Members of the Council of the Radio and Television of Montenegro (RTCG) have been asked several times not to elect Boris Raonić as the General Director of the Public Service Broadcaster, because by doing so they are entering the zone of criminal liability.
This was stated by the Vice President of the RTCG Council, Marijana Camović Veličković, during the trial in the Podgorica Basic Court.
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 Council President Veselin Drljević, members Filip Lazović, Amina Murić, Naod Zorić, and former member Predrag Miranović.
According to her, the Council session at which Raonić was elected as Director General was preceded by a meeting during which options for a management position at RTCG were discussed.
"I received an invitation to attend a meeting of the Public Service Council. I showed up maybe a few minutes late. We received a verdict in which a sentence was underlined that the advertisement should be canceled or the remaining candidates from 2021 should be selected. It was unclear to those present how the court left such an alternative. The verdict itself was interpreted, and Raonić, who was present, then intervened and stated that he had known about the verdict weeks in advance... It was mentioned that a choice should be made between four candidates. I was silent for a while to see how the situation would develop. Options were discussed and I said that the competition should be canceled and that it was clear that Boris Raonić could not be the general director," said Camović Veličković.
She said that she was told that Raonic had no obstacles as a candidate, to which Camovic Velickovic said that "they were not chosen to be comfortable."
"There was a session tomorrow. They voted on whether the session would be public. Right before the end of the meeting, Raonić dictated the agenda to Drljević. He wrote it down and read us the agenda. I begged them not to put Raonić on that list, and that it was illegal... I told them that they were entering the zone of criminal liability. However, then the lawyers reacted and stated that there was no criminal liability and I continued to instruct the members of the Council to act according to the final verdict," she explained.
She said that she asked the Council to act according to the first-instance verdict and not to appeal it.
"After the break, I asked Drljević to read me the list of candidates, which he refused. I left the session. A few minutes later, the Council voted and Raonić was elected," said the vice president of the RTCG Council.
She recalled that Raonic could not have been on the list of candidates and added that the members of the Council enabled him to be illegally selected.
Camović Velicković said that a copy of the second-instance verdict was submitted by lawyer Zorica Đukanović.
"I think that lawyer Saša Vuković did not attend the meeting, but rather the session itself," she said.
Responding to the question of the RTCG defense whether she voted during the subsequent sessions, Camović Velicković pointed out that she voted on the points concerning the dismissal of the President of the Council, Veselin Drljević, because she considers him "unworthy of that position."
"He is not a credible witness"
Lawyer Vladan Bojić asked Camović Velicković if there was a personal conflict between her and Raonic. She replied that "from my side there is none," adding that she was just performing her public function.
Lawyer Tomica Knežević asked Camović Velicković if she was familiar with Article 50 of the Law on the National Public Broadcaster. She said she was, adding that this was the provision that stated that Raonić could not be a candidate.
"The final decision itself states that by annulling the source, we are returning to the state of affairs at the time of the 2021 election, when there was a conflict of interest for Raonic, which is confirmed by final judgments. We were deciding on the 2021 competition, not 2023. I repeated that at the session that day," said Camović Velicković.
Defendant Amina Murić asked Camović Velicković whether it was true that she "sought employment for her husband" through Raonic.
"That is absolutely not true," emphasized Camović Velicković.
Lawyer Nebojša Asanović made a remark that Camović Velicković was blaming the members of the RTCG Council. He criticized her for not having positive comments on the work of the Public Service Broadcaster, and therefore "she is not a credible witness for us."
Lawyer Bojić called Camović Velicković a stalker and said that it was impossible for her to be the only moral compass at RTCG. He said that she was obsessed with Raonic.
"Deliberately misled the public"
Defendant Veselin Drljević said that "it is not true that we set the agenda according to someone's dictates."
"I knew what I had to do... On two occasions she deliberately misled the public. At every session she made a tirade against the media she was in charge of. I object to her untruthful statements," he said.
Defendant Filip Lazović said that he hoped that Camović Velicković would understand her role in the proceedings, and not express her own impressions that were not related to these proceedings.
Defendant Amina Murić said that Camović Veličković's statement was untrue.
Špajak: I asked the lawyer if there could be criminal liability
RTCG Council member Milica Špajak said that in 2023 she expressed the view that a competition should be announced for the selection of the director of the Public Service Broadcaster.
"I did not vote and took the ballot. I stayed until the very end of the session and did not vote," said Špajak.
She said that she asked lawyer Đukanović whether the Council members could be held criminally liable, and their position, she said, was that it could not be.
Špajak said that she agreed with Murić that the session should have been closed to the public, because the room was too small for all the journalists.
Špajak said that she did not speak with the members of the Council about the vote itself.
"As far as I remember there were two breaks, but I can't remember how long they lasted."
Prosecutor: Špajak was thinking about criminal liability, which means the situation was not crystal clear
Prosecutor Igor Šćekić said that Špajak was considering criminal liability, "which means that the situation was not crystal clear."
"Also unclear are the witness's allegations that, as a member of the Council, she presented a proposal that was practically ignored, so the question arises whether the witness does not remember that a vote was held on her proposal," he said.
Bojić said that Špajak's fear of criminal liability was a natural reaction, as it was a consequence of Camović Veličković's "persecution".
Drljević emphasized that the Council does not work on rebellions.
"I would also point out to the state prosecutor that there may be rebellions among the members of the Council, but that everything should be voted on and determined," he said.
Baća: I felt like the court didn't want to make a decision, so they moved the ball to our court
Witness Bojan Baća said that when he received the verdict, during an informal meeting, he was shocked by how much it "was in a stream of consciousness form, illiterate."
"I was confused as to why we were given the task of interpreting that decision... I'm not a lawyer, I always rely on their opinions. My problem was that I didn't understand that it could be interpreted in two ways. My colleagues gave convincing arguments. I felt as if the court didn't want to make a decision, but rather moved the ball to our court," said Baća, adding that the public pressure was too great.
Judge Dragana Lubarda directed him to focus on the facts and not give his extensive views on the Montenegrin judicial system.
Baća reminded the court that he resigned on June 1, 2023.
"I decided to focus on my job," he said.
Baća stated that he informed Raonic of his resignation, adding that he did not suffer any pressure.
"I would repeat that the atmosphere was working. There was no conspiratorial element, in my opinion and from my perspective," he said.
The court to obtain the rules of procedure
Lawyer Marković proposed to the court to obtain the rules of procedure of the RTCG Council, which were in force "at the time of the disputed vote".
The hearing will continue on June 6th.
Bonus video:
