Open letter from Lidija Mitrović: I will not serve a sentence for a crime I didn't commit, Novović has „covered“ and controls the High Court and Court of Appeal

Former Special State Prosecutor Lidija Mitrović announced in an open letter to the public that she has decided not to serve a seven-month prison sentence, claiming that she was unjustly convicted in what she describes as a fabricated and unlawful proceeding.

She claims that her years-long persecution was organized and led by Chief Special Prosecutor Vladimir Novović due to her professional conduct in specific cases.

Mitrović asserts that in the case „Klap, Vardar and Bora“ she acted lawfully and that there was no damage to the state budget as a result of her actions.

We publish the open letter of Lidija Mitrović in full:

Given the circumstances related to my professional career, I have made a decision which I believe will negatively affect public opinion, and especially my family.

Namely, after several months of sleepless nights and severe personal trauma that have seriously endangered my health, I have decided not to serve a prison sentence. In my 25-year career, acting both as a judge and as a special state prosecutor, I have never done anything unlawful.

To humiliate myself and go to prison, unjustly and dishonorably accused and convicted in a fabricated and malicious proceeding, is unacceptable to me. I emphasize: I am not afraid of prison, nor is this about avoiding the loss of comfort for several months. I did not break the law.

I hereby inform the public that my personal dignity, the fact that I am innocent and unjustly convicted, as well as the human need for truth and justice, do not allow me to voluntarily place my head on the guillotine for those whose understanding of law does not lie in the Constitution and the laws.

I do not want to allow my dignified life and career to serve merely as a number for fulfilling benchmarks or gaining points for the career advancement of those for whom the robe they wear is a means, not an obligation and a privilege.

First and foremost, I apologize to the citizens of Montenegro, because they would not expect this from me, a holder of judicial office without a single stain in my professional career.

At the same time, I am aware that I will disappoint my family, who have stood by me throughout this entire time.

I am also causing pain to my family, because instead of being with my children, one of whom is a minor, I have chosen a difficult and uncertain path, as I cannot accept serving a prison sentence for something I am not guilty of.

I remind the public that by the judgment of the High Court in Podgorica, rendered by Judge Vujanović, I was sentenced to seven months in prison. Upon my appeal, and entirely as expected, the Court of Appeal for the first time annulled that judgment, and the three-member panel (Moštrokol, Vujović and Jović) requested that the first-instance court answer essential and substantive questions. This first decision of the Court of Appeal gave me hope that the judicial system in Montenegro still functions and that there are those who respect the law, and that the prosecutor’s fabricated indictment would be dismissed.

Under that decision of the Court of Appeal, the first-instance court was obliged to fully clarify and respond to the Court’s requests. Instead of acting in accordance with the decision of the Court of Appeal, Judge Vujanović expeditiously, already after the second hearing, rendered absolutely the same first-instance judgment, completely ignoring the Court’s decision.

Surprised by the rendering of the identical judgment, I filed another appeal, convinced that if the Court of Appeal had already once annulled such a flawed, contradictory, unfounded and unlawful decision, it would do so again. However, this time, a changed Court panel, whose composition was tendentiously altered (Tabaš, Milanović and Moštrokol), confirmed the same, unchanged, unreasoned and previously annulled decision of the High Court.

It is obvious that a carefully selected team was chosen, whose professional conscience was not an obstacle to carrying out this dirty, commissioned task.

This second decision of the Court of Appeal, I deeply believe, without entering into the motives of the judges concerned, represents a black stain on their careers. It constitutes a gross violation of the law and fundamental human rights and nullifies the integrity of every holder of judicial or prosecutorial office who conducts their work in accordance with the Constitution and the law and their independent judicial or prosecutorial conviction.

In the case „Klap, Vardar and Bora“, for which I was accused and ultimately convicted in a fabricated process against me, I consistently and lawfully applied, within my authority, the provisions of the Law on the Liability of Legal Entities for Criminal Offences.

During this fabricated proceeding against me, I consulted an expert who is the highest authority in this field and who is, among other things, the principal author of this law - Professor Dr Zoran Stojanović. Professor Stojanović is also the author of the commentary on the said law. His brother, a respected attorney, was also present at the consultations.

Based on a full review of the case files, Professor Stojanović informed me that I had not made even the slightest mistake in applying the Law on the Liability of Legal Entities for Criminal Offences. He also confirmed that in this case the only correct approach was to apply precisely this law as lex specialis. This was a great professional satisfaction for me and confirmation that I had acted fully in accordance with the law.

I wish to inform the public that the persecution and suffering that I and my family have endured for years has been organized and carried out exclusively by one person: Chief Special Prosecutor Vladimir Novović.

The attacks against me by Novović began at the end of 2022 in connection with the case of former Minister of Defence Olivera Injac. It is very important to note that until that day, my relations with Novović were professional and correct. Unfortunately, the criminal complaint against then-Minister Injac was assigned to me as a special prosecutor. I attempted to perform my prosecutorial duties in accordance with the law.

However, Mr. Novović’s obligation to protect Olivera Injac from criminal proceedings was of such a nature that from that moment he began a personal vendetta against me, choosing no means. He did not allow that person to receive any form of criminal-procedural treatment by the SSPO. I will not comment on the motives behind such behavior.

