Long-time retired security guard Duško Golubović denied before the special prosecutor last night any connection to criminal activities, including laundering money gained from cigarette smuggling, for which the Special State Prosecutor's Office (SDT) is charging him.
According to his defense attorney, Velibor Marković, Golubović said that if they find "just one event, one action, one date, one call or one message" of him, Montenegro will not need to try him, because he will convict himself. He also stated that he has never used the Sky app.
Golubović was arrested yesterday morning, and after being questioned by special prosecutor Tanja Čolan Deretić, he was ordered to be detained for up to 72 hours.
DON'T MISS IT
Officers from the Special Police Department (SPO) continued their search of his properties in Žabljak this morning. They previously searched an apartment in Podgorica, a family house in Donja Gorica, and a magnificent business-residential complex with a SPA center and a swimming pool of over 900 square meters in the same settlement.
As "Vijesti" has learned, the search list includes several properties throughout Montenegro, which are registered to Golubović or persons associated with him.
Lawyer Marković stated that he had filed an appeal against the decision to detain him, although, as he said, he did not have high expectations, considering the media pressure.
"I filed an appeal, although, objectively speaking, I didn't expect much, especially due to pressure from a part of the public," said Marković.
He also explained what the criminal complaint is based on:
"The criminal complaint charges him with the criminal offense of money laundering from criminal activity through cigarette smuggling, but it is completely unknown when that criminal activity occurred, in what manner, what quantity of cigarettes was involved, what their value was, who all participated in the alleged criminal activity, who carried out the transportation, and where it occurred. Therefore, since the criminal offense of money laundering is a so-called predicate offense, it must be preceded by another criminal offense from which the unlawful material benefit was obtained. This is not found in the files of the Police Directorate and the Prosecutor's Office, it is only arbitrarily stated that it was a criminal activity of cigarette smuggling, without the essential characteristics of that offense and without the time, place, and manner. That is arbitrary."
Marković stressed that his client denies any involvement in crime: "Golubović said he had nothing to do with any criminal activity. He stated: 'If they find just one event, action, date, call or message, Montenegro doesn't have to judge me, I will convict myself. But there simply isn't any."
Lawyer Marković also confirmed that the detention order mentions correspondence from the Sky app, but that Golubović stated that he had never used that platform:
"Whether anyone else mentioned me in some context, I don't know," he said.
According to information from "Vijesti", SDT believes that Golubović acquired a valuable family fortune in cash and real estate throughout Montenegro and abroad by laundering several million euros earned through criminal activities.
During the months-long investigation by the SDT and SPO, according to sources from "Vijesti", numerous pieces of evidence were collected about suspicious cash transactions, which were used to purchase luxury real estate in Montenegro, including elite settlements on the coast, but also abroad. Traces of bank accounts were also found through which, as is believed, suspicious financial operations were carried out. According to unofficial information, foreign partners also assisted the Montenegrin authorities in the investigation.
Bonus video:
