Esad Zejnilovic, witness whose hearing continued the trial of the former director of the Police Directorate Veselin Veljović and others accused of creating a criminal organization, cigarette smuggling, money laundering and abuse of office, said yesterday in the courtroom of the Higher Court that he had fallen ill with diabetes and that he did not remember some things.
He stated this after the court told him that he had given a different statement to the Special State Prosecutor's Office (SDT) compared to the one he gave before the court today.
"The 'Montenegro Tobacco Company' factory, which I founded in agreement with my cousin Aleksandar Aco Mrkić"I left in 2011 due to the purchase of a huge amount of tobacco that I did not want to sign because I began to suspect irregularities in the business. Since I could not track and control where that tobacco was going, and I was told that it was going to the Tobacco Plant in Podgorica for processing, and then returning to Mojkovac, I left this company," he said before special prosecutors in December 2023.
However, before the panel of Judge Vesna Kovačević yesterday, he said that he could not remember stating this at the Prosecution.
He confirmed that he was the director of the company founded by Mrkić.
In his statement before special prosecutors, which the court presented to him yesterday, he said that after leaving the company, someone set fire to his tractor, barn, and house, and that the police questioned him about Mrkić.
He then told the special prosecutors that he told the police that it was impossible for Aleksandar Mrkić to have done this: "And that he would entrust the child to him."
Judge Kovačević reminded him of that part of his testimony before the prosecutors.
"The first questions the inspectors asked me during the polygraph were whether I knew Aco Mrkić and whether Aco Mrkić set this on fire for me. I replied that it was impossible and that Aco Mrkić was my brother," Zejnilović said at the time, and he confirmed this in court yesterday.
Responding to a question from one of Mrkić's defense attorneys, attorney Zoran Perović, the witness characterized Mrkić as a humane man.
"He helped everyone. It didn't matter to him whether someone was Muslim, Montenegrin, Serb. To acquaintances and strangers. He was rich even when we were children. Even then, he gave us money for bicycles. The last time he gave me 15 thousand euros, 20-20 years ago, to buy a house for my brother," he said.
One of the attorneys for the indictment, the special prosecutor Jovan Vukotic, assessed the witness's testimony as calculated, pointing out that it was obviously designed to make things easier for the defendants.
"Zejnilović gave a statement in front of me in a clear, concise manner and without any hesitation. The witness could not remember what he said a year ago, and he remembers details from 15, 20 years ago. We believe that such testimonies are solely due to the fact that some of the accused are at large," said Vukotić.
His colleague, the special prosecutor Vukas Radonjic, then reacted because Judge Kovačević allowed attorney Perović to object to Vukotić's objection, stating that it was contrary to the law.
The judge nevertheless allowed Perović to finish his presentation, during which he said that he did not understand how the prosecution knew that Mrkić was hiding in the region.
"We didn't say that," said Radonjić.
Vukotic then, addressing Perovic, said: "Maybe the lawyer knows where he is hiding."
Perović's colleague, Kristina Pavlovic, she reacted because, she claims, Vukotić spoke in a raised tone.
"Does anyone have that decibel meter?" Vukotić asked.
Defense attorneys Arsenija Kalezić and a police inspector Ilija Vasović, they asked the court to lift their detention.
Attorney Mikhail Volkov He requested that the court allow his client, Veljović, to leave Montenegro for 10 days to undergo surgery in Turkey.
"This chamber is not competent for that. We will make decisions on detention at the next hearing," said Kovačević.
According to the indictment, Aleksandar Mrkić created a criminal organization in 2018, whose members included Veljović, Nikola Mrkic, Mujo Nikocevic, Kalezic, Stefan i Nikola Bubanja, Željko Bulatović, Dusica Bulatovic, Predrag Veljić, Borislav Lečić, Nemanja Anđelković, Goran Gluščević, Nikola Bacilovic i Sadiq Elnagar.
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