After the first submission of the indictment against Injac, I was urgently delivered a „binding instruction“ whose sole aim was to find a „legal path“ for her acquittal. After that, another „binding instruction“ followed in the same case - something unprecedented since the establishment of the SSPO. That was when I realized, albeit too late, that Novović would not allow prosecutorial independence in my work. On that occasion, I asked him: „Do I have to go to prison instead of her?“.

In that case, a court expert identified damage and precisely stated in his findings the amount of funds unlawfully misused from the budget - amounting to several tens of thousands of euros. Summarizing the entire case file, statements, and all actions taken during the investigation, I drafted the indictment at the end of November 2022. When I informed Novović by phone, I felt that „the devil had taken the joke seriously“.

That same day, his operatives entered the prosecutor’s office registry and seized the entire case file. Additionally, in complete violation of internal procedures, they entered my office in my absence and conducted a search and seizure of all documents related to the case. I drafted an official note on these circumstances. By doing so, Novović committed a serious disciplinary offence punishable by dismissal under the Law on the State Prosecutor’s Office, Article 125, paragraph 6. From that day on, nothing was the same.

He searched for interpretations that could be construed ambiguously and ordered another prosecutor to find potential liability in the cases I had handled as a special prosecutor, which he did in relation to „Klap, Vardar and Bora“.

It is evident that there was a personal, difficult-to-explain desire and need on his part to ensure that Injac be protected from any proceedings under the SSPO's jurisdiction.

Dear citizens, instead of Injac being held accountable for these illegalities, I am expected to serve a prison sentence for something I never did - and it is important to emphasize that in my handling of the „Klap, Vardar and Bora“ case there is no quantified damage.

I must stress that through my work in these cases I returned over seven million euros to the state budget and filed multiple indictments that were confirmed, involving quantified damage of 9,5 million euros.

Imagine this: out of over 100 convicted and accused legal entities and responsible persons, the prosecutor found that for four individuals there were no conditions to apply deferred prosecution, despite the fact that they were responsible persons who had fully fulfilled the imposed obligations, returned unlawfully obtained benefit exceeding 260.000 euros, and paid fines of approximately 18.000 euros.

The fabricated indictment produced by the prosecution - and upheld by both the High Court and Court of Appeal - struck at itself by annulling the fundamental principle on which it rests: prosecutorial discretion. Following the logic of this fabricated indictment would mean that a prosecutor has no right to decide whether there is sufficient evidence to initiate proceedings, file an indictment, suspend proceedings, or apply deferred measures.

Dear citizens, I ask you to understand my cry for truth and justice. I cannot reconcile myself with a reality so harsh and unjust. You yourselves can assess whether the head of the SSPO is playing with human destinies beyond control and beyond the law. I am not prepared to accept that.

I must note that among all prosecutors handling financial crime, I dealt with the most high-profile cases of this type, including: the Commercial Court case, the case of the Director of the Real Estate Administration, the Coastal Zone case, the Grahovo case, and the „Klap, Vardar and Bora“ case - where I again emphasize that I returned over seven million euros to the state.

Judge Vujanović’s motive to convict me at Novović’s exclusive request is significant. The two are in close, friendly relations, and Novović personally advocated for the transfer of Vujanović’s wife to the Administrative Court in Podgorica. On the same day, not coincidentally, Novović’s wife was also elected as a judge of the Administrative Court.

That these fabricated actions and coordinated efforts from a single center do not end there is indicated by the fact that Novović promised Vujanović assistance in his election as a Constitutional Court judge. Thus, my seven-month sentence received its concrete compensation. In addition to repaying a favor to Vujanović, Novović also needs „his man“ in the Constitutional Court.

It is highly relevant that Vujanović’s wife was elected as a judge of the Basic Court in Bijelo Polje on 30 July 2021 by the Judicial Council, of which Novović was a member.

It must be acknowledged that Mr. Novović is very capable. He managed to install his man as Supreme State Prosecutor. He has completely „covered“ and controls the High Court and Court of Appeal. In a short time, he has woven a network of his people and controls all state prosecutorial organizations.

We must all seriously reflect on whether the concentration of power in the hands of one man within the judiciary can contribute to greater justice. Past experience indicates that such concentration can be extremely dangerous for society.

The question arises whether this group will succeed in misleading President Milatović, who is to nominate a Constitutional Court judge from his quota. I want to believe that the President is an honorable man and that he should not be a participant in this story.

If President Milatović were to nominate Vujanović, he would further strengthen this problematic group - something I do not wish to believe.

A dangerous conclusion emerges that both the judiciary and the prosecution are under the complete control of one man, who represents a serious obstacle to justice.

My sentence of seven months - rather than six - is an additional act of malice. The difference is not merely one month, but the additional legal consequences and rights of a person sentenced to six months. All of this was designed by Novović at the end of November 2022, when I signed the indictment against Olivera Injac.

Dear public of Montenegro, once again I deeply apologize for my last desperate step, taken while torn between my conscience and our harsh reality.

31 January 2026

Lidija Mitrović