Čađenović requested Radonjić's exemption, his and Katnić's trial postponed

The trial of former Chief Special Prosecutor Milivoj Katnić and suspended Special Prosecutor Saša Čađenović, accused of pressuring witness Joseph Asad to testify against former Democratic Front leaders Andrija Mandić and Milan Knežević in the case known as the "coup d'état", did not begin today at the Higher Court in Podgorica.

The hearing was postponed after Čađenović requested the disqualification of acting special prosecutor Vukas Radonjić, and that the request not be decided by chief special prosecutor Vladimir Novović.

Čađenović stated that there are circumstances that, in his opinion, cast doubt on the impartiality of the prosecutors. Radonjić, however, assessed that the request is aimed at delaying the proceedings.

Explaining the request, Čađenović said that Radonjić initiated new criminal proceedings against him several months ago for alleged abuse of office, in connection with a case in which, he claims, the statute of limitations for criminal prosecution has expired.

He pointed out that he was available to state authorities during the proceedings, that he duly responded to summonses, and that there were no circumstances that would indicate a risk of flight.

Despite this, he stated, he was not called to give a statement, but rather his arrest and detention were ordered. He was then ordered to be held in pre-trial detention, and then a detention order was proposed due to the alleged risk of flight.

He recalled that the investigating judge did not accept the motion to order detention.

Čađenović also said that this second proceeding relates to a legal issue for which, according to him, there is no uniform practice of criminal prosecution of judicial office holders, but rather similar situations have previously been treated through the disciplinary-legal framework.

He assessed that the circumstances of the case, as well as the manner in which he was arrested and detained, raise doubts in his mind about the independence and impartiality of the prosecutor in charge.

For this reason, he requested Radonjić's disqualification, stating that he also considers the indictment in the case of alleged pressure on Joseph Assad to be tendentious.

When it comes to Chief Special Prosecutor Vladimir Novović, Čađenović reminded that several proceedings have been conducted against him before the Special State Prosecutor's Office for four years.

He claims that in one of these cases, the SDT repeatedly proposed the merger and separation of proceedings, which is why the trial only began three years later, while he was in custody or house arrest in the meantime.

According to him, this violated his right to a trial within a reasonable time, and Novović, as the head of the institution, could have influenced such actions.

He added that he is not claiming what Novović's position would be, but believes that, in order to remove any doubt about objectivity, the Supreme State Prosecutor should decide on the request.

Čađenović emphasized that he is not submitting the request with the aim of obstructing the proceedings, but rather to remove any doubt about the impartiality of the prosecutors acting in this case.

Special Prosecutor Vukas Radonjić responded that Čađenović has the right to use all legal means that he believes are in favor of his defense, but that the allegations in the request do not call into question his impartiality.

Radonjić pointed out that Čađenović, in the second proceeding he is referring to, did not appeal the detention decision. He added that the investigating judge did not reject the detention proposal because it was unfounded, but rather imposed a supervision measure on the defendant.

Speaking about the claim that the indictment is biased, Radonjić said that the court scheduled the main hearing after confirming the indictment, which, as he stated, means that there is a reasonable suspicion that the criminal offense that Čađenović is charged with was committed.

"Regardless of the allegations that the request for disqualification is not aimed at delaying the proceedings, it is quite obvious to me," said Radonjić.