WORLD NEWS FOR MONTENEGRO DIASPORA
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Leaders of the Democratic Front Andrija Mandić and Milan Knežević were removed from the courtroom of the High Court in Podgorica today because they ignored the warnings of judge Zoran Radović to present their defense without asking the prosecution and the court.
Mandić and Knežević, along with eleven other defendants, are on trial before the Podgorica High Court for participating in the planning of the violent seizure of the Parliament of Montenegro on the night of the 2016 parliamentary elections as members of a criminal organization led by Eduard Šišmakov and Vladimir Popov.
After the Court of Appeal overturned the 2019 verdict after several delays, today the proceedings against this group started all over again.
All the defendants stood by their earlier testimony and denied guilt and the allegations of the indictment.
Mandić and Knežević asked the SDT to answer why they continue to persecute the leader of their coalition even after the political changes.
Judge Zoran Radović warned them to explain the circumstances related to the presentation of their defense and to respect court order so as not to be removed.
They pointed out that they understand the court but do not refrain from seeking answers to some questions.
Mandic ignored the court's warning and announced that he will continue to talk about the connection between the SDT and the former judicial council and the current GST.
He expressed dissatisfaction with the current chief special prosecutor Vladimir Novović, accusing him of continuing the practice of his predecessor, Milivoj Katnić.
They continue to do what the former GST Milivoje Katnić started, the former regime of Milo Đukanović and the international factor that is in all our institutions. Everything is the same, only Katnić is not there. It is obvious that the SDT and the previous court panel were in a joint criminal enterprise and that this proceeding has a political background. I hoped that after the political changes that took place, SDT would treat us differently - Mandic said.
Knežević believes that the SDT proceedings against him and Mandić have an emphasized political narrative.
He expressed his doubt that the SDT is currently acting on behalf of foreign embassies and international entities, although, as he says, it is certain that a stable government cannot be formed without the DF.
The accused Brtislav Dikić stated that the SDT put pressure on him during the court proceedings itself, as well as during the investigation.
He asserted that SDT, Special Prosecutor Saša Čađenović and then Chief Special Prosecutor Milivoje Katnić influenced him to accuse the SPC and the people from Montenegro who are on the dock of plotting a coup d'état.
24 times, during the judicial proceedings, without the knowledge of the court, they took me with handcuffs and a bag on my head, to a civilian vehicle, to the SDT - said Dikić.
He said that Čađenović first offered him 50,000 euros to plead guilty and accuse others, which he refused.
Then came an offer of 100,000 euros. And I refused. He said I would be sentenced to 15 years and die in prison. I told him that it's better to live on my feet than on my knees - added Dikić.
The accused Branka Milić told the court that she was being tortured by the regime of that country because of the President of Serbia. She pointed out that this is also reflected in the fact that there are 14 misdemeanor proceedings before the authorities of Serbia, and one of them refers to the report due to her recent statement in which she linked Vučić to this proceeding.
We remind you that the Court of Appeals previously annulled the verdict by which 13 defendants were sentenced to a total of about 70 years in prison. The procedure was sent back to the High Court in Podgorica for a retrial before a modified court panel.
Earlier, during the sentencing, judge Suzana Mugoša stated, among other things, that Russian citizens Eduard Šišmakov and Vladimir Popov formed a criminal group in Serbia, Russia and Montenegro in 2016, which was supposed to commit criminal acts in order to intimidate the citizens of Montenegro. threatened the lives and bodies of citizens and seriously threatened the basic constitutional, political and social structures of Montenegro. In this case, the cooperating witness was Saša Sinđelić.
Eduard Šišmakov was sentenced to 15 years in prison, Vladimir Popov to 12, the leaders of the opposition Democratic Front Andrija Mandić and Milan Knežević to five years in prison each, and Bratislav Dikić to eight years in prison. Predrag Bogićević and Nemanja Ristić were each sentenced to seven years in prison by the revoked verdict.
Mihajlo Čađenović was sentenced to one year and six months, Branka Milić, a citizen of Serbia who escaped from the trial to the Serbian embassy, was sentenced to three years in prison. Milan Dušić was sentenced to a year and a half in prison, Dragan Maksić was sentenced to a year and nine months, Srboljub Đorđević to a year and a half, and Kristina Hristić was sentenced to a suspended sentence.
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