The Constitutional Court of Montenegro has dismissed the constitutional appeal lodged by the defense attorneys of Zoran Lazović, the former Assistant Director of the Police Administration. This appeal was against a ruling from the Supreme Court of Montenegro made in July 2024, which extended Lazović’s detention.

The appeal was presented by lawyers Zoran Piperović and Stefan Jovanović on behalf of Lazović.

In October of the previous year, the Special State Prosecutor’s Office brought forth an indictment against Lazović and former Chief Special Prosecutor Milivoj Katnić. They are accused of forming a criminal organization, misusing their official positions, engaging in extensive money laundering, and illegally possessing and carrying weapons and explosives.

The indictment from the SDT was sent back for revisions at the end of January, and upon finalization of the document, the detention of both Lazović and Katnić was extended.

Lazović is charged with orchestrating a criminal organization in 2020 that involved Katnić, the accused Petar Lazović, special prosecutor Saša Čađenović, among other unidentified individuals, and is said to have collaborated with a criminal outfit led by the notorious Radoje Zvicer, the leader of the Kavač clan.

Furthermore, the former GST is accused of misusing his official capacity in January 2022 along with the prosecutor Čađenović, who was managing the case, by providing benefits to Petar Lazović, police officers Ljubo Milović, Radoje Zvicer, Duško Roganović, and other members of the criminal organization.

The indictment claims that there is reasonable suspicion that Lazović, between March 2021 and March 2024 in Podgorica, falsely represented the origins of money that he knew was obtained through criminal activities. Additionally, Lazović and Katnić allegedly possessed firearms and ammunition unlawfully in residences they utilize in Bijelo Polje and Danilovgrad in April of this year.

Earlier in March, the Court of Appeals dismissed Lazović’s defense attorneys’ appeal against a decision made on February 10 to extend his detention, confirming that there was sufficient suspicion of the crimes outlined in the Special State Prosecutor’s Office indictment.

Lazović’s detention was extended based on two reasons: the likelihood of flight and the stipulation under point 4 of Article 175 of the Criminal Procedure Code, indicating that detention is “essential for the seamless progress of the proceedings,” especially considering that the crime in question carries a potential sentence of ten years’ imprisonment or a more severe punishment and is of significant gravity due to the methods of commission or consequences.

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