NOT ARRESTED: Priests in Podgorica taken in for questioning, then released

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - Prosecutor of the Basic State Prosecutor's Office (ODT) in Podgorica, Milica Mandić, told TVCG that no one was arrested today.

"It is not an arrest. The police invited citizens for an informational interview and collected the necessary information from them in their capacity as citizens. All that information was submitted to the Basic State Prosecutor's Office in Podgorica, which is competent to assess that information," said Mandić.

She added that since April 9, cases have been opened in the ODT Podgorica against 51 persons, for the criminal offense of failure to act in accordance with health regulations for the suppression of a dangerous infectious disease.
 
"In accordance with the instruction of the Supreme State Prosecutor, due to such a large number of violations of the measures adopted by the competent authorities, in the ODT we organized work in three prosecutorial teams in order to be able to hear all persons in the capacity of suspects within a short period of time. After the hearings, state prosecutors issued detention orders for up to 72 hours against 15 persons, while plea agreements were concluded for 36. The Basic Court in Podgorica has so far adopted 14 plea agreements, which the defendants concluded with the ODT, for this criminal offense, i.e., failure to act in accordance with health regulations for the suppression of a dangerous infectious disease. On this basis, i.e., based on the agreements, an amount of over 23,000 euros has been paid so far, either as fines or as payments in favor of humanitarian organizations, due to violations of the measures adopted by the competent state authorities, with the aim of suppressing the spread of the coronavirus. The remaining 22 agreements, which the prosecution concluded with the defendants, have been submitted to the Basic Court in Podgorica for further processing and decision," said Mandić.
 
"For the criminal offense of failure to act in accordance with health regulations for the suppression of a dangerous and infectious disease, according to the Criminal Code of Montenegro, a fine or imprisonment of up to one year is prescribed. Also, if more serious consequences occur, such as more serious health impairment or more serious injury to a person or death, much more severe prison sentences are prescribed, ranging from one to eight years of imprisonment," added Mandić. 
 
Although numerous media outlets reported the news about the arrest of priests, it was actually a matter of being taken in for an informational interview.
 
The Metropolitan of Montenegro and the Littoral, Amfilohije, and certain priests left the Podgorica Security Center where they had been taken for an informational interview, the Mina agency was earlier told by the Metropolitanate. 
 
Amfilohije served a liturgy in a church in the Podgorica neighborhood of Zlatica, and in addition to him in Zlatica, summons for hearings were also served to priest Velibor Džomić, priest Leko Vujisić, and deacon Ivan Crnogorčević.
 
Also taken in were the priests who were at the Cathedral of Christ's Resurrection in Podgorica, Mirčeta Šljivančanin and Branko Vujačić.