The main hearing in the case known as "Tunnel" concluded today at the Podgorica Basic Court, and after the closing arguments are presented on September 25, the verdict will be pronounced.
The depot of the High Court in Podgorica was broken into on September 8, 2023, and the thieves stole material evidence stored in that room until September 11, it was established by the investigation of the Podgorica prosecutor's office and the police. The investigators discovered that the underground tunnel, through which the thieves entered the court depot, had been dug since the end of July.
Judge Borko Lončar said at today's hearing that the findings of financial and economic expert Nemanja Dragović indicate that the total value of the stolen items from the depot is 11.792,50 euros - namely stolen weapons and mobile phones.
The Basic State Prosecutor's Office in Podgorica previously filed an indictment against the defendants Veljko M. Marković from Loznica, Milan T. Marković from Loznica, Dejan D. Jovanović from Belgrade, Vladimir M. Erić from Loznica, Predrag M. Mirotić from Zeta, Katarina D. Baćović from Podgorica, Nikola D. Milačić from Podgorica and Marijan P. Vuljaj.
All defendants, except Baćović and Vuljaj, are charged with committing the criminal offense of criminal association in conjunction with the criminal offense of aggravated theft as co-perpetrators.
Baćović is charged with the criminal offense of criminal association in conjunction with the criminal offenses of aggravated theft in co-perpetration and forgery of a document, and Vuljaj is charged with the criminal offense of assisting the perpetrator after the criminal offense has been committed.
The indictment presented that the defendants, at the beginning of July 2023 in Podgorica, became members of a group, together with several unknown persons, which was organized by an unknown person, and which aimed to commit the criminal offense of "serious theft", for which may impose a prison sentence of five years or a heavier sentence.
The Ministry of Interior did not issue an ID.
The court today rejected the proposal of attorney Stefan Jovanović to order an expert examination of defendant Erić's phone in the continuation of the proceedings, in light of the circumstances of the defense's examination.
"...Since such an expert examination would lead to a delay in the proceedings and would not contribute to the establishment of additional facts," Lončar assessed.
The court also rejected the proposal of lawyer Vladimir Janković to conduct an expert examination of the phone of the owner of the business premises from which the tunnel was dug, Nataša Ćuković, in the continuation of the proceedings, in order to verify her statement as to whether, on July 24, 2023, she photographed an ID card in the name of Andrijana Marić, which was used by the defendant Baćović to rent the business premises from which the tunnel was dug.
At today's hearing, it was also announced that the Ministry of Internal Affairs submitted information to the court that the ID card in the name of Andrijana Marić was not issued by the Kotor branch, that this person does not exist and is not in the register.
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