Former Mayor of Budva Municipality Milo Božović, while presenting his defense at the Higher Court in Podgorica today, said, among other things, that he does not acknowledge the allegations in the indictment filed against him by the Special State Prosecutor's Office (SDT).
He said that the indictment "is not true", and that the prosecutor's accusation that he and the other defendants work for the DPS is "deeply offensive".
"I completely deny the allegations in the indictment. I would like to point out its illogicalities. As the main illogicality, I would like to point out that the special prosecutor's office linked me to a criminal organization that was accused of working for the DPS. Personally, the DPS suffered the greatest political defeat in its history because of me," said Božović.
He added that the SDT links him to Radoje Zvicer's criminal clan, some of whose members are linked to the murders of three people who are his friends.
In addition to Božović, police officer Ljubo Milović, Petar Lazović and other members of the group accused of creating a criminal organization and drug smuggling were also charged.
Before the special panel of judge Simo Rašović, Božović quoted Sky messages in which Ljubo Milović, Radoje Zvicer and Petar Lazović allegedly say that he should be whipped and skinned and that the SDT is linking him to them as members of the same criminal organization.
The indictment of the Special Prosecutor's Office includes Ljubo Milović, Milo Božović, Dejan Knežević, Radoje Zvicer, Ivan Stamatović, Nebojša Bugarin, Petar Lazović, Milan Popović, Miloš Mišurović, Marko Novaković, Ivan Nikolić, Goran Stojanović, Božidar Jabučanin, Aleksandar Keković, Vladimir Bajčeta, Tihomir Adžić, Filip Zindović (whose last name was previously Kljajević), Darko Knežević, Ivan Mijatović and Dražen Milović.
"The biggest problem with this indictment is that it is not true. The prosecution abused and manipulated Sky, constructing the charges. The indictment is illogical and contradictory. It is denied by Sky's own material that the prosecutor submitted with it, along with other evidence and real-life events. The prosecution has thus linked me to several organizations, namely the DPS, the police, the police cartel and the Kavač clan. Well, the prosecutor says in the indictment that Ljubo Milović and Mileta Ojdanić formed an organized criminal group. And among other things, it was formed, I read from the indictment, to influence the process of appointing people close to them to leadership positions in politics, the police and other services, to use money acquired through criminal activities to influence the 2020 parliamentary elections so that voters do not exercise their rights. I will tell you what is true. First about DPS. If you are wondering why I am talking about them, because in the indictment the prosecutor accuses this person of working directly for DPS. The prosecutor does not say the name of that party, DPS, at any time. "but it's clear he's thinking of her. He probably doesn't mention her name because the indictment is from 2023, so there was still some respect, fear or something like that back then," Božović said.
He stated that throughout his political career he was on the opposite side of the DPS.
"I have, one could say, a hostile relationship with them. The biggest defeat in its history, the DPS suffered from me personally, in the 2022 local elections in Budva. I ran in those elections with my first and last name," he said.
He recalled that in the 2020 parliamentary elections, he was elected as a member of the Parliament of Montenegro.
"Over 200.000 people were against DPS at the time, but only 41 MPs can say that they personally sent DPS into opposition. The relationship between me and DPS has always been hostile. To make the absurdity even greater, SDT claims that I am a member of an organized criminal group that worked against me. It doesn't end there, SDT claims that after the 2020 elections, OKG is trying to find one MP in the Parliament of Montenegro who will switch sides, scare him or buy him off, in order to keep DPS in power," Božović assessed.
He called the Sky messages "alleged." In one of the Sky messages he quoted for him, Radoje Zvicer and one of the accused police officers allegedly stated that there were no negotiations with him: "Milo Božović, from Cannes and this scum in Budva, works with them."
"The prosecutor accuses me and the other defendants of working for the DPS. I am deeply offended by this. The prosecutor says that an organized criminal group is trying to find an MP who will be influenced to change the electoral will of the citizens. And then, after reviewing the material that the prosecutor gave me, I find that the members and heads of that alleged OKG say that I belong to a group opposed to them and that there is no business with me," said Božović.
He stated that he did not know Ljubo Milović and Petar Lazović and that he had never communicated with them.
"It is true that I was treated differently by the police, so much so that I was arrested several times, with the use of force, and since they had no evidence against me, they released me after six hours. They did this with the intention of re-educating me politically," Božović believes. He stated that since 2015, the police have been treating him this way, after major protests by the DF.
He said that he also received special treatment from the ANB. He also commented on the fact that the SDT included him in the indictment that also includes Dejan Knežević.
"Once again, we have the absurd claims of the SDT, that I and Dejan Knežević are members of the same criminal organization. The claim that I am a member of the OKG and that I am working against its member is absurd. I am the only one who opposed the appointment of Knežević as Assistant Director of the Police Directorate," he said.
He then quoted Sky messages in which Radoje Zvicer, Ljubo Milović and Petar Lazović conducted communications in which it was mentioned that he should be "skinned" and "pulled out".
"The prosecutor claims that these people followed me and wanted to rip me off, whatever that means, and that I am a member of the same OKG. I have to distance myself, this is what the prosecutor claims and thinks," Božović said in his defense and continued.
"Regarding the Kavač clan and Radoje Zvicer. The prosecutor does not directly link me to this, but indirectly says that Zvicer and I are the same OKG. How absurd this is is also shown by the fact that the Kavač clan is accused of the three murders of my close friends Saša Marković, Goran Đuričković and Đorđe Boreta," Božović stated.
According to earlier information from the prosecution, some of the defendants in this case are charged with multiple criminal offenses.
"Lj. M., MO, IS, NB, PL, MP, BJ, MM, AK, VB, GS, DM, FZ, IN, TA, MN, DK, MB, for the criminal offense of creating a criminal organization, against Lj. M., MO, IS, NB, PL, MP, BJ, MM, AK, VB, MN, RZ, DM, FZ, MB and IM, for the criminal offense of unauthorized production, possession and distribution of narcotic drugs - about 4 t 300 kg of cocaine, against Lj. M., IS, MO, BJ and MN, for the criminal offense of money laundering - about seven million euros, against MM, AK and Lj. M., for the criminal offense of causing general danger and illegal possession of weapons and explosives, against DK, for the criminal offense of disclosing classified information and against DK, for the criminal offense of abuse of official position, was committed in the period from 2019 to February 2021, in Montenegro, but also in certain countries in Europe and South America," he announced. was previously special state prosecutor Vukas Radonjić.
Bonus video:
