Trial of Veljović and others continues: Defense objects to evidence because copies are uncertified, unsigned...

The trial of former director of the Police Administration Veselin Veljović, accused of creating a criminal organization and abuse of office, and others for participating in cigarette smuggling, continued today at the Higher Court in Podgorica, with the reading of written evidence, payment slips, warehouse lists and minutes of seized cigarette goods. The defense objected to the presented evidence.

The case has been merged with the indictment filed against the former head of the criminal police in Bar, Ilija Vasović, who is accused of being part of Aleksandar Mrkić's criminal organization to which he disclosed official information.

Attorney Maja Turković, defense attorney for defendant Nikola Bačilović, objected to the evidence presented.

"Most of the written evidence, if not all of it that has been presented so far, has been submitted to the court exclusively in copies, without the originals being submitted, which is why their credibility is extremely questionable, and as such they have no probative value. Moreover, these copies are either in a foreign language, or are illegible, uncertified, unsigned, without a stamp and of clear origin. Such evidence cannot be considered credible, since it is not possible to verify their authenticity or reliability, which is why they are devoid of any real probative value. Their inclusion in the files, in such a large number and without appropriate formal and substantive guarantees, has led to an unnecessary burden on the court and the defense and has made the proceedings more difficult to understand. In the defense's opinion, such an approach by the prosecution indicates an attempt to cover up the shortcomings of the indictment itself with the quantity of the proposed evidence, rather than proving anything," said attorney Turković.

Attorney Zoran Perović, defense attorney for defendant Aleksandar Mrkić, joined her assessment of the presented evidence, as did other defense attorneys.

The indictment states that the defendant Arsenije Kalezić had the task of establishing and registering the legal entity "Euro MN" DOO PG, for the purpose of implementing the criminal plan, for the purpose of smuggling cigarettes, transmitting messages from the organizer to other members of the criminal organization, and providing mobile phones with an encrypted application for communication to other members of the criminal organization. In warehouse number 13, the defendant purchased and stored cigarettes for the legal entity "Euro MN", a total of 16.682 packs of cigarettes. It is added that the Customs Administration officers, in a report dated 8 August 2019, stated that "the warehouse was completely empty, that there were no goods in it", "and that the warehouse should have contained 16.682 packs of cigarettes of various brands that the user had stored in the previous period".

According to the indictment, Aleksandar Lj. Mrkić, Veselin R. Veljović, Nikola Lj. Mrkić, Mujo Nikočević, Arsenije Kalezić, Stefan D. Bubanja, Nikola D. Bubanja, Željko M. Bulatović from Kolašin, Dušica G. Bulatović. Predrag D. Veljić, Borislav R. Lečić, Nemanja N. Anđelković, Goran M. Gluščević, Nikola M. Bačilović and Sadik A. Elnagar, in the course of 2018, in Cmoja Gora, the defendant Mrkić Aleksandar organized a criminal organization, whose members Veljović Veselin, Nikola Mrkić, Mujo Nikočević, Kalezić Arsenije, Bubanja Stefan, Bubanja Nikola, Bulatović Željko, Bulatović Dušica, Veljić Predrag, Borislav Lečić, Anđelković Nemanja, Gluščević Goran, Bačilović Nikola, Sadig Elnagar and other unidentified persons became defendants. the organization aimed to commit an unspecified number of criminal acts, smuggling and money laundering, in order to gain illegal profits and power. By which the defendant Mrkić Aleksandar committed the criminal offense of creating a criminal organization from Article 401a paragraph 1 in relation to paragraph 6 of the Cme Gora Criminal Code, and the defendants Veljović Veselin, Nikočević Mujo, Mrkić Nikola, Kalezić Arsenije, Bubanja Stefan, Bubanja Nikola, Bulatović Željko, Bulatović Dušica , Veljić Predrag, Lečić Borislav, Anđelković Nemanja, Gluščević Goran, Bačilović Nikola and Sadig Elnagar, the criminal offense of creating a criminal organization from Article 401a paragraph 2 in connection with paragraph 1 16 of the Criminal Code of Cme Gora.

The defendants Mrkić Aleksandar, Anđelković Nemanja and Kalezić Arsenije committed the criminal offense of smuggling as co-perpetrators.

The indictment further alleges that the defendants Mrkić Aleksandar, Bubanja Stefan and Bubanja Nikola, as co-perpetrators, committed the criminal offense of smuggling under Article 265, paragraph 2, in conjunction with Article 23, paragraph 2, of the Criminal Code of Montenegro.

The defendant Veljović Veselin committed the criminal offense of abuse of official position under Article 416 paragraph 1 of the Criminal Code of Montenegro.