The Podgorica High Court will make a final decision on whether Veljović is guilty of assaulting a police officer

The Cetinje Basic Prosecutor's Office appealed against the verdict acquitting the advisor to the President of the Republic of Milo Đukanović and the former director of the Police Administration, Veselin Veljović, of the charge of assaulting the police officer Božidar Bulatović, on September 5 last year, during the protest against the enthronement of Metropolitan Joaniki of Montenegrin Littoral in Cetinje.

This means that the final decision on this matter will be made by the Podgorica High Court, Televizija Vijesti learns.

One of Veljovićević's lawyers, Mihailo Volkov, told Television Vijesti that such a move by the Prosecutor's Office was expected, but also that he believes that the High Court will confirm the acquittal decision.

"I believe for the reason that in the judgment itself the judge gave more than enough reasons on which to base his court decision, and also that Higher Court will have before it the same evidence that we conducted together in this court process," said Volkov.

The first-instance acquittal of Veljović was announced on April 7 by the judge of the Basic Court of Cetinje, Marija Ćupić, who claimed that there was no evidence for the conviction. The testimony of police officer Bulatović, who said that Veljović did not attack him, contributed the most to his release.

"The injured party clearly stated that "then I noticed that a crowd of people was pushing forward Veselin Veljović and all other citizens towards the police cordon. I noticed that at that moment Veselin Veljović raised his hands at chest height, but not facing the police officers in the sense of attacking and pushing but that he was trying to protect his body," said Ćupić.

After the acquittal, Veljović assessed that prosecutor Sanja Radunović succumbed to the influence of other centers that could have influenced this case.

"With regret because she showed incompetence and inability to assess what are real facts. It certainly contributes to the compromise of the prosecutor's organization itself," Veljović said.

Whether the Basic Prosecutor's Office compromised itself will be answered by the High Court in Podgorica, which will confirm or modify the decision of its colleagues from Cetinje, and may also order a new trial for Veljović.