Petranović: My name and surname are not mentioned anywhere in the alleged Sky communications

At the main hearing, in the trial of the criminal organization for which the Special State Prosecutor's Office (SDT) believes that Aleksandar Mijajlović was the head, Vesko Petranović, the owner of Tehnomaks, gave his defense today, denying the allegations in the indictment that he was a member of a criminal group involved in cigarette smuggling.

"My name and surname are not mentioned anywhere on the alleged Sky communications. Even though there was not a single piece of evidence against me, I was arrested. I never used Sky communications, and even the SDT in the indictment does not claim that I had Sky," Petranović stated in his defense.

He added that he was detained based on Sky Communications.

"I was forcibly placed under detention under point 4. Although I have lost faith in the court and the prosecution, I hope that this trial panel will right the wrong done to me and my family," he said.

After Petranović presented his defense in court, Judge Boris Bulatović read his testimony given before the Special State Prosecutor's Office in the prosecutor's investigation. Petranović then emphasized that he had never been involved in cigarette smuggling.

He said that he is the owner of the company "Tehomaks", which has become a brand in Montenegro.

The other defendants also gave their defense and all denied the allegations in the indictment.

Defendant Zoran Đukanović said that he did not know businessman Aleksandar Mijajlović and that he had never been in contact with him.

"I met him thanks to prosecutor Miroslav Turković, Ðukanović emphasized," he said.

He added that he never had an encrypted phone and added that of the defendants, he only knows Golub Vojinović and Dejan Jokić.

"They identified me by my nickname on Sky. My nickname is Yellow, but there are at least 10 people with that nickname in Nikšić," said the accused Đukanović.

The accused Golub Vojinović pointed out that he was never a member of a criminal organization and that he had never engaged in anything illegal.

The accused Dragan Backović denied the commission of the criminal offense and his guilt.

"I am not a member of the organized crime group allegedly organized by Aleksandar Mijajlović. I have never been involved in cigarette smuggling. I have never transferred money originating from any criminal activity. I have never owned an encrypted phone. I have never transferred information or data to anyone, not even Golub Vojinović, while I was in the Border Police service. I met the defendants in prison, in a van. I did not participate in the smuggling of any goods. I had an official relationship with Radoje Rabrenović because he was also a member of the police. I did not transfer money for any person, not even for Golub Vojinović," Backović said.

The accused Milenko Rabrenović also pleaded not guilty and denied guilt.

"I am not a member of any organized crime group. I know some of the defendants, some I don't. I have never done anything with them, nor have I heard that they have done anything illegal," he said in his defense.

The accused Radoje Rabrenović also denied guilt and the commission of the criminal offense.

"I have not committed any of the crimes I am accused of. I am not a member of any criminal group, not even the one allegedly organized by Aleksandar Mijajlović," said Radoje Rabrenović.

The accused Mirko Mijušković also denied guilt and the commission of the criminal offense.

"I did not distribute cigarettes. I did not commit any of the crimes that the SDT charges me with."

The accused Marinko Koprivica denied guilt and the commission of the crime and stated that he did not use Sky, and that he was not a member of any organized criminal group, nor that he smuggled cigarettes.

The defendant Srđan Jokić also denied guilt and the commission of the criminal offense.

"I absolutely deny everything that is being accused of me. I am not a member of any organized criminal group. I have never committed a single crime in my life. I have never possessed an illegal means of communication," Jokić said.

The trial of Mijajlović and other defendants for cigarette smuggling through the Port of Bar continued today at the Higher Court in Podgorica.

The trial began on March 11th when Mijajlović presented his defense.

In December last year, the High Court Council in Podgorica confirmed three indictments by the SDT, which were merged into one in mid-September last year, in order to reach a single decision on the roles of the criminal organization in the smuggling of cigarette cargo through the Port of Bar.

The Prosecutor's Office previously explained that this involved the sale of cigarettes on the territory of Montenegro, which were previously transported and stored in the Free Customs Zone of the Port of Bar, and that the quantity involved was no less than 151.128 packs of cigarettes that were not registered in the Register of Tobacco Product Brands, which records cigarettes that are in circulation on the domestic market, and that non-payment of customs duties, excise duties and taxes caused damage to the Montenegrin budget in the millions.

The SDT previously announced that the High Court had confirmed the indictment against eight defendants - Aleksandar Mijajlović, Dejan Jokić, Zoran Žuti Đukanović, Golub Vojinović, Dragan Backović, Milenko Mićo Rabrenović, Radoje Rabrenović and Mirko Mijušković, due to the existence of reasonable suspicion that they committed the criminal offense of creating a criminal organization. In that indictment, the defendants Mijajlović, Đukanović, Rabrenović are also charged with the extended criminal offense of smuggling, and Jokić, Radoje Rabrenović and Mujušković with two extended criminal offenses of smuggling.

Vojinović is charged with three continued criminal offenses of smuggling and two criminal offenses of money laundering, and the accused Backović is charged with abuse of official position and two criminal offenses of money laundering.

"The subject of the indictment is that the accused AM, together with an unknown person, in the period from 2019 to 2021, in Montenegro, organized a criminal organization whose members included the other accused and other, currently unknown persons, with the aim of smuggling untaxed cigarettes from the free customs zone of the Port of Bar and their sale, concealment and distribution on the territory of Montenegro and other countries, for the purpose of acquiring illegal profit and power, as well as laundering the money thus acquired," the SDT statement reads.

By a decision of the High Court dated September 19 last year, the SDT indictment, which was filed against the accused Marinko Koprivica and Srđan Jokić, was merged into one case due to the existence of reasonable suspicion that they committed the criminal offenses of creating a criminal organization and the extended criminal offense of smuggling.

"The subject of the indictment is that the accused MK and SJ, during 2020 and 2021, became members of a criminal organization that was organized by the accused AM, together with an unknown person, in Montenegro in the period from 2019 to 2021, and whose members also became the accused: DJ, Z.Đ., GV, DB, MR, RR and MM, and other, currently unknown persons, with the aim of smuggling untaxed cigarettes from the free customs zone of the Port of Bar and their sale, concealment and distribution on the territory of Montenegro and other countries, for the purpose of acquiring illegal profit and power, but also laundering the money thus acquired," the SDT states.

The defendants Koprivica and Jokić are also charged with having, as members of a criminal organization, engaged in smuggling large quantities of cigarettes into the territory of Montenegro over a long period of time.

The same case also includes the indictment Kt-S number 113/25, which was filed by the Special State Prosecutor's Office against nine defendants - Vesko Petranović, Dejan Jokić, Dražen Vukadinović, Branko Ćelić, Davor Lukačević, Marko Đurišić, JM and RO, due to the existence of reasonable suspicion that they committed the criminal offense of creating a criminal organization, and the others, due to the existence of reasonable suspicion that they committed the criminal offense of creating a criminal organization.

The indictment includes DJ, DV2, DV, JM, B.Č., RO, DL and MK, and JM and RO are charged with the continued criminal offense of smuggling.

"The defendants are charged with having, between mid-2019 and the end of October 2020, become members of a criminal organization organized in Montenegro by the defendant VP, which continuously engaged in the sale, distribution and concealment of untaxed cigarettes purchased abroad," the SDT states.