Despite the assertions made by two police officers from Kolašin, who claimed that their former chief Milija Vukanić ordered traffic patrols to be withdrawn from the city’s main road to allow certain trucks to pass, the Basic State Prosecutor’s Office (ODT) in Kolašin has decided to dismiss the criminal charges against the now-retired police official.

This decision was made by the head of the Kolašin Public Prosecutor’s Office, prosecutor Maja Šćepanović, who informed Vijesti that the report was dismissed because the reported actions did not constitute elements of the crime of abuse of official position, nor any other criminal offense that necessitates prosecution.

She also noted that she had requested to be recused from handling the case, but her request was denied; instead, she recused Vukanić’s wife, the only recorder in the Kolašin prosecutor’s office.

According to Vijesti, this case arose from a letter sent by the Kolašin Security Department, following reports from two police officers. Zoran Braunović acknowledged that Vukanić had made unusual requests to relocate patrols, which was documented in their patrol logs.

Allegations suggest that this occurred after the former director of the Police Directorate was detained at the end of 2023. Slavko Stojanovic ultimately pleaded guilty in September 2024 for allowing a truckload of smuggled cigarettes to pass.

Following the arrest of the former police chief by members of the Special Police Department, the two officers reported to Braunović regarding Vukanić’s demands, linking them to the incident involving the truck filled with cigarettes.

Vijesti has discovered that their statements detail how many times, from May 2018 to May 2021, Vukanić allegedly instructed them to move patrols from the primary road to a gravel road where they typically did not operate…

They explained that they were prompted to relocate patrols toward Mateševo, a location normally visited only for interventions or reports, and not for traffic control on a rural road adjacent to the main route…

Following their official reports, the Kolašin police passed them on to the Special Police Department, and shortly thereafter, the Special State Prosecutor’s Office forwarded the case files to their colleagues at the Kolašin ODT.

“I would like to inform you that on 24.12.2024, the Basic State Prosecutor’s Office in Kolašin issued a decision to dismiss the criminal report—case files formed based on the letter from the Security Department in Kolašin No. 66-239/23-10594 against Vukanić Milija, the former head of the Kolašin Security Department, for the crime of abuse of official position as per Article 416, paragraph 1 of the Criminal Code of Montenegro. The actions of the reported individual do not include the elements of the alleged crime, or any other crime for which prosecution is warranted. The report’s applicants and the Kolašin Security Department were duly notified of the dismissal in accordance with Article 271 of the Criminal Procedure Code, along with legal advice as per statutory provisions. This case was handled by the ODT head in Kolašin, Šćepanović Maja,” the prosecutor’s office stated in response to Vijesti.

In reply to further inquiries, Šćepanović mentioned that she reviewed the patrol sheets:

“I emphasize that during the evidentiary procedure, I examined the patrol logs of the Kolašin Security Department, interpreted them in the rejection decision, and they were assessed objectively and in compliance with the law.”

When asked if she requested a recusal, and if so, why, particularly regarding whether her associate was Vukanić’s wife, Šćepanović stated:

“In this case, after the Special State Prosecutor’s Office submitted the files, I requested the recusal of the Basic State Prosecutor’s Office in Kolašin, as I was the only acting prosecutor at that point. My recusal request was deemed unfounded. The reason for my request was that the reported Vukanić Milija is married to Vukanic Gordana, an employee at the Basic State Prosecutor’s Office in Kolašin. Vukanić Gordana is not my associate but serves as an independent clerk-record keeper at the Basic State Prosecutor’s Office in Kolašin, which currently has only one recorder. I also wish to inform you that I recused Vukanić Gordana from this case, and during the evidentiary actions, a recorder from the Higher State Prosecutor’s Office in Bijelo Polje was appointed,” she affirmed.

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