The president of the Democratic People's Party (DNP) and one of the leaders of the Democratic Front (DF) Milan Knežević said that "every time he will publicly call out" Great Britain's ambassador to Montenegro, Karen Maddox, "when she leaves the scope of her diplomatic service".
The British Embassy in Montenegro today, reacting to Knežević's allegations, announced that, like the British ambassador, "they will never comment on any ongoing investigation or try to influence such cases or their political outcomes."
Today, during the session of the Committee for Security and Defense, Knežević said that everything was clear to him when he saw the statement of the Ambassador of Great Britain, Karen Maddox, "that we must congratulate the SDT on the arrest of Milo Božović"...
"Today's attempt by the British ambassador to Montenegro to relativize what she said the other day, which refers to the arrest of Milo Božović, is not that it did not succeed, but is untrue and untenable. Namely, Mrs. Karen Maddox in an interview with the television 'Nova M' on April 15.4, reading the notes from the tablet, she clearly announced that "everyone should welcome the latest arrests who want to see Montenegro as a functional state that is not in danger of corruption from people in influential positions". In this way, she not only directly interfered in the investigation procedure in which Milo Božović's defense attorneys were not allowed to gain insight into the case files, but expressing full support for the GST, she triumphantly reminded how the British embassy contributed to strengthening the prosecution's capacity. Since I am not informed in what way the British embassy strengthened the prosecution's capacity should be independent from everyone, including the embassies, I am asking Ms. Maddox to specify her role and influence in our prosecutor's office," Knežević said in response.
He adds that Maddox's "recent direct interference" in the ongoing investigative procedure "deeply encroaches on the independence of our judicial institutions, but also on the independence of Montenegro."
"Perhaps this is not in dispute for someone in this country, but it certainly is for me, and it points to the inappropriate influence and influence of certain embassies that daily go beyond the scope of the Vienna Convention. That's why I publicly ask Mrs. Maddox, who strengthened the capacities of the Montenegrin prosecutor's office, to explain to us whether according to the Anglo-Saxon do the real suspect and his lawyer have the right to gain insight into the case files, i.e. the evidence against him, or is that the privilege of certain embassies? Also, on this occasion, I would like to remind you that it was former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, claiming that in Montenegro in 2016 the coup d'état created fabricated assumptions for a Sudan that continues today and the question is whether it will ever end. In that Sudan, Andrija Mandić and I were excluded until the end of the evidentiary proceedings, and our family members were prevented from attending the trial, while the official of the British Embassy was present at every hearing, and there were over 170 of them. And the highlight was the announcement of the British Embassy, which welcomed the first-instance verdict against Andrija Mandić and me, calling it 'of historical importance for the rule of law in Montenegro,'" said Knežević.
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These, he added, are "just a few listed facts as to how the British Embassy 'did not' interfere in judicial processes".
"And volumes of press releases could be written about interference in political processes in Montenegro. Obviously, Mrs. Maddox is used to the profiles of politicians who receive daily instructions and instructions from her on what to declare and how to behave in certain political situations, but I guess so far understood that we from the DF are not such profiles, and that she cannot order us in our native country. And that is why she should know that we will publicly call her out every time she goes beyond the scope of her diplomatic service, because Montenegro is not a colony, and we have obligation to the citizens who elected us and not to the embassies. Pushing Montenegro into instability is not in the DF's interest, but obviously it is someone else's, so I want to say once again that it is time for a national consensus on key social issues, no matter how much liked by some embassies", concludes the response.
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