Trial of Veljović et al.: Defense objects to evidence about cigarettes, everything that was documented is problematic

The trial of former Director of the Police Administration Veselin Veljović and other defendants, accused of creating a criminal organization and abuse of official position, continued today at the Higher Court in Podgorica with the reading of written evidence.

The case has been merged with the indictment filed against the former head of the criminal police in Bar, Ilija Vasović, who is accused of being part of Aleksandar Mrkić's criminal organization to which he disclosed official information.

The president of the special panel, Judge Vesna Kovačević, read the evidence proposed in the indictment, which was simultaneously shown as slides on the TV screen in the courtroom, so that the defense, the accused, and the public would be informed of their content.

After the receipt of the cigarette goods was read, the defense objected, stating that there was no signature of who received the goods. The minutes of the inspection of the goods at the customs office in Bar, dated August 20, 2018, were read.

Lawyer Nebojša Asanović said the customs officer's signature was unclear and was handwritten and illegible.

"Everything is illegible, and only facsimiles are cited. It is unclear what the essence of this evidence is," the defense attorney said.

The judge read that the ownership of 650 and 600 packages, or a total of 1250 packages of cigarettes, was transferred from the company "Rental" from Italy to the company "Euro MN" from Podgorica.

Lawyers Nikola Strugar and Asanović noticed that it does not say what time the examination began, who conducted the examination, which commission it was, or which parties were present.

"The essential legal elements do not exist," the defense attorneys stated.

During the evidentiary proceedings, storage certificates were read, which stated the quantity, gross weight, and number of packages.

The warehouse deed of the free customs zone of the Port of Bar dated August 16, 2018, stated that the cigarettes weighed 15.630 kilograms, and that the ownership rights were transferred from the company “Rental” to the company “Euro MN”. These were 800 packages of “Regina Red” cigarettes and 400 packages of “Regina Blue” cigarettes, which arrived at the Port of Bar on August 16, 2018. Then, the storage certificate was read, as well as the unique customs document – ​​the freight forwarder “Knjaz”.

Lawyer Nebojša Asanović then objected to this, as well as numerous other pieces of evidence, and provided an explanation.

"Everything that was added manually is problematic. These are copies. There is no signature of who received the goods," the defense attorney noted.

Special Prosecutor Jovan Vukotić said that there is nothing in dispute because "Rental" transferred ownership to "Euro MN".

"This is their current status. The other five documents confirm this," Vukotic said.

Lawyer Kristina Pavlović noticed that something had been written on it, and that there should be a stamp, signature and date, and that the authenticity should be established. The defendants noticed that it was a copy. After the warehouse list was read, the lawyer said that there was no signature or stamp, or any certificate of authenticity, in this evidence either.

A document was read on the transfer of ownership of cigarettes weighing 14.900 kilograms from the company "Arhitrav" to the company "Euro MN".

The indictment states that the defendant Arsenije Kalezić had the task of establishing and registering the legal entity "Euro MN" DOO PG, in order to implement the criminal plan, for the purpose of smuggling cigarettes, transmitting messages from the organizer to other members of the criminal organization, and providing mobile phones with an encrypted application for communication to other members of the criminal organization. In warehouse number 13, the defendant purchased and stored cigarettes for the legal entity "Euro MN", a total of 16.682 packs of cigarettes. It is added that the Customs Administration officers, in a report dated 8 August 2019, noted that "the warehouse was completely empty, that there were no goods in it", "and that the warehouse should have contained 16.682 packs of cigarettes of various brands that the user had stored in the previous period".

According to the indictment, Aleksandar Lj. Mrkić, Veselin R. Veljović, Nikola Lj. Mrkić, Mujo Nikočević, Arsenije Kalezić, Stefan D. Bubanja, Nikola D. Bubanja, Željko M. Bulatović from Kolašin, Dušica G. Bulatović. Predrag D. Veljić, Borislav R. Lečić, Nemanja N. Anđelković, Goran M. Gluščević, Nikola M. Bačilović and Sadik A. Elnagar, in the course of 2018, in Cmoja Gora, the defendant Mrkić Aleksandar organized a criminal organization, whose members Veljović Veselin, Nikola Mrkić, Mujo Nikočević, Kalezić Arsenije, Bubanja Stefan, Bubanja Nikola, Bulatović Željko, Bulatović Dušica, Veljić Predrag, Borislav Lečić, Anđelković Nemanja, Gluščević Goran, Bačilović Nikola, Sadig Elnagar and other unidentified persons became defendants. the organization aimed to commit an unspecified number of criminal acts, smuggling and money laundering, in order to gain illegal profits and power. By which the defendant Mrkić Aleksandar committed the criminal offense of creating a criminal organization from Article 401a paragraph 1 in relation to paragraph 6 of the Cme Gora Criminal Code, and the defendants Veljović Veselin, Nikočević Mujo, Mrkić Nikola, Kalezić Arsenije, Bubanja Stefan, Bubanja Nikola, Bulatović Željko, Bulatović Dušica , Veljić Predrag, Lečić Borislav, Anđelković Nemanja, Gluščević Goran, Bačilović Nikola and Sadig Elnagar, the criminal offense of creating a criminal organization from Article 401a paragraph 2 in connection with paragraph 1 16 of the Criminal Code of Cme Gora.

The defendants Mrkić Aleksandar, Nemanja Anđelković and Arsenije Kalezić committed the criminal offense of smuggling as co-perpetrators. Then, the indictment states that the defendants Mrkić Aleksandar, Bubanja Stefan and Bubanja Nikola committed the criminal offense of smuggling as co-perpetrators under Article 265 paragraph 2 in connection with Article 23 paragraph 2 of the Criminal Code of Cme Gora.

The defendant Veljović Veselin committed the criminal offense of abuse of official position under Article 416 paragraph 1 of the Criminal Code of Montenegro.