Leković: Veljović's statement about Belivuk and Miljković is an admission that the problem was not only the existence of criminal clans

Veselin Veljović's statement that Veljko Belivuk and Marko Miljković "were not a threat because they were under surveillance" represents a brutal admission of what we have been warning about for years, that the problem was not only the existence of criminal clans, but primarily their protectors within the system, said Momčilo Leković, a member of the Democratic Party in the Parliament of Montenegro.

"If the former police chief was not threatened by the people who killed, kidnapped and spread fear throughout our country and region, then that only means one thing: they were not enemies of the system, but its allies. And here we come to the point. They were not 'under surveillance', they were under protection," said Leković.

He said that "surveillance does not mean that criminals enter the country unhindered, that measures are lifted against them and that they leave a bloody trail behind them."

"This means either a complete collapse of the system or, more dangerously, its abuse. And the evidence that has emerged through SKY communications and testimonies clearly shows that it is not a matter of incompetence, but of conscious cooperation. These people were not just tolerated, they were friends of the system. And we are not saying that, this is confirmed by communications that show that they were contacted and that they (Belivuk and Miljković) were asked for help, even for the elections. So, we are talking about a situation in which the most dangerous criminals in the region are not treated as a security threat, but as a resource that should ensure victory in the elections," Leković pointed out.

According to him, when a criminal clan becomes a political tool, and murderers become "collaborators", then there is no longer any dilemma, the state is completely captured.

"Veljović says they were not a threat. And these same individuals lure people to a meeting, kill them, including civilians without a criminal record, bury the bodies and try to erase the traces of the crime. Isn't that a security risk? Isn't that a threat? That is the most brutal form of organized crime," Leković added.

He also said that this statement was not just scandalous.

"...it is a humiliation of every victim and every citizen of Montenegro. Because if the people who destroy and bury the bodies are 'non-threatening' to Veljović, then it is clear that the problem was never with them, but with those who protected them. That is why Veljović's statement is not a gaffe. It is the naked truth of a system commanded by the DPS, in which the boundaries between the police and the mafia were erased. And that is why it is important for citizens to understand that this statement is a classic and brutal admission that those who had to protect the state were protecting the mafia. And they used it," Milatović concluded.

Former Police Directorate Director Veselin Veljović testified today at the Higher Court in Podgorica in the continuation of the trial of former Police Directorate official Zoran Lazović, former Chief Special Prosecutor Milivoj Katnić and Special Prosecutor Saša Čađenović, for creating a criminal organization, abuse of official position and money laundering.

Veljović told the special panel, chaired by judge Veljko Radovanović, that Veljko Belivuk and Marko Miljković were not a threat to the national security of Montenegro, because they were under surveillance.