Editor of the daily newspaper "Vijesti" Mihailo Jovović testified today at the Higher Court in Podgorica, in the continuation of the trial of those accused of the murder of Miodrag Kruščić and the wounding of former "Vijesti" journalist Olivera Lakić.
Jovović told the special panel of Judge Radovan Vlaović that journalist Olivera Lakić told him seven or eight years ago about the incident when she was wounded, that she did not see the attacker's face, and that she thought the gunshot was the sound of a firecracker.
"Due to my many years of editorial experience, I know that when an unknown person is the attacker, it turns out that the journalist does not know the attackers, and it is an obligation to always take into account the motives of the attack. The police and the prosecution very rarely dealt with and investigated who ordered it. I delivered to the prosecution the articles that Olivera Lakić wrote, which were about cigarette smuggling, as well as the prosecutor who was accused of usury. In the articles about cigarette smuggling, she mentioned Veselin Veljović and Aleksandar Mrkić and that the cigarette factory in Mojkovac was untouchable. She wrote about the incident at the 'Bigl' disco in which Vuk Rajković and Zoran Bećirović participated, who published a book in which he stated that we from 'Vijesti' participated in the murder of his brother. Olivera Lakić also told me that she had a strange feeling that someone was following her, but that she had not seen anyone," said Jovović.
Defendant Goran Vukčević asked if he had come across information that the defendants here were involved in that attack, that they were working for the people Olivera Lakić wrote about.
"I don't know," Jovović replied and continued:
"If the journalist has no connection with the attackers, it means that it was done on someone's orders. It has never been established in any case who ordered the attack on journalists. There were false volunteers who reported themselves as perpetrators of the crime in order to obstruct the investigation and direct it in the wrong direction. It is certain that the attack on Lakić took place on someone's orders. I think that Olivera Lakić never wrote anything about the accused here. I do not know whether the accused here were in any way related to the persons that Olivera Lakić wrote about in her articles," Jovović emphasized.
He added that, in his opinion, the circumstances Lakić wrote about, as well as the people she mentioned, should have been examined during the investigation phase.
"As the president of the commission for monitoring investigations into attacks on journalists, we requested copies of the case files from the state prosecutor's office, but we were told that the investigation was secret and we did not receive that documentation," Jovović said.
Witness Savo Prelević, a former photojournalist at "Vijesti", said that in those days in May 2018, a negative atmosphere was created around Olivera Lakić.
"In our conversations, she was upset and scared. People were talking and writing about her on the portals as if she were an enemy of the state. She told me: 'You see, Savo, what they are doing to me, they are drawing a target for me. Someone will kill me'. Enis Baković spoke negatively about her, as did NGO activist Boris Raonić, who spread these stories, referring to journalists. Zoran Bećirović wrote negatively about Olja Lakić on his portal, and he called her out at the trials for the murder of his brother. While I was having coffee with Olja at the 'Hilton' hotel, the now deceased Stevan Stamatović said to her, saying: 'You can't help but mention me'. She replied that he should not speak to her, but that if he wanted, he could come to the editorial office and write a denial," Prelević said.
He added that the first threats began in 2011, after she wrote about a cigarette factory in Mojkovac. "Since then, she has been targeted," Prelević believes.
Witness Dragojla Popović said that she was in the building on the fourth floor and that she heard a gunshot on the night Olivera Lakić was wounded. She stated that she saw a male person, completely bald, who had muscular legs. She also stated that the male person was neither running nor walking.
"He was running at a fast pace, but he wasn't running. I saw him from above. I didn't notice if he had a weapon in his hands. I didn't say he was the attacker," the witness said.
Attorney Marko Radović noted that it was indicative that while the suspects were in custody, this witness was not called to confirm the act of identification.
Defendant Veselin Bubanja asked the presiding judge not to enter everything the witnesses said into the court record.
"Are you under pressure, but the judge doesn't enter everything into the record when the names of Veselin Veljović and Enis Baković, who threatened Olivera Lakić, are mentioned?"
"Maybe you're right, but the witnesses stuck to their previous statements in the investigation before the Supreme State Prosecutor's Office and the Supreme State Prosecutor's Office, which is why I didn't include them today," replied judge Radovan Vlaović.
Police operational findings: Mario Milošević mentioned as having participated in the attack on journalist Lakić
Witness Milorad Žižić recalled before the court today that he was the head of the Nikšić Security Center when journalist Lakić was wounded.
"I received operational information from Grbović, the head of the anti-drug department. Two names are mentioned in that information. Mario Milošević was mentioned as having participated in this criminal act, and the other was Filip Knežević from Cetinje, who had the role of monitoring Olivera Lakić. That was his associate informant, but I don't ask anyone where the source of the operational information came from. I informed the acting director of the Police Administration, Vesko Damjanović, through official channels," the witness said.
The accused Goran Rakočević noted that the witness mentioned two names.
"He mentioned that it was operational information and that it was Mario Milošević, but he did not mention Filip Bešović. At the press conference of the Police Directorate, the public was informed that the perpetrator of the criminal offense was Filip Bešović," the accused stated.
Indictment
Milan Vujotić, former policeman Darko Lalović, Filip Knežević, Mario Milošević, Goran Rakočević, Veselin Bubanja, Filip Bešović, Luka Bulatović, Dejan Vukašinović, Branislav Karadžić, Goran Vukčević, Mijajlo Stojanović, Aleksandar Ljumović and Sanja Božović are included in the indictment.
They are also charged with smuggling 554 kilograms of marijuana from Albania to Montenegro on January 26, 2021.
"The Council of the High Court in Podgorica, by decision Kvso no. 39/23, confirmed the indictment, Kt-S no. 265/20, dated June 20 this year, which the Special State Prosecutor's Office filed against 14 accused persons, namely: MV, GR, FB, FK, SB, VB, LB, DV, DL, BK, MM, MS, A.Lj. and GV, for the criminal offenses of creating a criminal organization, serious bodily injury, aggravated murder, murder by incitement, illegal possession of weapons and explosives and unauthorized production, possession and distribution of narcotic drugs. The subject of the indictment is, among other things, the attack on the journalist of "Vijesti", the injured party Olivera Lakić, dated May 8, 2018, the aggravated murder of the injured party Miodrag Kruščić, dated May 21, 2018, and the smuggling of 554 kg of the narcotic drug marijuana from Albania to Montenegro. Gora, January 26, 2021," it was stated earlier in a statement by special prosecutor and spokesperson for the Special State Prosecutor's Office, Vukas Radonjić.
Bonus video:
