Nastić: It was not a businessman giving orders to a prosecutor, but a brother corresponding with his sister

Higher State Prosecutor Andrijana Nastić stated before the Higher Court, during the indictment review hearing, that she had categorically never disclosed secret or confidential information and that the only organization she belongs to, and has ever belonged to, is the prosecutorial one.

- Today is doubly difficult for me because I am here both as a defendant and as the sister of Aleksandar Mijajlović, with whom I am closer than with my own biological brother. There is no criminal story here, and it was not a businessman commanding a prosecutor, but rather a brother corresponding with his sister - Nastić said.

The prosecution accuses her of allegedly being a member of a criminal organization formed by Mijajlović, whose alleged members also included police officers Drago Spičanović, Milovan Pavićević, Vladan Lazović and Democratic Party of Socialists official Predrag Bošković.

Before the panel presided over by Judge Zoran Radović, she said that for seven months she had been unable to understand how her name ended up in the order to conduct the investigation, given that she had built her identity through a normal attitude toward life and work.

- My brother cannot be the head of an organized criminal group to me, he can only be a family member. From the publication of the first message, it was clear that this was private communication that had been criminalized. I repeat, it was correspondence with my brother - a person I trust. I was in contact with a family member, not the head of a criminal organization - Nastić stated.

She pointed out that some messages had been taken out of context and that omitting just one word or comma was enough to give them an entirely different meaning.

Nastić reiterated that she is „not part of any criminal story“ and that she believes the status of defendant does not belong to her.

She also reflected on her relationship with her brother, explaining that they had always been close, that she shared secrets with him and spoke to him about the difficulties she faced, which she described as natural in any family.

Corresponding with her brother, she said, did not discredit anyone nor cause any harmful consequences.

- My relationship with my brother has no expiration date, while I served as a prosecutor for 16 years, plus four years of internship. Communication with my brother is what gave me the status of defendant in this case - Nastić said.

She stated that she was particularly hurt by the allegation in the indictment that „the alleged criminal organization began operating during 2020“.

- That was the hardest year of my life. Within 15 days I lost both parents to COVID. I myself was seriously ill. Then my husband’s parents also passed away. In a very short time, we lost four family members - she recounted.

As she explained, her brother became her support during the most difficult moments.

- This is not some kind of melodrama, I simply want to present to the court the nature of our relationship. I never received any orders or instructions from him - Nastić said.

She also described the manner of her arrest, which she characterized as highly repressive and degrading. Three police officers handcuffed her in her office.

- I believe that day my photographs in handcuffs were among the most widely circulated, immediately creating the image that I was guilty regardless of the outcome of the proceedings. I do not think I deserved this treatment as their colleague, because I made an enormous contribution to the Prosecutor’s Office - the prosecutor said.

She further explained that the period during which she was allegedly a member of the organized criminal group, from 2020 to 2024, also made no sense to her, because her relationship with her brother has no time limit.

She stated that she does not know any of the accused individuals except for her brother and two prosecutors who were questioned as witnesses. Nastić emphasized that she had never had contact with politicians or businessmen, nor had she dealt with issues related to the church or the media.

- It is true that my brother used to tell me that the job of a prosecutor was not suitable for a woman and that I should become a lawyer, especially after the two tragedies in Cetinje where I was the acting prosecutor. I never received any benefits or advantages from him, I live on my salary. For all seven months I patiently waited for the start of the proceedings so that the truth could be established, because the public did not have a clear picture and was bombarded with half-information - Nastić stated firmly.

She requested that the proceedings be terminated.