Žižić: We learned about the crimes of Belivuk's group after the "fall" of Skaje

The trial of former Chief Special Prosecutor Milivoj Katnić, former police official Zoran Lazović, and former special prosecutor Saša Čađenović continued today at the Higher Court in Podgorica with the testimony of former Police Directorate officials Milorad Žižić and Nusret Hodžić.

Before the special panel of judge Veljko Radovanović, witness Žižić said that Zoran Lazović was informed about Veljko Belivuk and Marko Miljković.

"Lazović told us to continue measures and actions against them," Žižić said. He added that when Sky "fell" in 2021, they learned that Belivuk and Miljković had committed crimes on the territory of Montenegro.

"In cooperation with special prosecutor Saša Čađenović, the arrest of Duško Roganović was planned, but the then chief special prosecutor Milivoje Katnić said that there was no basis for the arrest and that the testimony of Milan Kankaraš, who did not directly communicate with Roganović and who never met with him and did not testify about the actions in which Roganović participated, was not sufficient. Katnić said in this regard that they should continue the actions in relation to Duško Roganović in order to find the basis for the arrest," Žižić said.

He said that they had obtained information that Belivuk and Miljković had committed crimes on the territory of Montenegro in 2020, and that they learned this after the "fall" of Skaje. After that, they asked Europol to provide material for two encrypted phones whose email numbers and database data were obtained by Žižić and his associates. Montenegro received confirming information from Europol in June 2021.

"In mid-October 2020, we were informed by the Bar Central Police Station that two people had disappeared - Damir Hodžić and Adis Spahić. The disappearance was reported on October 16. We were informed because Hodžić was linked to the OKG 'Barska', and that group to the OKG 'Škaljari'. I was in contact with colleagues from the region. Colleagues from Serbia had reported the disappearance of Lazar Vukićević. It was reported that before he disappeared, he told his brother that if anything happened to him, the 'Barani' were to blame. The disappearance of all three people occurred on the same date," said Žižić.

He informed the Assistant Director of the Police Directorate, Zoran Lazović, about the information he received from his colleagues in Serbia.

"I thought there was a possibility that a serious crime had been committed. The assistant said to continue working. Our colleagues from Bar provided us with base stations. We were provided with the serial number of the crypt used by Hodžić. Its number matched the movement of some other crypts used on the territory of Montenegro. Two of them entered Montenegro two days before October 14. It was determined that illegal crossing was very possible. After October 14, they left Montenegro in the same way they entered," Žižić emphasized.

He added that some of the encrypted phones were then switched off, and that two of them left Montenegro. He stated that one of them was identified as belonging to Miloš Radonjić from Kotor and that during the critical period he was moving between Kotor-Danilovgrad-Čevo-Kotor.

"A colleague from Serbia informed me that there is a possibility that the disappearances of these three people are connected. That Damir Hodžić and Adis Spahić illegally crossed the border of Montenegro and that the person from Serbia who disappeared was supposed to meet them. And that they were lured and killed on the territory of Serbia. I said that this possibility is excluded because according to the base stations, Hodžić and Spahić did not leave Montenegro," said Žižić.

"In January 2021, I was informed by phone by the head of the Central Bank of Podgorica, Milovan Pavićević, that he had been informed by a colleague from Serbia that Marko Miljković and Veljko Belivuk were at the airport and that they had purchased a ticket to Tivat Airport. The colleagues from Serbia requested that these persons be accompanied. I immediately informed Zoran Lazović of this information. He agreed and said that we should continue with the actions. I immediately contacted the head of the Central Bank of Herceg Novi, Goran Banićević, who provided the most experienced officers and if he had a problem with the lack of personnel in the service. Every movement was accompanied. So that, at the request of our colleagues in Serbia, we could find out the motive for Belivuk and Miljković's arrival in Montenegro and how long they would stay. We watched them and brought them in for an interview," said Žižić.

He added that their phones were not taken away at that time because they were not suspected of any crime at that time. It was only after that in 2021 that the Sky package about them arrived, at the request of Montenegro, Žižić said.

Planned murder of a Kašćelan man in front of the Higher Court in Podorica

"During November 2020, we launched a major operation based on information that a mass murder with explosives of great destructive power was being planned. The murder of Slobodan Kašćelan was planned. It was also planned to be carried out near the High Court, in the city center, when it was crowded. That case had priority, so that innocent victims would not suffer," Milorad Žižić said today.

He added that they learned that the OKG's plans to murder the Kašćelan people were abruptly interrupted and directed towards planning the murders of Belivuk and Miljković.

