Montenegro: Indictment confirmed against former chief prosecutor and ex-police official

(Patria) - The Criminal Panel of the High Court in Podgorica has confirmed the indictment against former police official Zoran Lazović and former chief special prosecutor Milivoje Katnić, RTCG reports, citing a statement from the court.

"By the decision of the Criminal Panel of the High Court in Podgorica, the indictment of the Special State Prosecutor's Office has been confirmed, which charges Z.L. with committing the criminal offenses of creating a criminal organization, abuse of official position, prolonged criminal offense of money laundering, and prolonged criminal offense of illegal possession and carrying of weapons and explosives," the High Court stated.

They also stated that the indictment against M.K. has been confirmed for the criminal offense of "creating a criminal organization", two criminal offenses of "abuse of official position", and the criminal offense of "illegal possession and carrying of weapons and explosives".

"According to the panel's findings, the evidence proposed in the indictment justifies the existence of a well-founded suspicion that the accused Z.L. and M.K. have committed the criminal offenses with which they are charged to the extent necessary and sufficient for the confirmation of the indictment and the bringing of this criminal case to trial," the High Court emphasized.

This panel, particularly at the stage of indictment review, is not authorized to assess contradictory evidence; such an assessment can only be made by the trial panel after the evidence has been presented in a contradictory procedure during the main trial.

Today, the Constitutional Court of Montenegro also rejected the appeal of the defense attorneys of the accused, former Assistant Director of the Police Administration Zoran Lazović, filed against the decision of the Supreme Court of Montenegro from July 2024, which extended Lazović's detention, RTCG reports.