Former Assistant Director of the Police Directorate (UP) Zoran Lazović said today at the Higher Court in Podgorica that the prosecution and police, during the search, showed "powerlessness and disappointment" by photographing his wardrobe, because, as he claims, they did not find any criminal property on his property.
The trial of former Assistant Director of the Police Administration Zoran Lazović, former Chief Special Prosecutor Milivoj Katnić, and former Special Prosecutor Saša Čađenović continued today at the Higher Court in Podgorica, with the presentation of written evidence.
The SDT charges Lazović with forming a criminal organization whose members, according to the indictment, were Katnić, Čađenović, and Lazović's son Petar, a former employee of the National Security Agency.
The elder Lazović is, among other things, associated with the lifting of the ban on entry into Montenegro for Belgrade residents Veljko Belivuk and Marko Miljković in late 2020 and early 2021.
The prosecution also suspects Katnić of using his position in the SDT to ensure that no criminal prosecution was undertaken against the leader of the Kavač clan, Radoje Zvicer, and other members of that criminal group.
At today's hearing, written evidence was read and commented on, including the apartment search reports and other documents proposed by the prosecution.
Commenting on the evidence related to the search and photographing of the wardrobe, Lazović said that this was an attempt to present something that, as he claims, is not in the evidence.
"The fact that they filmed my wardrobe is proof of the powerlessness and disappointment of the prosecution and the Police Department, because they didn't find me squares of land, casinos, mansions, exotic destinations," said Lazović.
He added that the paintings that were removed from the wall were the works of Petar Gazivoda, not Petar Lubarda.
His defense attorney, lawyer Zoran Piperović, said that it was not clear to him what this written evidence proves in relation to Lazović.
"I don't know what this written evidence proves in relation to Zoran Lazović," said Piperović.
Lawyer Nikola Martinović stated that he attended the search and that, as he said, it was not Petar Lazović's house, but his cousin's.
Piperović also objected to what he called the unclear term "criminal-technical examination".
"I don't understand the term forensic examination. This was about the police acting in violation of the order of the High Court, which is what Judge Šćepanović told me over the phone," said Piperović.
He claimed that members of the Special Police Department "skipped orders" and that he was told to act on the prosecutor's orders.
"Petar Lazović's shoes and clothes were photographed, and paintings on the walls that had no value were taken. That was unrecorded," said Piperović.
During the presentation of written evidence, the part of the indictment relating to Lazović's property and income from agriculture was also discussed.
Piperović said that the prosecutor stated in the indictment that Lazović falsely claimed to earn income from agriculture, because he knew that his property was not consolidated as an economic entity and that he had not registered the property in the register of agricultural holdings of the Ministry of Agriculture.
The lawyer added that, in his opinion, the prosecutor himself excludes the significance of this evidence by claiming that Lazović did not earn any income from that activity.
"This evidence is superfluous. The prosecutor himself excluded his own evidence," said Piperović.
He also said that the indictment states that the funds were given to Lazović by his son Petar, allegedly with money obtained from drug and cigarette smuggling, which, according to the prosecution, is established by the SDT indictment.
"For the first time in my life I've heard that something can be proven by filing an indictment," said Piperović.
According to him, the only thing that emerges from the evidence is that Lazović respected the laws in accordance with his obligations.
Lazović said that he registered income from agriculture while he was an employee of the National Security Agency.
"It is true that I did not register my property as an agricultural farm, nor did my father, and the reason for this is that I did not want to receive subsidies from the state," said Lazović.
He added that he gave permission to control and inspect accounts and real estate, and that members of the SPO saw his property and what income could be generated from it.
Defendant Milivoje Katnić also commented on the presented written evidence.
He said that the prosecutor charged him in the indictment that, together with Čađenović, he failed to initiate criminal prosecution against Radoje Zvicer, Ljubo Milović and other individuals.
Katnić claimed that the official note does not list the cases that he says he initiated against these individuals, which he had previously proposed in writing.
"With this, the prosecution is trying to prove that only two cases were conducted in the SDT against Ljubo Milović, and that I stated that three were conducted in 2021 and 2022, when secret surveillance measures were introduced against him," Katnić said.
He added that this is not true and that this is confirmed by the statements from the minutes of his hearing.
Katnić also said that the prosecutor is trying to show a "criminal connection" between him, Lazović, the Đukanović family and Prva Banka.
"I emphasize that no one in my family has taken out a loan from any bank without paying it at the official rate," said Katnić.
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