Janičić: Lazović insisted on questioning Jovan Vukotić to possibly help clarify the murder of his father Veselin

Police officer Nikola Janičić, who worked in the Sector for the fight against organized crime, said before the High Court that the operations “25 May” and “Barbi” carried out in Herceg Novi in 2020, during which members of the „Kavač“ and „Škaljari“ clan branches were arrested, put an end to clashes between the two criminal groups, and that until recently there had been no serious criminal offenses in that town.

Janičić made this statement in the High Court proceedings initiated by the Special State Prosecutor’s Office (SDT) against former senior police official Zoran Lazović, former Chief Special Prosecutor Milivoje Katnić and prosecutor Saša Čađenović, who are accused of acting in favor of the „Kavač“ criminal group.

Answering questions from Čađenović, Janičić said that during 2019 and 2020 significantly more members of the „Kavač“ clan were prosecuted than members of the „Škaljari“ group.

He also stated that planned assassinations had been prevented, including those targeting Marko Ljubiša Kan who is considered a high-ranking member of the „Škaljari“ clan, Slobodan Kašćelan, one of the leaders of the „Kavač“ clan, as well as the planned liquidations of Marko Miljković and Veljko Belivuk.

- There was no selection. There were no privileged individuals. We focused on obtaining evidence and prosecuting members of both criminal clans - Janičić emphasized.

In response to Čađenović’s questions, he listed numerous operations and cases in which dozens of members of criminal clans were prosecuted.

- In the cases „25 May“, „Pruga“, „Tvrđava“, „Barbi“, as well as the case involving the attempted murder of Igor Krstović, the acting prosecutor was Saša Čađenović, as he was in many others. Only in the case codenamed „Cover Me“ was the acting prosecutor Nataša Bošković - the witness said.

Janičić was unequivocal that it never happened that prosecutor Čađenović refused to give consent to the police for planned operational actions.

Answering a question from Zoran Lazović, the witness said that in all implemented cases Lazović was the supervisor in charge.

Janičić also stated that he remembers Zoran Lazović insisting that Jovan Vukotić be questioned in connection with the murder of his father, Veselin Vukotić, to determine whether he might have any information that could help clarify that murder.

- Milorad Žižić informed me that this went through attorney Damir Lekić and that Vukotić said he was not interested - Janičić testified.

In response to questions from attorney Nikola Martinović, the witness said that he was aware that Petar Lazović had provided information in several criminal cases and that, precisely thanks to his information, some assassinations had been prevented.

Janičić also explained that part of his job involved monitoring covert surveillance measures and that he had never been able to determine that Petar Lazović was working for the „Kavač“ clan.