Influence of the alleged criminal organization Aleksandar Mijajlović The Special State Prosecutor's Office (SDT) bases its accusations against the political and executive authorities, the media, and other important economic and social factors on material evidence collected after an expert examination of his phone, which was seized from him in February last year, when he was arrested for alleged cigarette smuggling.
Among this evidence are official announcements from the Police Directorate written at his dictation, published texts and columns previously agreed upon with Mijajlović, as well as contracts on financing several media outlets, which specify what and when they should publish on portals they own or edit.
Through Mijajlović's communication with several Montenegrin editors and journalists, who will be heard as witnesses, special prosecutors claim to prove the influence of the criminal organization on the "media", which is mentioned in one of the eight points of the legal provision on the conditions for the existence of the criminal offense of creating a criminal organization.
"A criminal organization... is considered an organization consisting of three or more persons whose aim is to commit criminal offenses punishable by imprisonment for four years or a more severe penalty, for the purpose of acquiring illegal profit or power, if at least three of the following conditions are met: ... 8) that there is influence of the criminal organization or part of it on political power, the media, legislative, executive or judicial power or on other important social or economic factors," states Article 401a of the Criminal Code.
SDT believes that from 2018 to February 2024, Mijajlović formed some of the media, or influenced their editorial policy, and in that context mentions "Standard", "Pobjeda", "CDM", "Portal Analitika", "Antena M", "Mportal" and "Portal ETV", and he allegedly gave some of them instructions on how the texts should look and how long they should "stay on the front pages".
Most of those who were included in the order to conduct an investigation against Mijajlović, the former Minister of Defense Predrag Bošković, former senior police officials Dear Spičanović i Milovan Pavićević, senior state prosecutors Andrijane Nastic and a policeman Vladan Lazović, denied Mijajlović's influence, and called the SDT's action a brutal attack on media freedom.
"The bottom line is this: no decision on whether something will be published or not, in what way and where we will place some content - has ever been made outside Antena M. No one outside Antena M, not even Aleksandar Mijajlović, has ever created Antena M's editorial policy. And we will determine that in court. By the lawsuit that the Prosecutor's Office will file against Antena M or by the lawsuit that Antena M will file against the Prosecutor's Office," wrote the owner and editor-in-chief of "Antena M" Darko Sukovic the same day that information about Mijajlović's influence was published on seven portals.
The others mentioned in the order reacted similarly, and then he and the editors of ETV Drasko Đuranović, M Portala Danica Nikolić, Portal Analytics Rosanda Mučalica, Portal Standard Jasmina Muminović i Portala ETV Ana Šofranac wrote to the Head of the European Union Delegation to Montenegro John Satleru regarding, as they stated, false accusations linking the media to organized crime.
"In relation to the allegations of certain public figures, media and other entities that the initiation of a specific criminal procedure is a 'brutal attack' on the freedom of the media and freedom of expression, we point out that one of the optional conditions for the existence of a criminal offence is the creation of a criminal organisation, as provided for by the Criminal Code of Montenegro, that there is an influence of a criminal organisation or part of it on the media, and from the evidence collected during the investigation it was determined that there is a reasonable suspicion that the defendants committed the criminal offences of creation of a criminal organisation, abuse of official position, disclosure of secret information, or criminal offences against the constitutional order and security of Montenegro, against official duty and public order and peace, so it is the duty of the Special State Prosecutor's Office, according to the Criminal Procedure Code, to undertake criminal prosecution against them by conducting an investigation," the prosecutor's office headed by him announced. Vladimir Novović.
In the interview to Petar Komnenić, author of the show "Načisto", spokesperson for SDT and special prosecutor Vukas Radonjic He announced that none of the journalists had the status of suspects, but that they would be questioned as witnesses.
HOMEOPATH, DOGS AND PORTAL COLORS...
Although Mijajlović is not in the ownership structure of M Portal and ETV, the messages read by special prosecutors show that many people are contacting him regarding the formation and operation of that portal and that television station.
On the first day of July 2022, Mijajlović, prosecutors claim, told the then spokesperson for the Democratic Party of Socialists Miloš Nikolic In a message, he asked for the party's color code, so that "Mportal would be that color." The two continued to correspond on July 13, when Mijajlović sent Nikolić a link to Mportal, followed by the message: "If you can, guys, just spread the word about television and the portal on the networks."
Among the messages are those exchanged on September 8 of that year, when Mijajlović asks Nikolić: "When will we change the director of Mportal?", and the latter replies: "We have to finish it in the next few days."
The editor of that portal is the former DPS spokesperson, Danica Nikolić.
He also corresponded with about that portal Sonja Drobac, but also the president of DPS Danijel Živković.
