Claim Dritan Abazović is completely unfounded and as such must be rejected, stated the director of the Police Directorate Lazar Scepanovic in response to a lawsuit filed against him by the leader of the Civic Movement URA, which he also filed as a counterclaim.
Šćepanović pointed out that Abazović grossly ignores the fact that it was he who, with his publicly spoken words in the Parliament of Montenegro and through other public appearances, violated his reputation, honor and dignity.
The former prime minister previously sued Šćepanović, alleging that the director of the Police Administration at the end of July, during a parliamentary session broadcast live on RTCG, made untrue and offensive claims that damaged his reputation, honor and dignity.
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Šćepanović, however, states in his response that in no part of his presentation, either directly or indirectly, did he make any allegations that would constitute a violation of the plaintiff's personal rights, which, he claims, is clearly confirmed by the phonographic recording and video recording of the Assembly session held on July 28, 2025, at which, in his capacity as Acting Director of the Police Administration, he exclusively presented assessments of the security situation and the results of the work of that body.
The text is not “relevant evidence”
He also states that the disputed allegations against him do not exist in the official record of the session, nor can they be confirmed by reviewing the video material, and that the newspaper article published on the "Pobjeda" portal cannot constitute relevant evidence, because it contains alleged statements that he did not utter and which have not been confirmed by any official source.
"On the other hand, the prosecutor grossly ignores the fact that he, with his public words in the Parliament of Montenegro, as well as other public appearances, grossly violated the reputation, honor and dignity of the defendant," wrote the director of the Public Prosecutor's Office in response to Abazović's lawsuit.
Šćepanović particularly pointed out the part in which Abazović, as he points out, insinuated, without any factual basis, that he was appointed to the position thanks to Rad Milošević, who was deprived of his liberty in December 2022 on suspicion of committing organized crime.
He pointed out that these claims are not only incorrect, but also malicious, because Milošević "had no role, nor could he have had any, in the procedure of his appointment, which was carried out in accordance with the Law on Internal Affairs, by decision of the Government of Montenegro, at the proposal of the Minister of Internal Affairs."
"It is generally known that Rade Milošević, as a high-ranking official of the Civic Movement URA, of which the prosecutor is the president, was deprived of his liberty in December 2022 in the activities of the Special State Prosecutor's Office, due to the existence of reasonable suspicion that he committed the criminal offense of creating a criminal organization, at a time when he held the position of Director of the Revenue and Customs Administration in the Government of Montenegro, which was chaired by the prosecutor. By simply connecting the facts, it can be easily concluded that Rade Milošević could not in any way be connected with the appointment of the defendant as Acting Director of the Police Administration, given that he was not, nor could he have been, part of the decision-making hierarchy when appointing the defendant to the said position, so this statement by the prosecutor can be treated as an attempt to personally and professionally discredit the Director of the Police Administration, or, obviously and without any dilemma, as a violation of his honor, reputation and dignity," Šćepanović wrote.
He also emphasized that the statement of the Minister of Internal Affairs Danilo Saranovic, who clearly stated that Šćepanović was his personal proposal, and that he did not belong to any political structure, but was appointed solely on the basis of professional and integrity criteria, clearly confirms that Abazović's allegations are untrue.
The police chief further states that, although there was mutual communication during the presentation, "there is absolutely not a single piece of evidence that would confirm the prosecutor's allegations and the defendant's alleged words written in the lawsuit - 'Rade Milošević smuggled tobacco and you with him... and you will soon with him'".
Discrediting based on “personal motives”
Šćepanović assessed that Abazović's linking of persons suspected of the most serious crimes in the field of organized crime with him, as a long-time career and multiple award-winning UP officer, represents conscious and deliberate personal and professional discredit, based on personal motives, not on facts.
In his opinion, such behavior is extremely malicious, as it ignores his professional integrity, the results of his work and the numerous awards he has received during his career, and is completely unacceptable in terms of integrity and ethics, which is why it represents a gross violation of his honor, reputation and dignity.
He also emphasized that Abazović did not stop at insults during the parliamentary session, but in further public appearances, including the show "Friday with Dritan", he continued to "establish a link of interest between the defendant and high-risk organized crime groups, or to present the defendant as part of organized crime..." through indirect targeting.
Quoting Abazović's statement from that podcast, he emphasized that he was trying to discredit him, linking him to drug cartels, smugglers, and the so-called "top of the criminal pyramid," and further insulting him by belittling his intellectual abilities.
"It is very clear that with his public appearance, the prosecutor wanted to put a sign of equality between the director of the Police Directorate, that is, the defendant, and the top of the 'criminal pyramid', obviously trying to present the defendant as someone who is connected to the top of the criminal pyramid or that the defendant himself represents the top of the 'criminal pyramid', which clearly follows from the context of the words spoken: '...We have to see him in court, we have to see him in court. I am here, I hope that he will be there with all his arguments, but he just needs to know that I am currently in court only with the top of the criminal pyramid in Montenegro. And I think that says a lot about him and the minister...'."
He emphasized that in the part that refers to the top of the "criminal pyramid" with which the prosecutor is conducting proceedings, it is public knowledge that proceedings are being conducted against the prosecutor in the Basic Court in Ulcinj based on lawsuits filed by Zoran Lazovic, Ranko Ubović and the company “Bemax”.
"Any attempt to equate the defendant with these individuals, if the plaintiff had them in mind, represents a completely unfounded and malicious violation of the defendant's personal and professional dignity, or another example of an obvious violation of the defendant's honor, reputation and integrity. This is especially due to the fact that during the time the defendant held the position of Acting Assistant Director of the Police Administration, several activities were carried out in joint activities with the Special State Prosecutor's Office that resulted in the deprivation of liberty and the prosecution of the former Assistant Director of the Police Administration Zoran Lazović and Ubović Ranko, the owner of the company 'Bemax'," the counterclaim states.
Šćepanović requested that the court reject Abazović's claim as unfounded and accept his counterclaim for compensation for non-pecuniary damage due to violation of personal rights, with the plaintiff's obligation to reimburse the costs of the proceedings.
The story about intelligence "a gross violation of honor and reputation"
In his counterclaim, Šćepanović points out that it can be very clearly concluded that there is no equality between him and the top of the "criminal pyramid", as Abazović described certain individuals:
"On the contrary, the defendant, through his performance of several managerial positions in the Police Directorate, clearly demonstrated his personal and professional commitment and the commitment of this body to the application of the principles of professionalism, non-selectivity, legality and integrity, which resulted in the filing of criminal charges against the named persons. The prosecutor has the arrogance to assume the right in his public appearances to speak in a mundane manner and appreciate the intellectual abilities of the defendant, obviously identifying him with people who have an IQ below 86, which in theory represents a person with a low average IQ, but which can be unequivocally treated as a gross violation of the honor, reputation and dignity of the defendant and ultimately the defendant's personality," the document, which "Vijesti" has access to, states.
He pointed out that, in accordance with the aforementioned equality, and since Abazović also referred to certain segments in his lawsuit, he also responds in the same way:
"The public statement of the former Prime Minister of Montenegro, a person who held the highest state office, and who was also the coordinator of the Bureau for Operational Coordination of Intelligence and Security Sector Bodies and the President of the National Security Council, and now a member of the legislative house - the Parliament of Montenegro, whose words should be a blow to credibility and integrity, further increased the degree of threat to the honor and reputation of the defendant (Šćepanović)," the counterclaim states.
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