The prosecution did not ask the police to conduct an investigation after the shooting in the center of Podgorica in which he participated. Danilo Mandic, and the suspect's legal representative says that his client is only charged with the statements of the injured parties.
Brother of the President of the Assembly Andrije Mandić is at the center of an incident in which two people were injured by gunfire Darko Perovic i Aris Turkovic, on the night between Friday and Saturday, around 3.40:XNUMX a.m., on Ivana Crnojevića Boulevard in Podgorica.
The police officially announced that Mandić is suspected of blocking the path of the injured parties with his vehicle and firing "several shots at them, which injured the injured parties in the leg area"...
Attorney Miroje Jovanovic, however, claims that this is not true and that his client went to the Podgorica Security Department on his own initiative, after "a street story emerged, quite confusing, that he allegedly participated in some incident."
The Police Directorate claims that they have carried out a forensic examination of the scene, while the Higher State Prosecutor's Office did not respond to Vijesti's questions yesterday.
"As you know, the Criminal Procedure Code clearly defines the responsibilities of the prosecution and the police in the investigation, and the procedural action of the crime scene investigation is, in accordance with the Criminal Procedure Code, within the jurisdiction of the state prosecutor, and for the same, for justified reasons, the prosecutor may authorize police officers to conduct a crime scene investigation," the institution headed by Lazar Šćepanović announced.
They say that they informed the Basic and then the Higher State Prosecutor's Office about everything related to that event in a timely manner.
"The Basic State Prosecutor's Office was previously informed about the incident in question, and as information was collected in phases and facts were deduced about the circumstances and elucidation of the events under which the criminal offense was committed, police officers conducted a forensic and technical examination of the scene on site, both locally and internationally, in accordance with professional rules, about which appropriate documentation was prepared. Also, in separate procedural actions, as part of the investigation, a large number of video surveillance cameras were seized in the local and international scene, which are an integral part of the evidence. Upon learning that the person DM was being linked to the criminal offense, police officers from the Podgorica Security Department issued a local search for the named person, or rather a search notice, on suspicion that he committed the criminal offense of attempted aggravated murder," the police announced.
The Parliament of Montenegro did not respond to questions regarding the vehicle driven by Mandić that evening, which is being taken to that institution.
Lawyer Jovanović said earlier yesterday that at the moment he went to the police with his client, the thirty-five-year-old was not a wanted person.
He questioned the fact that the paraffin glove was not taken from the injured parties, emphasizing that Mandić voluntarily submitted to the removal of traces of gunpowder particles.
"What is quite strange in this particular case is that for this type of crime, as they are described, it is customary to conduct an on-site investigation, and then it is usual when an on-site investigation is conducted that something is found at the scene where something allegedly happened... The police, based on a report from citizens, based on the police officers' own statements and the notes that exist, immediately went to the scene where an incident allegedly occurred, and it is surprising to say the least that no traces were found. No on-site investigation was conducted, but the police say that they did not notice any traces, anything, even in the wider area. That could mean several things, but what exactly it means will ultimately have to be told to us by the prosecutor and the court... Now we are put in a situation where we have to defend ourselves against some headlines," said Jovanović.
Is he only charged with a statement?
The lawyer also claims that Mandić is suspected only based on the statement of the alleged injured party, who did not appear before the prosecutor for two days in a row, and he also said that he resents the prosecution's qualification of the criminal offense and the absence of any concrete evidence:
"These are claims from people we can't hear or see. In situations like this, it is impossible not to conduct an investigation and charge someone with such a serious crime. Because when an investigation is conducted, traces of blood must be found. We have another alleged injured party, who was examined almost 24 hours after the event. The defense was diligent and consulted medical experts from Serbia, these are two minor bodily injuries. The case law of Montenegro and Serbia qualifies what is described as an alleged event as a minor injury inflicted with a dangerous weapon or tool, so the jurisdiction of the Higher Prosecutor's Office is now very questionable... It is very unusual that the police do not inform the competent prosecutor about such an event, such as a shooting in the city center, so a forensic examination of the scene is not carried out, and so on," he said.
In situations like this, he claims, not only is an on-site investigation conducted, but forensics is also required to search everything: "The scene is sealed off, the entire wider area, and here we have a man who overheard something, he spoke to a lawyer who happened to be in Podgorica, and we immediately went to the police."
He also questioned the fact that the police did not state in the official statement that one of the alleged participants in the event, whom the prosecution qualifies as the injured party, refused to identify himself to the police, fled from them, and ultimately caused a traffic accident.
"You can't detain someone based on their word. There has to be some trace... Danilo Mandić was detained based on their word, and their word to the police... It's a big surprise that this is being raised to the level of a higher prosecutor's office and such a serious crime, especially considering that we're talking about words. Forensics cannot be refuted. Nor can it be defeated," said Jovanović.
He said that the police and the prosecution will have to prove the claims for the use of a company car.
"According to what is in the file... with that particular vehicle that is mentioned, he did not commit any illegal act... And there are no cameras in the exact place where he allegedly blocked the road," the lawyer said.
Perović was fleeing from the police
The incident in which two Podgorica residents were injured was solved by the police after a chase for one of them - Darko Perović (53), who caused an accident while fleeing in an orange Skoda.
He previously refused to show identification when the police asked him to, ran away from them and did not stop at a STOP sign, which is why the patrols started after him.
The Administration responded to the news that Perović was sanctioned for multiple violations of the Traffic Safety Law.
They reiterated that on April 19, at around 3.40:XNUMX a.m., citizens reported to them that near the intersection of Bulevar Ivana Crnojevića and Ulica Marka Miljanova, "a conflict occurred between several people, one of whom used a firearm."
"Immediately after learning of the incident, police officers went to the scene where they found a person who refused to provide police officers with their personal documents, but instead drove away from the scene in a Skoda vehicle with Podgorica license plates, obstructing police officers in carrying out their official duties and refusing to stop at a STOP sign. The same person, while driving the aforementioned vehicle, caused a traffic accident on Novaka Miloševa Street when he hit concrete pillars, where police officers stopped him and determined that he was DP (53) from Podgorica," the Police Directorate explained.
They point out that due to an injury to his right lower leg, which was noticed by police officers, Perović was referred for medical attention to the Podgorica Clinical Center.
"On that occasion, the test determined that DP tested positive for the presence of alcohol in a concentration of 0,66 g/kg as well as psychoactive substances in his body, the narcotic drug cocaine, and that he was driving the vehicle in question under the influence of the same. After the test was performed, which determined that DP tested positive for the presence of alcohol and psychoactive substances in his body, he was arrested by police officers of the Podgorica Security Department for several violations of the Road Traffic Safety Act and the Public Order and Peace Act, after which he was found guilty by a misdemeanor judge on 20 April 4 and fined 2025 euros," the Police Department explained.
According to unofficial information from Vijesti, after his arrest, Perović told inspectors that Mandić had wounded him.
This fifty-three-year-old Podgorica resident was arrested 17 years ago after beating his fellow citizen to death. Veroljub Petrovic (51) only because in an argument with him he claimed that "he should have been arrested a long time ago" Radovan Karadžić".
The two began arguing about Karadzic at the end of July 2008, in a bar in Verusa.
A few days after the first fight, they met again in another cafe, where they continued the argument. Perović then beat Petrović, which, according to media reports at the time, resulted in his death.
Smailović: Someone should be held accountable if an official vehicle was used
Head of the parliamentary club of the Bosniak Party Amer Smailovic He said in "Colors of Morning" on Vijesti Television that if an official vehicle of the Parliament of Montenegro was used during the attack in which the nephew and bodyguard of the President of the Parliament Andrija Mandić, Danilo Mandić, wounded two fellow citizens, someone should be held accountable.
He called on authorities to determine what happened.
"This information needs to be verified. I believe that if an official vehicle of the Parliament of Montenegro or any other institution was used for other purposes than official purposes, someone should be held accountable for the entire situation. I leave it to the competent authorities to deal with it," Smailović stressed.
The Parliament's website states that two vehicles, a "Volkswagen Golf V" and a "Renault Laguna", have been used by members of the security of the head of parliament, Damjan Damjanović and Branko Popović, while the "Opel Astra" car has been entrusted to Mandić's cabinet, without specifying the name of the person who owns it.
The Rules on the Conditions and Manner of Using Official Vehicles in the Parliament stipulate that the official vehicle of the Parliament may not be used for private purposes (Article 8). It is stated that, if it is determined that the official vehicle has been used for private purposes, the car will be confiscated, and "measures will be taken in accordance with the law" against the person who borrows it.
There is no question that you are putting private events, if they exist, and private disputes of anyone, into a political context. You know that I represent Mr. Andrija Mandić in other proceedings. Putting him into the context of an event he did not attend, in which he did not participate, is a bit much...," said Jovanović
Silence in the Assembly
The Parliament and the office of the Speaker of Parliament did not respond to "Vijesti" whether and in what way Danilo Mandić is employed in the Parliament, as well as whether a certificate of no criminal record was obtained before his employment, given that Mandić was previously convicted of illegal possession of weapons.
It was not answered on what legal basis Danilo Mandić is guarding the President of the Parliament, who is a protected person, and who can only be secured by members of the Police Directorate.
They also kept quiet about whether Danilo Mandić was renting the parliament's vehicle, whether he was employed as part of his uncle's security under a contract that the Parliament signed with him or some other service, and how Andrija Mandić views all of this, whether he feels personal responsibility for the incident and whether he will do anything about it.
The official vehicle can be permanently used by the vice-president of the Assembly, an authorized person designated by the head of the caucus (for the needs of the caucus), the president of the working body of the parliament, the secretary general, his deputy and assistant, the chief of staff of the president of the Assembly, and the head of security for the first man of the legislative chamber.
Who gave the nephew the jeep that the SDT seized from the criminals?
The Range Rover jeep, which was used on the night between Saturday and Sunday by the suspect in the attempted murder of Danilo Mandić, the nephew and unofficial bodyguard of the head of parliament Andrija Mandić, was temporarily seized from the criminals, and then the State Property Administration handed it over to the General Secretariat of the Parliament of Montenegro for use free of charge.
The car was officially registered with the Parliament of Montenegro after they approached the State Property Administration to give them the use of the vehicle, which the Special State Prosecutor's Office had temporarily seized during criminal and financial investigations.
Such a possibility has been provided for since last June, in Article 63 of the Law on the Confiscation of Proceeds of Crime, where paragraph 4 states that the competent authority may provide temporarily seized movable property to a state administration authority for use without compensation, but only “if necessary for the purpose of protecting the safety of the person being protected in accordance with the regulation determining the persons, facilities and premises secured by the police”. The method of leasing temporarily seized proceeds of crime is prescribed by the Government.
The key question is who within the Parliament abused their official position and gave the keys to the "Range Rover" to Danilo Mandić, who is not an employee of the Police Directorate, nor does the Parliament have a security service that would deal with the protection and escort of the Speaker of the Parliament, Andrija Mandić, but rather he is secured by the police, in accordance with the Government Decision on the Determination of Persons, Facilities and Spaces.
Danilo Mandić, according to unofficial information from "Vijesti", is employed in the Parliament with the title of advisor.
The Police Directorate officially responded to "Vijesti" that the suspect Mandić is not employed by the Police Directorate, but they did not state where he was employed and in what capacity, during the weekend at night, he used the official car of the Parliament, which should be used exclusively for the purpose of guarding a protected person within the system.
"The Police Directorate has no knowledge of this person's employment status, nor his employment in the public or private sector," the UP's response states.
Due to several violent episodes, Danilo Mandić was registered as a BIL, a person of interest for security reasons, in the records of the Police Directorate, so a special question is who and how allowed him to drive the Parliament's vehicle, or to accompany the Speaker of Parliament as a civilian at all.
"The vehicle is not owned by the Police Directorate or the Ministry of Internal Affairs, but is owned and registered with the Parliament of Montenegro, and therefore this issue is not within the jurisdiction of the Police Directorate," the police said. According to the Government's Decision, Andrija Mandić is being guarded by the Police Directorate, so it is necessary to investigate how it is possible that the Sector for the Security of Protected Persons and Facilities allowed the head of parliament to have a double, private form of security in parallel with police officers.
"Vijesti" asked the Police Directorate whether the head of the Security Group for the President of the Parliament knew about this, and whether he warned his superiors that Mandić, along with the state police escort, also had private security, which, incidentally, was registered as BIL.
"DM is not employed as an officer of the Police Directorate, the Ministry of Interior, and therefore not of the Sector for the Protection of Persons and Facilities, and on behalf of this Sector he is not engaged in the provision of security protection to protected persons in accordance with the regulations governing the same. Bearing in mind that DM is not an employee of the Ministry of Interior, the Police Directorate, we do not have information about the plan for the engagement of this person in another institution, and therefore we do not have insight into the plan for the use of the official vehicle of another institution and obtaining authorization for its use. The authorization for the use of the vehicle in question is given by an authorized natural or legal person in which the named person is employed or engaged," the Police Directorate's response reads. The police also stated that Mandić does not have a vehicle driving permit issued by the Assistant Director of the Sector for the Protection of Persons and Facilities, nor by the Sector itself or the Police Directorate.
"Given that DM is not employed by the Police Directorate or within the aforementioned Sector, it is therefore not within the jurisdiction of the Police Directorate and its organizational units to issue such approval to this person," the Police Directorate states.
When asked by "Vijesti" how it was possible for a person designated in police operational documents as BIL to follow a protected person together with police officers, the Police Directorate responded:
"As already announced, DM is not employed by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, or the Police Administration, and questions regarding his employment status or engagement should be directed to the entity with which he may have a contractual relationship. As for the second part of the leading question, we would like to point out that this is content that, by its nature, falls within the domain of data with a certain degree of confidentiality. In accordance with applicable laws, security services do not comment on operational activities, nor do they disclose information that could jeopardize the course of proceedings or the safety of persons, whether they are protected or operationally interesting persons or not at all. In any case, all competent institutions act exclusively in accordance with the law, in the interest of the safety of citizens and the protection of the constitutional order."
They stated that Danilo Mandić could not submit work reports to the Sector for the Security of Persons and Facilities because he was not employed by the Ministry of the Interior, or rather the Police Directorate, but "exclusively by the person for whom he was employed."
The Police Department responded that since Mandić is not their employee, they are not responsible for determining the possible disciplinary liability of the nephew of the Speaker of the Parliament or another authorized person who provided him with an official jeep for use.
"In this specific case, the Police Directorate has taken measures and actions to clarify the criminal offense and collect evidence and determine the circumstances under which the aforementioned criminal offense was committed. In this case, the person is suspected of having committed the criminal offense of attempted aggravated murder, and measures and actions have been taken against him upon order and in cooperation with the Higher State Prosecutor's Office in Podgorica," the UP states.
The Range Rover jeep used by Mandić's nephew also has a built-in device for emitting special light signals, the so-called LED blinker, which, according to the Traffic Safety Act, can only be used by vehicles under escort or with priority of passage...
Bonus video:
