Jovović: Police acted within a reasonable timeframe, order for the forced apprehension of Mitrović reached them five days later due to administrative procedure

On 19 January, the Police Directorate received an order from the Basic Court in Podgorica for the forced apprehension of Lidija Mitrović, and from that day until 2 February police officers searched for the convicted former special prosecutor at known addresses in order to send her to serve a seven-month prison sentence.

This follows from the response of the President of the Basic Court in Podgorica Željka Jovović, from whom Vijesti requested additional clarification regarding the course of cooperation and communication between the Court and the Police Directorate in handling this enforcement of criminal sanctions case.

Jovović reiterated that the Basic Court issued the order for forced apprehension on 14 January, which the Police Directorate received five days later, following the completion of the necessary administrative procedures.

- The period from the day the order was received to the day the notification was drafted, on 30 January 2026, represents the time during which the Police Directorate, as follows from the notification, visited the convicted person on several occasions at the specified address. This constitutes a reasonable timeframe for undertaking actions pursuant to the court order and subsequently providing final notification as to whether the person was found or whether it can be concluded that the person is evading the police - the response of the President of the Basic Court in Podgorica states.

She emphasized that in regular proceedings, a period of 11 days does not require the court to contact the police regarding actions taken under the order, explaining that the Police Directorate must undertake multiple actions and search for the convicted person on several occasions in order to provide the court with a final and valid notification, which is then assessed in determining whether the conditions for issuing a wanted notice have been met.

- This, bearing in mind the statutory provision regulating the conditions for issuing a wanted notice, made it necessary and essential for the police to first undertake the required actions within a reasonable timeframe in executing the court order - Judge Jovović stated.

The President of the Basic Court in Podgorica also stressed that the court „had no problems whatsoever with the Police Directorate regarding actions taken in this case“.

- In general, cooperation between this court and the police is at a good level, as I have stated publicly on several occasions, and so far no issues have been observed in practice that could not be resolved in accordance with the law. For the purpose of more efficient proceedings and improved cooperation, meetings between representatives of the court and the police are held on an ongoing basis. I would particularly point to the meeting with Police Director Lazar Šćepanović at the premises of the Basic Court, during which the improvement of cooperation precisely on the issues that are now the subject of your interest was discussed - she concluded.

Mitrović was sentenced to seven months in prison for abuse of official position in the „Klap“ case.

The High Court in Podgorica previously found Mitrović guilty for dismissing criminal complaints for tax evasion against four individuals and one legal entity after the defendants had paid outstanding tax liabilities.

Although the judgment is final, Mitrović has not yet begun serving her sentence. The Basic Court in Podgorica confirmed that her request for a postponement of the sentence was rejected on 24 October, but that she filed an appeal, which was decided by the higher court.

The prison sentence was imposed at the end of 2024 in a retrial, after the Court of Appeal quashed the initial decision and returned the case for a new trial. In May 2025, the second-instance court upheld the new judgment.

The law provides for the possibility of postponing the execution of a sentence in special circumstances, such as serious illness, a death in the family, or the completion of education.

During the proceedings, Mitrović claimed that the dismissed reports contained no elements of a criminal offense, while the High Court and the Court of Appeal concluded that, in her capacity as a public official, she unlawfully abused her position and applied deferred prosecution despite knowing that this legal institute could not be used in cases of tax evasion.