And former prosecutor Mitrović on the run?

The Podgorica police are taking measures and actions to find and bring in former special state prosecutor Lidija Mitrović, who did not voluntarily report to serve her prison sentence, the Police Directorate (UP) announced today.

"Officers of the Police Directorate, the Regional Security Center 'Centar', and the Podgorica Security Department are taking measures and actions to find and bring the convicted person to serve his prison sentence - former special state prosecutor Lidija Mitrović, who did not voluntarily report to serve his sentence. Namely, she previously filed a petition with the competent court for a postponement of the execution of her prison sentence, which was not granted, as we were informed by the court," the statement states.

The Police Department added that Podgorica police officers, "acting on the order of the Basic Court in Podgorica to forcibly bring the convicted Lidija Mitrović, who did not voluntarily report to serve her prison sentence, visited the location of this person's residence and stay on several occasions, where she was not found, and where members of her family provided them with various conflicting information about this person's stay in the territory of Podgorica or Budva."

"Therefore, police officers visited all the listed addresses, where this person was not found, and the competent court was informed of the outcome of the checks. Taking into account that Mitrović did not voluntarily report to serve her prison sentence, but rather that she is avoiding it, as we have pointed out, officers of the Police Directorate informed the competent court of all the established facts, based on which a warrant was issued for this person in order to find her and bring her to serve her prison sentence. Officers of the Police Directorate are continuing their activities to find this person, and will also activate other legally permitted mechanisms in order to bring the convicted person to serve his prison sentence," the UP said.

At a session held on June 5th last year, the Prosecutorial Council made a decision to dismiss Mitrović.

As announced at the time by the Prosecutorial Council, the Constitution of Montenegro stipulates that the head of the state prosecution office and the state prosecutor are dismissed from office if they are sentenced to an unconditional prison sentence by a final judgment, and that the Prosecutorial Council elects and dismisses the heads of state prosecution offices and state prosecutors.

On May 29th of last year, the Court of Appeals upheld the verdict of the Higher Court in Podgorica, which sentenced Mitrović to seven months in prison for the continued criminal offense of abuse of official position, in a repeated court proceeding.

Mitrović was sentenced to this prison sentence on December 23, 2024, at the Higher Court in Podgorica.

Miloš Medenica, son of former Supreme Court President Vesna Medenica, escaped from house arrest last week.

Miloš Medenica and Vesna Medenica were sentenced to multi-year sentences on January 28 by a first-instance decision of the panel of Judge Vesna Kovačević - 10 years and two months, or a decade in prison.

The Medenices did not attend the verdict, and even before the decision was announced, the police determined that Miloš Medenice was not in the family apartment at Ulcinjska 2, and subsequent investigation determined that he had left just a few hours before the criminal panel's decision was announced in the courtroom.

On January 29, the Podgorica Higher Court issued an order to issue an arrest warrant for Miloš Medenica.

The red notice for Miloš Medenica was published publicly on the official Interpol website at the request of the Montenegrin police on January 30th.