As he stated, they received information that the primary target was Belivuk, and if the perpetrator succeeded, he was ordered to kill Miljković as well. He said that they also received information about the identity of the person who was supposed to carry out the liquidations and that criminal charges have been filed in that case as well.

"Vukićević's disappearance was causally linked to the disappearances of Hodžić and Spahić"

At a meeting with colleagues from Serbia, Žižić said, in late November 2020, they exchanged information about the disappearance of Hodžić, Spahić, and Vukićević. He added that the meeting was organized through Zoran Lazović.

He stated that his colleagues from Serbia told them that they had failed to identify the users of two encrypted phones whose databases were obtained by the Montenegrin police. They were informed that it was determined that one phone was switched off immediately after crossing into Serbia, in the border area, and the other near the Partizan stadium in Belgrade.

"In my opinion, they needed a little more time to carry out checks and actions in relation to the two encrypted devices for which we provided data and which we investigated. The disappearance of Lazar Vukićević was causally linked to the disappearance of both Damir Hodžić and Adis Spahić," said Žižić.

Milan Kankaraš refused to commit murder for a reward of 200.000 euros

"After receiving information that Šćepan Roganović had been killed in Herceg Novi, police officers from my sector and the Herceg Novi Central Bank took action. We prosecuted the suspects, they were members of an OKG. Šćepan Roganović was not a member of the OKG. Mili Bajramović, Krsto Vujić, Dino Ibrahimović were prosecuted. It is interesting that Duško Roganović gave the police a direction that Milan Kankaraš was the person who had followed Šćepan Roganović. Šćepan Roganović was the third member of the Roganović family to be killed in a short period of time. There was a fear that revenge might occur," said Žižić.

He added that the police took into account the information that the main target was Duško Roganović. The task of the police was to break up the opposing criminal groups. He stated that one was led by Duško Roganović, and the other by Zoran Mrlvaljević and Krsto Vujić. At the end of March 2020, they entered the operational processing of Milan Kankaraš.

"He was questioned. It is interesting that he stated that he was hired by both OKGs, that his role was to buy drugs and monitor them. After the murder of Vladimir Roganović in Vienna, Duško Roganović took over the operations. According to Kankaraš' statement, the task was to get closer to the opposing OKG, by buying drugs and finding out their habits and movements," Žižić said.

He added that Kankaraš stated that he was once offered to commit a murder for a fee of 200.000 euros and that he refused.

"Kankaraš also stated that he had the task of 'setting up' members of the opposing group during the drug trade, but that he refused that too. At the end of March 2020, we decided to polygraph test Kankaraš and he passed the polygraph. After that, he was questioned as a suspect, the acting prosecutor was Saša Čađenović," said Žižić. The police then opened a case codenamed "Bambi".

"Zoran Mrvaljević, Krsto Vujić, Milan Kankaraš and others were then prosecuted. They were charged with attempted murder against Nemanja Zurovac and drugs. Criminal charges were filed for this. After that, Kankaraš was granted the status of a cooperating witness and a protected witness," he said.

Nusret Hodžić: "Even today I ask that they find my child, his bones"

Nusret Hodžić, the father of the victim Damir Hodžić, who was killed with his son-in-law Adis Spahić, who had no criminal record, in October 2020, testified today in the High Court. He stated that the family was informed six to seven months after the disappearance of his son and son-in-law that they had been killed.

"To this day, all I ask for is for my child to be found. His bones. Special Prosecutor Saša Čađenović cried more than I did. I asked him why he was crying for my son," he said. He added that he reported his son-in-law's disappearance to the police on October 14 or 15, 2020.

"I didn't know that my son was with him, because he wasn't coming to Montenegro at the time. My son-in-law asked for a car to go to Žabljak on October 14th. My daughter then told me that Spahić hadn't answered her phone all day. I headed towards Žabljak. I thought he might have run off the road. After that, we reported him missing. We asked for police help," said Hodžić.

He stated that the family launched a private investigation and that they were taking video surveillance footage from the homes.

"We went to Žižić several times. After six to seven months, we were told that they had been killed. They stopped the private investigation after a few days. Police officer Rakonjac, I'm not sure if his name was Vladimir, told us that we would be detained if we continued to obstruct the police investigation," Hodžić said.

Defendant Saša Čađenović said that it follows from the witness's testimony that he conducted the data collection investigation in 2020 and that during that period, neither the SDT nor any other prosecutor's office was aware of the event because the case was being handled as a missing person.

"It was only in the summer of 2021, with the arrival of the Sky material, that the SDT began to act in this case," said Čađenović, adding that the investigation has not yet been completed, nor have the remains been found.