The Vučeljić and Novaković families will remember the last day of 2023 for as long as they live, but not with celebration, but with tears. At around 20:40 p.m. in the Podgorica neighborhood of Zlatica, seventeen-year-old Filip Vučeljić was killed in a traffic accident after the car he was driving hit a Golf driven by Jovan Dubljević, who was two years older than him.
Four days later, Filip's companion and friend Andrija Novaković also died as a result of the accident.
After more than a year, Judge Katarina Padalica of the Podgorica High Court scheduled the verdict for March 7th, and closing arguments were heard today.
Ahead of the trial, families and friends of the young men who were killed said they were disappointed with the system, but also with the course of the trial.
"We are here today because we are seeking justice for Filip and Andrija. We do not agree that this is some ordinary accident that someone experiences. There are deaths every day, all due to running red lights, drugged drivers, exceeding the speed limit. This is ideal for someone to start with a stronger sentence," said the father of the late Filip Vučeljić, Dalibor.
According to the indictment of the Higher Prosecutor's Office, Dubljević is accused of running a red light at a speed of about 112 kilometers per hour and, under the influence of marijuana, colliding with the vehicle in which Filip and Andrija were.
Dubljević is charged with a serious crime against the safety of public transport and is alleged to have acted with possible intent in relation to that criminal act. The families of the victims do not fully agree with the allegations in the indictment.
"We are of the opinion that this is direct intent because we do not know what else Dubljević Jovan had to do to make it direct intent. Now, how satisfied we are with the entire trial, and that, is perhaps debatable because we have some obstructions, so to speak, from the traffic expert, who said that 112 was called, and in the last trial, we had a review of two CDs with photographs from the scene of the accident, where it was easy to determine that the speed was much higher. Our request to repeat the expert examination was denied," explains Dalibor Vučeljić.
"Everything has been proven factually, so absolutely everything has been proven factually and we hope that the sentence will be appropriate and a warning to other participants who come forward," said Dragoljub Petrović, the lawyer for the families of the deceased.
"According to Article 41 of that law, the provisions applicable to minors may be applied to a person who committed a criminal offense at the time of his trial and was not yet 21 years old. It is truly a painful and difficult situation, and as a lawyer with many years of experience, I have done nothing to increase the pain and suffering of that family, of course within the limits of my jurisdiction," said Jovan Dubljević's lawyer, Zdravko Begović.
The families of the murdered young men will gather in front of the courthouse on the day of the verdict.
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