Indictment against Saša Pekić and eight others accused of cigarette smuggling, money laundering and abuse of office is based solely on "sky" communication, which, according to lawyer Danilo Mićović, cannot be credible evidence.
"The entire investigation was reduced exclusively to 'sky' material, and countries with stable legal systems eliminate such data from the start," said Mićović during a hearing held yesterday at the Higher Court in Podgorica, where the legality and justification of the indictment was examined.
The Special State Prosecutor's Office is charging a nine-member group, allegedly organized by Saša Pekić, with cigarette smuggling, money laundering and abuse of office. In addition to Pekić, the indictment also includes the brothers Petar i Mirko Cicmil from Plužine, police officer Dragan Backovic, To Srdjan Jokic, Goran Janketić, Nikola Glomazic and two police officers - Predrag Vučurović i Predrag Mijušković.
According to the SDT, criminal organizations allegedly led by Pekić, Cicmili and Backović, from the end of 2019 to March 2021, smuggled at least 22.539 packages of untaxed cigarettes of various brands, damaging the Montenegrin budget by more than 17,5 million euros in unpaid taxes, customs duties and fees.
Mićović, the defense attorney for Jokić, Janketic, Glomazić and Petar Cicmil, said that during the investigation, the SDT did not hear a single witness who would confirm the allegations in the indictment, nor did it provide material evidence of the existence of cigarettes that the defendants allegedly traded.
"The reasonable suspicion has degraded over time, and the 'sky' data is unreliable and incomplete. These are copies of Excel spreadsheets that are subject to manipulation and cannot have probative value," said Mićović.
A similar position was expressed by the police officer's defense attorney. Dragan Backović, lawyer Dragan Mitrić, who challenged the use of “sky” communications as evidence.
The defense proposed that the court suspend the proceedings, stating that there are no legal grounds for filing an indictment.
The decision on the further course of the procedure will be made later.
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