Knežević: I investigated Prosecutor Vukotić’s criminal activities, he owes debts to criminal groups from Nikšić

Prosecutor Jovan Vukotić harbors personal animosity and hatred toward me because I investigated his criminal activities, for which there are written documents concerning links to drug smuggling and other criminal offenses. I can also speak about his debts to criminal groups from Nikšić - former Assistant Director of the Police Directorate of Montenegro Dejan Knežević stated before the High Court, where he is standing trial on charges of leaking confidential information to a group allegedly formed, according to the Special State Prosecutor's Office of Montenegro, by Ljubo Milović and Mileta Ojdanić.

Knežević made these serious allegations after Prosecutor Vukotić analyzed his defense today. Over the course of five hearings, the former assistant police director had presented a detailed defense, rejecting all allegations from the indictment and claiming that he had been prosecuted without grounds and without a single piece of evidence.

According to Prosecutor Vukotić, Knežević’s defense was structured „in a way intended to discredit the Special State Prosecutor’s Office and his own work as the acting prosecutor“.

- Presenting a defense before the Hague Court takes less time. It is becoming clear why we spent four months listening to everything and anything, because detention for some defendants will soon expire. It is becoming clear who is still working in the interests of indicted members of organized criminal groups - Vukotić said, adding that in his closing arguments he would „settle accounts with the claims“ from Knežević’s defense.

Following that, Knežević addressed the judicial panel presided over by Judge Simo Rašović, stating that he understood the prosecutor’s speech as political and lacking concrete evidence, „as if we were in a café and not in a court“.

Knežević firmly insisted that he had investigated Prosecutor Vukotić’s activities and that written documents about it exist, which he could read either today or at one of the upcoming hearings.

- For everything I have said, I am prepared to undergo a polygraph test - Knežević stated.

According to him, he became convinced of Prosecutor Vukotić’s vindictive nature during a conversation in which the prosecutor allegedly told him that he would „arrest an inspector who had spoken badly about him“.

Judge Rašović noted that Knežević could present the written documents he mentioned at a future hearing.

The former assistant director of the Police Directorate also stated that the Court should hear testimony from the head of the Special Police Department, Predrag Šuković, regarding the so-called „blue notebook“ and certain contacts.

- It would be useful for the Court to summon Predrag Šuković as a witness and question him regarding acquaintances and the „blue notebook“, which he denied writing, where he mentioned certain colleagues in a negative context and listed who the CIA operatives in Montenegro are. He should explain where he got that information - Knežević said.

At the beginning of the hearing, Knežević answered questions from defense attorneys and firmly stated that while he headed the Sector for Combating Organized Crime, they always received decrypted material from Europol.

- I believe we never received original Sky material. Officially, we were never informed how they obtained the Sky material - Knežević said in response to a question from attorney Nikola Martinović.

According to Knežević, Sky communications were extracted using a secret program – „spyware“ used to hack phones and computers.

In response to Judge Rašović’s question, Knežević asserted that he had never disclosed any confidential information to suspended police officer Ljubo Milović.

- I never discussed planned activities of the security sector with Ljubo Milović - Knežević emphasized.

After Knežević concluded his defense, suspended police officer Ivan Stamatović stated that he had never given money to Dejan Knežević, while Petar Lazović stressed that he had never gifted weapons or anything else to the former assistant police director.

Knežević is on trial on charges that he disclosed confidential information to a group allegedly formed by Ljubo Milović and Mileta Ojdanić.

In addition to Knežević, the indictment by the Special State Prosecutor’s Office also includes former police officer Ljubo Milović (40), Mileta Ojdanić (51), Ivan Stamatović (40), Nebojša Bugarin (43), Petar Lazović (33), Marko Novaković (37), Milan Popović (40), Miloš Mišurović (41), Vladimir Bajčeta (43), Goran Stojanović (40), Darko Knežević (44), Milo Božović (46), Radoje Zvicer (41), and Božidar Jabučanin (46), Aleksandar Keković (31), Dražen Milović (36), Filip Zindović (34), Ivan Nikolić (37), Tihomir Adžić (38), Ivan Mijatović (38), and several unidentified persons.

Among other charges, they are accused of forming a criminal organization, money laundering, unauthorized production, possession and trafficking of narcotic drugs, and illegal possession of weapons and explosive materials.

Before the High Court today, Darko Knežević and Ivan Mijatović also presented their defenses, categorically denying the accusations that they were members of a criminal group.

The trial continues on June 25, when the remaining defendants are expected to present their defence.