UP: Mitrović was not subject to the police officers' obligation to act until the warrant for her forcible arrest was issued

The Police Directorate (PD) announced today that convicted former special prosecutor Lidija Mitrović was not subject to any obligation to act by PD officers until the Basic Court in Podgorica issued an order for Mitrović's forcible arrest.

"In order to objectively, accurately and precisely inform the public, and to prevent the spread of misinformation communicated by certain media and political entities, and in relation to the case regarding the convicted person - Lidija Mitrović, we inform the public of the following: Since the criminal proceedings in relation to the now convicted person Lidija Mitrović have been concluded, the officers of the Police Directorate were not previously competent to act towards this person until the moment of notification, i.e. the issuance of an order by the Basic Court in Podgorica for the forcible bringing of the convicted person - Lidija Mitrović, to whom the Court sent a summons to serve the seven-month prison sentence to which she was sentenced, and for which she did not appear," the statement states.

The Police Department added that on this occasion they would like to once again inform "the public that Lidija Mitrović was not the subject of the Police Directorate's actions, but that the competent Court requested the police to forcibly bring this person in and, as part of the measures, issued an arrest warrant for her since she did not report to serve her prison sentence, which she was obliged to do."

"Police Directorate officers, acting on the order of the competent Court, are taking measures and actions to find and bring this person to serve a criminal sanction - a prison sentence of seven months. As previously stated, she was not found at her residential address. We emphasize that the convicted person Lidija Mitrović was not subject to the obligation of the Police Directorate officers to act until the moment of issuing this order of the Basic Court in Podgorica for the forced bringing of the convicted person, but that the police are only obliged to find the person and take him to the UIKS (Administration for the Execution of Criminal Sanctions) after receiving the court order," the UP said.

The institution said that no measures were imposed on Mitrović by the Court, nor did the police act in this specific case.

"The criminal proceedings have ended with a final and binding verdict of conviction," the UP said.

The Police Department announced earlier today that the Podgorica police are taking measures and actions to find and bring in Mitrović, who has not voluntarily reported to serve her prison sentence.

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.