"That the defendant Aleksandar Mijajlović chose the web address 'mportal', follows from the messages he exchanged with the person Sonja Drobac, who uses the phone number... Namely, on March 3, 2022, Sonja Drobac sends the defendant Aleksandar Mijajlović a message with the following content: 'me-portal.me meportal.me mportal.me m-portal... Vote for the name of the portal', and the defendant Aleksandar Mijajlović the same message with the following content. 'No hyphens. People don't like them... The rest you want'...".
The day before Mportal was launched, prosecutors claim, Živković asked Mijajlović: "When is it launching?", and the latter replied: "Starting tomorrow, experimentally...".
After the DPS MP wrote to him: "Excellent! I'll look for it tomorrow," Mijajlović sent him a link to that portal.
Prosecutors have also established that Mijajlović has a connection to TV E, based on his communication with a currently unknown person, who reported that she had called her interlocutor, but that he had refused to appear, telling her that he was "washing the owner's biography", as well as from his communication with the former mayor of Podgorica. Ivan Vuković.
"That the organizer, the defendant Aleksandar Mijajlović, influenced the formation of other public information media also results from the content of the messages that the defendant Aleksandar Mijajlović sent to the person Ivan Vuković, the Mayor of the Capital City, the user of the phone number... namely the messages that on February 3, 2023, the defendant Aleksandar Mijajlović sent to Ivan Vuković with the content: 'Sonja will be waiting for you at TVE... If you want, I can come too', and on the same day Ivan Vuković sent the defendant Aleksandar Mijajlović a message with the content: 'Television looks world-class... Excellent indeed. It has serious potential, if it is staffed properly', after which the defendant Aleksandar Mijajlović sent messages to Ivan Vuković with the content: 'We are putting together a good team for news and politics... We agreed yesterday Dragana Sjeklocu i Jasenko Kos from Aljazira to come. They are building a team and training young people', to which messages Ivan Vuković responds to the accused Aleksandar Mijajlović with a message containing: 'This is more important for Montenegro than anyone thinks. I hope our people will recognize that'...”.
The two of them continued to communicate after the television station began operating, when Vuković criticized the guest appearance of an "unsuitable" homeopath in a message to Mijajlović.
"He must know who he's calling, jbga... I don't even know what show it is, or who the editor is. People like this should be guests on Prva, Adria, in my opinion... Not on yours," wrote Vuković, but Mijajlović defended the show's editor, who was "depressed" by the criticism, saying that it hadn't occurred to him that he had to check out the homeopath as well.
"And who has the DPS been teasing and teasing for 30 years, so let's keep quiet and suffer together for the party and not jump on anyone's head because of it," Mijajlović wrote to him during the debate, to which Vuković replied: "That's a separate story" and "But if the DPS was wrong, don't do it. I'm saying this solely for the sake of television, I hope you understand"...
In the continuation of the discussion, Mijajlović also told the DPS MP to look at how they "Ljubo Filipović spits", because he doesn't appear on TVE, but also "Let's not talk about Čoć and his spitting on Ranko, me, Zoran and our friends, so the entire DPS is silent and doesn't speak up. So that no one will hold a grudge against him"...
Vuković then replied: "I personally told the President what I had about Ćoć, even though they are friends. The point was to try to help with a suggestion, because he got caught up in this on Twitter. I was clearly wrong. Everything is ok"...
Mijajlović replied that he would now also check the puppies that come to the studio for adoption...
He also mentions that television with Prosecutor Nastić, who was interested in where it was on cable...
NOBODY OR MIJAJLOVIĆ
In the order to conduct an investigation in this case, special prosecutors cite several messages exchanged between journalists and Mijajlović, in which they agree on when it is better to publish something and how to market it.
"...So on April 23, 2021, this person sends the defendant Mijajlović a message: 'Publish Pipun', on August 13, 2021: 'Should I publish the information, without a name or document?', and on August 21, 2021: 'I'm breaking down when it's smarter to publish it, today or tomorrow morning. Now, I reckon, better in the morning, because whoever wants to come from the north has already broken down. And those who are within an hour's drive can be influenced to break down and come at the last minute... What do you think?'", some of Šuković's messages were found on Mijajlović's phone.
The day after consultations on the publication date, namely on August 22, 2021, Šuković's position was published on the "Antena M" portal, under the title "Everyone to Cetinje today, so we don't have to on September 5th."
"Everyone who is at the protest in front of the Lovćen Villa today will contribute to making September 5th an ordinary day in Montenegro! Today in Cetinje there is a demonstration of determination, responsibility and self-respect of citizens who care about a truly free Montenegro. A massive and peaceful gathering today is a fact that the National Security Council will not be able to ignore tomorrow. The citizens' event in Cetinje today gives the leaders a categorical imperative to state the obvious tomorrow: the enthronement Joanikija Micovic in the Cetinje Monastery carries a risk of conflict that a reasonable man in a responsible position cannot ignore. It obliges them to put an end to this idea of the Church of Serbia. The government not only has the right to do so, it must do so in the given circumstances!” is part of the text published that day.
THEY COVERED THE BUILDING FROM WHICH A WORKER FELL
Prosecutors allege that Mijajlović and Šuković also discussed how to spread the information that a worker from Turkey had died at a building under construction in the Master Quarter.
This communication was preceded by Mijajlović's communication with the then chief of Podgorica police, Milovan Pavićević, regarding the same event.
After the thirty-seven-year-old turned 15 on October 2020 ALREADY from Turkey died at a building construction site in the Master Quarter, Mijajlović asked, and the police official agreed, not to mention them in the statement. Initially, he told him that it was not Bemax, but "this one in the Master Quarter"...
"If you can just avoid the name of the building or something... I'll give you the name of the company he works for," Mijajlović sent to the police official, to which the latter replied: "Ok, we'll finish."
After a few minutes, Mijajlović sent Pavićević a quasi-“statement”:
Almost simultaneously, Mijajlović sent messages to the person stored in his phone as “ANTENA SUKOVIC DARKO”: “'A Turk who was working on Master has just died. He fell over 3 protective fences. How can we announce this in the most gentle way? CDM says they won't even publish it', to which message this person replied: 'Neither would I', after which the defendant Aleksandar Mijajlović sent him messages: 'Sure... The police will definitely make a statement', and that person replied: 'That's what I told the person on duty', and then the defendant Aleksandar Mijajlović sent: 'And I'll send you 2/3 of the sentences', and that person sent: 'Ok... Let's merge them or publish them before the UP', to which messages the defendant Aleksandar Mijajlović replied with messages: 'I might before... So then only that one remains', so that the person stored under the name 'ANTENA SUKOVIC DARKO' sent the message 'Ok'", the order states.
That day, the four media outlets mentioned in the order published an almost uniform news story about the worker's death, which made no mention of the building.
"At a location near the New Student Dormitory in Podgorica, this morning, a Turkish citizen YA (38), a subcontractor worker for the Turkish company Intellize Mont, lost his life in an accident. According to eyewitnesses, despite the protective measures provided, he fell from the building. Police and medical teams conducted an on-site investigation and will issue an official report in accordance with the procedure, the Turkish company where the injured worker was employed announced," it was announced that day.
"From the aforementioned parts of the communication, it can be concluded that the person stored under the name 'ANTENA SUKOVIC DARKO', after commenting on various social events, asks the organizer of the criminal organization whether to publish certain content and when," the special prosecutors conclude.
Responding to this communication, Šuković wrote that this is a tragic case, "which by its nature requires accuracy, caution and careful handling of words, the right decision on the moment of publication, and, apparently from the correspondence, the expectation of an official statement from the UP."
"Mijajlović is, and this is clear, a source who has important information at the time of communication. And, yes, we exchange opinions because it is useful for the decision that I or the editor-in-chief will make. Not Aco Mijajlović," Šuković wrote.
Orders questions, sends answers
From messages exchanged with Tinkom Djuranovic, special prosecutors conclude that she “continuously informs the organizer of the criminal organization of his reminders, requests and messages about posts on the web portal 'Portal Analitika'”.
"Okay, we'll publish it soon", "What part of the way is it to publish this on Analytics, it seems like there's only one way", "We published this too"; "We're for Marina Jočič, we tried to establish who this Miloš is, but we didn't succeed", "Thanks for the info from last night, when the police publish the identity we can do this too"... These are just some of the messages quoted by the prosecutors...
In September 2023, prosecutors claim, Mijajlović also mentioned Tinka Đuranović in messages with her husband Draško Đuranović, who was then the editor-in-chief of Pobjeda.
After sending him a message on September 18th of that year: "If you can pass it on, because in a few days a really big bribery and corruption scandal of €100.000,00 will come out: which Peković gave to one place", and Đuranović replied "Published", Mijajlović sent a new message:
"Thank you. I'll have this exclusive. I promised Tinka, don't be mad... I've never added anything to her before, and my wife is at our service for whatever we need."
Prosecutors claim that Đuranović, like the others, continuously informed the organizer of the criminal organization...
"It's going to Pobjeda in the morning. Sorry, I just saw it now," Đuranović sent him on July 17, 2022, and on August 2 of that year: "Didn't we agree that Pobjeda would write the text, I told you yesterday that I was finishing today and I think it was better not to go through just one center. OK, your decision"...
“Also, on July 27, 2022, the defendant Aleksandar Mijajlović sends a message to the person stored under the name 'POBJEDA DJURANOVIC' with the following content: 'Are you interested in the answer to the question posed by Pobjeda? Mr. Lazović, did the late Luka Bulatović leave you a farewell letter, if so, can you share the contents of that letter with us?', to which message this person replies with the message: 'Interested, of course.', and the defendant Aleksandar Mijajlović then sends messages. 'I will tell him to do it in writing and to sign ... ZL... If it needs to be signed, I will send it to you in the morning.. Because I don't have a printer right now'"...
Two days later, Pobjeda published the article "Lazović: If there is public interest, I call on the authorities to remove the secrecy mark from the farewell message"...
On August 11 of that year, Mijajlović sent a message to Đuranović: “The British ambassador said that if someone calls/asks her what she thinks about the European government, she will say it publicly... She thinks of the government of the DPS, Democrats and minorities,” to which this person replied with “OK,” and then the accused Aleksandar Mjajlović sent a message with the following content: “Just package it so that you could ask her that”...
Four days before the end of that year, Mijajlović sent Đuranović a message: “Can you ask Raško who is the better candidate, Medojević or Dritan, for the position of security coordinator... Because Raško and Medo don't talk, so things get a little confusing between Dritan and Med”, and the next day he sent another message. “Is Raško asking?”, to which “The face memorized under the name 'POBJEDA DJURANOVIC' replied. 'I asked, he won't'”...
"See how we dealt with Vukas"
From the messages exchanged with the person stored under the name "STANDARD JASMINA", prosecutors conclude that she also continuously informed Mijajlović, and "in response to his reminders, requests and messages about posts on the web portal 'Standard'"...
“...And on August 27, 2021. 'We published this yesterday', on August 29, 2021. 'Now let's send this and the previous one to the police and publish it. So let them investigate what they're up to'”...
"They published it, but I missed it", "I'm sending it to publish", "Let them send some sexy ones so we can publish it..", "Maybe a text should be written that explains everything in detail, so that everyone can publish it", "We'll publish it", "They published it", "Let's publish this, it's really cool", "We'll publish it quickly... Maybe we should just give it a more attractive title"... are just some of the messages cited by the prosecution, as well as the one sent on July 5, 2023, when Mijajlović received the message: "See how we did to Vukas today"...
That day, the Standard portal published an article titled "PROSECUTOR'S COUNCIL FOR STANDARD: Vukas Radonjić before the Code of Ethics Commission for partying with a cooperating witness"...
“Is URA a pro-Montenegrin party?”
On the eve of the 2020 parliamentary elections, the then Minister of Defense Predrag Bošković asked Aleksandar Mijajlović for "help" to publish an article on the topic "that the URA is anything but what it presents itself to be - Montenegrin and civic"...
This, the special prosecutors claim, was done on August 5th of that year, when he sent him a message: "I need help with CDM... On the topic that ura is everything except what it presents as Montenegrin and civic", after which Mijajlović replied, "Now I'll sort all this out for him"...
On the same day, prosecutors claim, Bošković also asked when the text would be available, after which he received the following response: "Boris just contacted me now... Something went wrong with his phone," and then sent him a link to the text.
The article "Is URA a pro-Montenegrin party" was published on the same day on the CDM portal, without the author's signature.
The text states that “The Civic Movement URA, headed by Dritan Abazović, is trying to present itself in public as a pro-Montenegrin party, but the actions of its senior officials call this into question. One of the founders of the Civic Movement URA, Miloš Konatar, publicly supported supporters of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Montenegro who were demonstrating in processions expressing dissatisfaction with the Law on Freedom of Religion.”
A recording from the Parish Hall in Spuž was also released, in which some participants in the procession sang "From the Head of Zeta to the City of Spuž"...
"After this post by Konatar on Facebook, the question arises whether he supports such groups. And at the processions there are people who cheer for another state (read: Serbia and its 'heart' Kosovo), wave the flags of that state, say that they will 'defend the sacred places with their lives' and call for the removal of the Montenegrin government... The civic movement United Reform Action GP URA is, as they say, an integralist political movement of free citizens dedicated to the future of Montenegro," the text reads....
“Predrag Bošković responds to the defendant Aleksandar Mjajlović with a message of the following content: 'Top'”.
Prosecutors claim that on November 4, 2021, Mijajlović also asked that portal to publish a video showing one of the leaders of the Movement for Change. Branko Radulović, as he argues with a taxi driver near the High Court building in Podgorica.
"We published him, you idiot... he's out of breath... all the way," Mijajlović was told, prosecutors claim...
On the same day, the CDM portal published the text “Radulović’s quarrel with a taxi driver: You are an ill-mannered hooligan, a rascal”.
Bonus video:
