Today, a panel session was held in the Court of Appeal of Montenegro, which discussed the appeal of the Higher State Prosecutor's Office in Podgorica against the acquittal of the defendant Budimir Krstović and his daughter Marina, for smuggling 1.206 kilograms of cocaine.
Budimir Krstović repeated before the court that he and his daughter are not guilty and that the proceedings against them were fabricated by former Prime Minister Dritan Abazović.
"My daughter and I went through a legal ordeal. The drugs were found by the US DEAS, not by our services. They provided them with the information. I am not ashamed that I was in prison, but I worry for the life of my daughter who, like me, was innocently accused. I have to mention, my older daughter left London", Budimir Krstović said in his address to the court.
He especially pointed out that former Prime Minister Dritan Abazović, together with the police, protected people he should not attack and accused them who were innocent. He added that this indictment is an embarrassment to the entire legal system and the prosecution.
"The fact that the entire justice system was abused by Dritan Abazović is devastating," Krstović emphasized.
"Political pressure, unfortunately for all of us, with the help of the Higher State Prosecutor's Office brought our defendants to the dock. The first-instance verdict is legal. Our authorities had information about the drug a few days before it arrived in the Port of Bar. When the real owner did not come to pick her up, they decided to "gift" her to the Krstovićs. I remind you that secret surveillance measures were not taken against our defendants, that the inspectors considered that they should not, but against the container that was suspected of containing the disputed cargo," said lawyer Stefan Jovanović.
Lawyer Dragoljub Đukanović said before the Court of Appeal that according to the allegations from the appeal submitted by the Higher State Prosecutor's Office against the acquittal verdict, one gets the impression that the Port of Bar and Port of Adria is the safest port in the world.
"He says: "cigarettes and drugs never came out and it's impossible for that to happen", as if there aren't dozens of cases about it. This problem exists in all countries of the world, only Marina and Budimir Krstović are the only ones who have been accused of it, and who ordered the goods - bananas. I will say it every time and I repeat it every time, Dritan Abzaović bought political points with this. Further in the complaint, it is stated that the air temperature can harm cocaine, that babanas are not fruit, but code for drugs. I have never heard such interpretations in my life", said lawyer Đukanović. Budimir Krstović and his daughter Marina Krstović were also acquitted of the charge of smuggling 1.206 kilograms of cocaine in repeated court proceedings.
The first-instance verdict was pronounced by judge Vesna Kovačević in July of last year, after the main hearing held in the courtroom of the High Court in Podgorica. The judge stuck to the earlier explanation of the acquittal pronounced at the end of November last year, stating then that the prosecution did not provide any evidence that the defendants obtained cocaine from an unknown person, as stated in the indictment.
Not hiding his indignation as to why he was arrested for smuggling cocaine without any reason, Budimir Krstović then said that the state has the possibility to investigate who ordered this shipment. When asked specifically by a journalist whether he suspects anyone, he answered:
"The state has the option, that I do not bid on the names, Petar, Dragan... The former director of ANB, Dejan Vukšić, provided the prosecution with evidence in that case, but the prosecution did not agree to activate that information. Why don't they bring them out. I never defended Milan Knežević in my life, and why did he defend me. Because he was a director in the parliamentary security committee. He knows everything. And when was that cocaine created and where did that car go... The drugs were not thrown out of my warehouse in packages at all, there are witnesses. I can't bid on names, whether it's "Petar", "Dragan" or this one. If we have 5.000 police officers, 5.500 of them will say that the Krstovićs have nothing to do with drugs. The service in both Serbia and Montenegro knows whose drug is cocaine, and who paid for the goods. I have no evidence that it belongs to anyone. I can't bid on names. I have three children, I can't put them at risk. This really needs to be published. On the advice of one of the directors from the cabinet of Zoran Brđanin, director of the Police Directorate, I received a recommendation that I must contact the American embassy. Admittedly, we contacted the American embassy even before that. I contacted the ambassador and sent my resume as well as the director of the DEA in Zagreb, who was coming here and went to the US embassy in Podgorica to thank us. I must also thank the OSCE, which followed the trial from beginning to end," said Budimir Krstović. He added that he hired a private agent at the behest of the DEA to find out where the drugs came from, and the agent has been working for two months.
Marina Krstović: They spread the story that drugs were found in Krstović's warehouse, but they were wrong
Lawyers Stefan Jovanović, Bojana Franović and Dragoljub Đukanović, the defendants' defenders, believe that the only right and legal decision in this proceeding is an acquittal.
Addressing the panel of the Appellate Court of Montenegro, Marina Krstović said that she is sure that the judges are aware of the maxim: "it is better to release a thousand guilty than to convict one innocent."
"I don't want anyone to be condemned, but I can tell you with certainty that there are two innocent people standing before you. I would like to believe that you, as the highest instance of the judiciary and enforcer of justice in this country, will correct the mistakes of the 43 Government and all the actors who influenced us to be arrested and sentenced in advance. I also include the prosecutor's office, which did not do its job, as well as the police, which obviously should not have opened this case, the largest seizure in the Balkans. And they had the means, they had the opportunities, they had the help of foreign services, but they didn't want it. They didn't want to or couldn't. To this day, no one gives us an answer to that question - who was in charge of this kind of action", said Marina Krstović, addressing the Court of Appeal, and then continued.
"Because no one can convince me that this is how the investigation of the largest seizure is conducted in the 21st century. It was simply easier for someone to push the Krstovićs into the fire, thinking that it would go that way, we will publish the story in the media - drugs found in Krstović's warehouse. Well, so they were mistaken. You know, my father wrote a letter to every official in the government at that time behind bars. No one deigned to answer him. Maybe because they were ashamed of their actions, so it was easier for them to cover their ears and change topic whenever the Krstović case is mentioned. Always the same answer, "no comment, the investigation is ongoing," she said. She referred to the positive response of the recently elected new VDT, Milorad Marković.
"And I can't help mentioning publicly today that this is the only person who, in all these past years when we have been writing to all institutions, has taken part of his working time to answer my strong appeals and requests and inquiries. The very answer that both cases against the prosecutor and this interpreter are in the investigation phase gives hope that someone will deal with the case objectively", stated Marina Krstović.
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