never opposed the evidentiary proposal so far, even though I believed that they were not relevant in this case and would lead to unnecessary delay in the court proceedings," attorney Bošković pointed out.
The Higher Court in Podgorica has twice pronounced a first-instance verdict sentencing Igor Laković to two years in prison for punching Svetislav Milošević on November 10, 2021, who died four days later at the Clinical Center of Montenegro.
According to the indictment, on the night of November 10, 2021, on Radosava Burića Street, because of a parking space, the defendant Laković hit Milošević, after which he fell. He died four days later at the Clinical Center of Montenegro. According to the indictment, Laković hit Milošević with his fist in the left side of the head, even though he was aware that he could seriously injure him in this way, and he agreed to it.
"The defendant caused the injured party serious and life-threatening bodily injury, for which he was treated at the KCCG until November 14, 2021, when he died, and in relation to which consequence - the death of the injured party, the defendant acted negligently, i.e. he knew that his actions could result in such a consequence, but he lightly assumed that it would not occur. By doing so, he committed the criminal offense of serious bodily injury under Article 151, paragraph 3, in conjunction with paragraph 2, of the Criminal Code of Montenegro," the indictment states.
The continuation of the trial is scheduled for May 16.
Bonus video:
