The trial of former Supreme Court President Vesna Medenica and other defendants resumed today at the Higher Court in Podgorica, featuring the hearing of defendant Luka Bakoč, who had been evading capture.

Bakoč pleaded not guilty, rejecting the claims presented in the indictment. He also dismissed accusations from fellow defendants Petar Milutinović and Radomir Raičević, suggesting that the court administer a polygraph test to him and them.

He indicated that he agreed to establish the company in his name upon the suggestion of Filip Đurović, primarily due to being in debt at that time. He noted that the receipts he reviewed led him to believe the company traded in cigarettes. In his testimony today, he mentioned transferring two stamps to an unknown individual in Podgorica, as instructed by Đurović, with one of those stamps being his facsimile.

“My company has not caused harm to anyone. If there is a single document proving otherwise, convict me immediately,” Bakoč claimed in his defense.

During his defense in front of the SDT, Bakoč maintained that he never admitted to the crimes attributed to him. He clarified that he founded the legal entity “Kopad Company” DOO Nikšić around 2018 or 2019, though he couldn’t recall the exact timeline. He formed the company at the request of his acquaintance Filip Đurović from Nikšić, who requested its establishment under his name without specifying its purpose. Bakoč subsequently received 700 euros from Filip after the company was registered with the CRPS.

For an extended period post-establishment, he was unaware of the company’s activities. Eventually, he surmised it involved cigarette trading when he noted references to the Port of Bar on payment slips Filip brought him for his signature. This led him to suspect that the company was involved in cigarette smuggling.

This took place approximately a year ago, or more, during his interrogation, at which point he had not questioned the company’s operations. After settling necessary payments at the bank and passing the slips to Filip, he lost contact with him despite several attempts to reach out, mainly because he wanted to dissolve the company. He didn’t possess the seals, which posed a challenge. Prior to this bank encounter, Filip had instructed him to deliver the two company seals to someone in Podgorica, which he complied with.

Bakoč reiterated that Filip directed him to meet an unidentified man at the roundabout near “Osmanagić” in Podgorica for the stamp handover. This individual was someone he had never seen before or since. After transferring the stamps, Bakoč no longer held them. He estimates this transfer occurred about six months following the company’s registration. In addition to the previously mentioned events related to the company, he recalled visiting Bar under Filip’s direction, where he met another unfamiliar male and signed various papers linked to shipping. He assumed those papers were stamped later, as they weren’t stamped during the meeting. The primary reason for the company’s establishment was the financial compensation Filip provided.

During the prosecutor’s investigation, he asserted he had no knowledge of the 1020 cigarette packages exported from the Free Customs Zone of the Port of Bar in November 2019. He denied ever owning an encrypted mobile phone, stating he only used a regular phone, which he has had for a long time. He doesn’t recall that phone number as he recently switched phones; the police confiscated this new mobile. He has an older mobile phone at his home that is currently broken.

The Special Panel, led by Judge Vesna Kovačević, deemed the request from attorney Stefan Jovanović to exclude witness testimonies from Marko Milošević, Tanja and Dragan Globarević, and Zoran Đurović as unfounded. The attorney argued that their statements were taken unlawfully, noting that the defendants and their legal representatives were absent during those testimonies.

Special State Prosecutor Jovan Vukotić explained that these witnesses were questioned in the investigative phase, which led to the commencement of an investigation and subsequent indictment.

The SDT has filed charges against Miloš and Vesna Medenica, Darko Lalović, Vasilije Petrović, Bojan and Marko Popović, Marko Vučinić, Milorad Medenica, Luka Bakoč, Petar Milutinović, Ivana Kovačević, Radomir Raičević, Marjan Bevenja, Stevo Karanikić, Goran Jovanović, and the company “Kopad Company,” for offenses including creation of a criminal organization, smuggling, bribery, unlawful influence, and weapon violations, among others.

Miloš Medenica is accused of forming a criminal organization in 2019 that included his mother Vesna and other defendants, intending to smuggle cigarettes and manipulate judicial processes for illicit profit and influence. The indictment states that, in coordination with the organization members, he smuggled cigarettes from the Free Customs Zone of the Port of Bar, bypassing customs regulations using fraudulent documentation and bribing customs personnel.

Purchased Two Apartments from a Fraudster

Witness Petar Cerović testified that he bought two apartments from accused Vasilije Petrović. In his statement, he indicated he was involved in construction, similar to Petrović, who focused on concrete pouring. He revealed he paid 100,000 euros for both apartments, achieving a better deal. He noted that it is common practice in construction for payments to be made through compensation—for instance, if someone owed Petrović for materials or services, the payment could be settled in that manner.

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