The Swiss Federal Institute of Justice (BJ) determines that an arrested Slovenian citizen was mistakenly identified as a fugitive from Skalja. Krsto Vujić (47).
The Federal Ministry of Justice and Police (EJPD) responded to "Vijesti" by stating that they are doing this with all the relevant authorities there that were involved in the action.
The EJPD is headed by a federal advisor. Beat Jans, to whom Vijesti sent a set of questions.
“The Federal Office of Justice (FOJ) is the central authority responsible for all orders in the Swiss extradition procedure. The FOJ is currently, in cooperation with all Swiss authorities involved, clarifying how the mistaken identity could have occurred in the case in question. Further information, for reasons of data protection and confidentiality, cannot be provided,” the responses signed by the information officer state. Reto Liniger.
This is how they answered the questions sent to Jans, including whether he personally signed the order for the extradition of a person who was later determined not to be a Montenegrin citizen for whom an international arrest warrant had been issued, and what identity verification methods were used to confirm the identity.
That a Slovenian citizen, not Vujić, had been arrested in Switzerland on August 13 was discovered by Montenegrin Interpol officers on August 29. That day, they went to Bern to pick up Vujić, but discovered on the spot that he was not the person their Swiss colleagues had intended to hand over to them, despite the fact that they had previously confirmed to them three times that the man's fingerprints matched those of a man arrested two weeks earlier.
They then requested urgent checks, alerted their superiors, who immediately demanded that an international investigation be opened to determine how such an oversight had occurred.
Europol and Interpol investigators would have to find who failed in the chain, from those who participated in the location and arrest operation to those who handed over the person who would turn out not to be Vujić.
Montenegrin police officers at Bern airport determined that the person in question was a Slovenian citizen.
"Vijesti" also asked Jans whether he demanded that responsibility for the mistake be determined, whether an internal investigation was launched and, if so, who was conducting it, and how the incident affects Switzerland's international reputation, especially in terms of judicial and security cooperation.
He was also asked whether Switzerland would send an official explanation or apology to Montenegro for the mistake, but also, given the gravity of the mistake and the damage it caused to the reputation of Swiss institutions, whether he was considering resigning.
Wrongful arrest
On August 14, Montenegrin police officially announced that Vujić had been arrested in Switzerland the day before on an international warrant issued by Interpol's NCB Podgorica, stating that this arrest stands out from the location and arrest of 12 high-ranking members of regional organized crime groups.
“Because of his key role within the organized crime group to which he belongs.”
However, it was clear on Friday, August 29th that something was not going according to plan. At the time scheduled for Vujić's hearing, neither the investigating judge nor the police escort entered the High Court building.
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"Vijesti" was unofficially told that night that the extradition had been postponed, and the hearing was scheduled for 22 p.m.
Three days later, "Vijesti" was officially confirmed from Više, Podgorica, that Interpol officials had informed them "that the extradition of the named person had been cancelled, and that he would not be taken over and taken to Montenegro."
The Police Directorate explained that day that on August 13, they were officially informed by their Swiss colleagues that Vujić had been arrested, that the validity of the international arrest warrant was confirmed on the same day, and that all identification data and fingerprint material were submitted. The Interpol NCB in Bern confirmed the identification and hit on the internationally wanted person on three occasions.
They also stated that on August 19, the Swiss Ministry of Justice approved the extradition in a summary procedure, and that the action was scheduled for August 29. It was only during the handover in Bern that Montenegrin police officers refused to take the arrested person and determined that he was a Slovenian.
The Montenegrin police emphasized that only the timely recognition and reaction of their officers prevented the capture of the wrongly identified person.
The Swiss Federal Police Office (Fedpol) did not want to comment on the allegations made by their Montenegrin colleagues.
"Unfortunately, I can only repeat - within the framework of legal possibilities and procedures, for reasons of privacy protection and official secrecy, we are unable to provide information on individual cases," a Fedpol spokesperson responded to "Vijesti" on September 2. Miriam Knecht.
They've been looking for Vujić for years.
According to the charges of the Special State Prosecutor's Office (SDT), Vujić and the alleged leader of the Skaljar clan Igor Vukotić The organizers are the criminal group responsible for the murder of Novljanin. Scepan Roganovic.
Brother of a high-ranking kavacin Duško Roganovića He was killed on the stairs of the Kanli Tower on February 13, 2020, at around nine in the morning.
The members of the clan responsible for that liquidation were marked by the SDT Milija Bajramović, who according to the indictment is the direct perpetrator of the murder, then Igor Glavaš, Dino Ibrahimović, Miloš Komar, Ilija Milanović i Miloš Đuričković who received the status of an associate witness.
A second indictment filed for the same crime included Vukotić, Marko Radovic, Slavko Radulović i Miloš Gvozdenović.
Both indictments have been merged into one court proceeding, in which Vukotić, Bajramović and Vujić are being tried in absentia because they are on the run.
During the trial, all defendants denied guilt.
In addition to organizing the murder of Roganović, Vujić is also on trial for charges of being with Zoran Mrvaljević, Slobodan Vic, Jovan Žmukić i Jovo Riznić planned the liquidation of Novljanin Nemanja Zurovec, an alleged member of the Kavač clan.
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