The President of the Council of the Radio and Television of Montenegro (RTCG), Veselin Drljević, claims that he is not guilty, but that pressure is being exerted on the Public Service by other media outlets, which do not want Boris Raonić at its helm.
Drljević said this during the trial at the Basic Court in Podgorica.
The Podgorica Basic State Prosecutor's Office previously filed an indictment against the president and four members of the RTCG Council, due to the illegal appointment of Director General Boris Raonić.
As "Vijesti" previously wrote, they are charged with abuse of official position in complicity.
The indictment was filed against Drljević and Council members Filip Lazović, Amina Murić, Naod Zorić and Predrag Miranović.
Drljević said he was not guilty, adding that he would not answer questions from the prosecutor, judge, and defense attorney.
"I will start in 2021. We were selected through a competition by the Parliament of Montenegro for a position on the Public Service Council. There were more of us and I won. I am not someone from the field who does not understand the media, their work and organization"
He said that the situation Raonic found himself in was "a conflict of interest according to the court's ruling when we elected him."
"... Our decision from 2021 was annulled. After learning that the decision on the election of the General Director from 2021 was annulled, I, as the President of the Council, convened a session... According to my personal conviction and the conviction of legal experts - both the Public Service and the offices hired by RTCG, we elected Mr. Raonić... My personal conviction, as well as that of legal experts, was that he was not in a conflict of interest," said Drljević.
According to his claims, the prosecutor did not "select anything other than the minutes that would make your (the court's) job easier."
"There is an audio recording of the session, and we also had a video recording of the entire session. You can see everything there. As a serious man, I do not agree that anyone, and I do not acknowledge that anyone, can question me for any act, for any association, in order to provide illegal financial assistance to a third party," said Drljević.
As he said, he got the impression that the prosecutor was not interested in "the crucial matter where one can see the course of the session and hear everything transparently."
"I object to this indictment... I did not in any way, nor did I associate with anyone, nor did I agree with anyone how to vote at that session... According to that verdict, a lawsuit by a prosecutor was rejected in part, where he requested that Boris Raonić cannot be a candidate in further proceedings. The court did not give me enough assurance that Boris Raonić cannot be a candidate," he said.
He stressed that it does not affect others, and added that a "media harangue against the public service by one or more media groups" is being carried out.
"As a media person, I want a Public Service for everyone and that's how we behaved...", he emphasized, adding that the members of the Council are in a "very difficult position." He recalled that he voted at his own discretion.
"I don't care how anyone voted, I know how I voted," said Drljević.
Lazović: I am not guilty and I will not answer questions from the court, prosecutor, or lawyer.
RTCG Council member Filip Lazović declared himself not guilty and added that he would not answer questions from the court, prosecutor, or lawyer.
"This entire proceeding is controversial, especially when I read the indictment. In a way, I see it as a kind of defamation," Lazović said.
He claims that he is not subject to pressure within the Public Service Council.
"We elected the general director, and after, of course, we consulted with legal representatives and lawyers... In that situation, two issues were controversial - whether the selection of candidates should be carried out again and who are the persons who should be on that list, i.e. whether Boris Raonić should still be on the list of those candidates. I believed that I acted in accordance with the law. The second controversial issue was - whether we are implementing the decision of the Higher Court. I believe that we did not act contrary to it...", Lazović said.
He said that the indictment caught him by surprise.
"I have researched situations in which selection or employment decisions have been overturned by the courts and how many times prosecutions have been initiated. Since I have not found an example, I would express the opinion that the prosecutor succumbed to public pressure," he said.
He said that "in this case, a precedent has been set that, in the future, could be dangerous."
"This procedure sends a message that if someone doesn't like your decision, you can be prosecuted again... I hope the court will be guided by positive regulations. I am convinced that the epilogue of this procedure will be satisfactory for me," said Lazović.
Murić doesn't respond, he doesn't even understand the indictment
Council member Amina Murić said she would not answer questions.
"I do not understand the indictment, because I do not see what my guilt consists of. This case has received numerous media reactions and has been instrumentalized in order to degrade me and my colleagues... What I am being charged with is meaningless. This procedure is being used to create a show and a false image of us. I want to do everything in my power to make this show last as short as possible," said Murić.
She said that “the ordeal she went through in these three years has affected her health.” She said that the increase in RTCG's viewership has affected the financial losses of other private media outlets.
"... I think we acted according to the verdict of the High Court and that we did not break any law. I reject the accusations of collusion and association or anything like that. I was just doing my job. I was accused only because I was doing my job...", said Murić.
She said that she and her colleagues are not the ones who should be sitting in the dock, but rather individuals who work for the benefit of private media, while receiving financial compensation from RTCG.
Zorić: It doesn't matter how I voted, pressure is being exerted on the Council
Naod Zorić, also a member of the RTCG Council, said he was not guilty.
"I will tell you only the truth. I am a freelance artist and unemployed. This is the first time I have done something in the interest of the public and my country... I have long had the idea that RTCG should have its own gallery. Working in the Council does not represent my existence," he said, adding that he learned about the court's decision through the media.
He claims that he had a dilemma about whether Raonic could even be a candidate for general manager.
"I believe that it is completely irrelevant whether or how I voted. It is completely irrelevant how much pressure is put on the Council... I will leave that Council as an honorable man," Zorić said.
He stated that Camović Velicković targeted him.
"She said that someone convinced me to vote... I respected the court's decisions. I made my own decisions," he said.
Marinović: I was closer to the position that a new competition should be announced
RTCG Council member Predrag Miranović also said he was not guilty and added that he would still answer the court's questions.
"First, we voted to accept the court's verdict. The second point of that session was how to proceed. Should we cancel the entire competition and announce a new one, or should we make a selection among the remaining candidates? I was closer to the first position. Lawyers believed that this was not correct, because the court did not state this in its decision..," said Miranović, adding that he was in favor of "the option of canceling the competition."
He emphasized that the vote was secret, and added that he did not circle anyone.
"I folded the ballot twice and put it in the box. That's all I have to say for now," he said.
He stated that he had read the first verdict of the Higher Court, but that he could not claim that “both” had been delivered. He said that he had no knowledge of who had been acting since the moment Boris Raonić “was no longer there”.
Miranović said that Raonić was present at the very beginning of the meeting. "Then he left. If I remember correctly, the reason he left the meeting was the explanation from the legal department that he was no longer the director, because the court verdict is final," Miranović said.
When asked by the prosecutor whether he had seen Raonic, Miranović said that he was the last to arrive at the Council session.
"I entered the room from the elevator. I didn't even see Raonic at the session," he says.
The prosecutor asked Miranović whether Council member Milica Špajak participated in the vote. Miranović replied that Špajak did not take a ballot.
"She was sitting next to me. I assume the quorum was calculated from those who took the ballot and voted," Miranović said.
He emphasized that there was no agreement on how everyone would vote and added that no one influenced him.
"I was invited by Petar Komnenić to be a guest on 'Načisto' television... I agreed to it and answered one of his questions the same way I answered it today," said Miranović, adding that he has a recording of that show, and that he can provide it to the court if necessary.
During today's trial, Judge Dragana Lubarda conducted material evidence. A new hearing is scheduled for April 11th, when she will hear witnesses at the hearing.
Bonus video:
