Special State Prosecutor Milivoje Katnic said that the Supreme State Prosecutor Ivica Stankovic decided not to remand DF leaders Andrija Mandic and Milan Knezevic with the best intentions because “Montenegro was on the brink of civil war”.
“The SSP informed me that I do not need to propose custody Mandic and Knezevic when they called for a civil war and bloodshed. The SSP decided that with the best intentions. It is a move made in special circumstances,” Katnic said appearing on the Atlas TV’s sociopolitical interview show, Ziva Istina.
Asked what caused the decision to postpone Mandic and Knezevic’s arrest, Katnic said:
“These were some exceptional circumstances when the sociological situation was on the brink of civil war,” said Katnic.
He pointed out that he believed the prosecutor’s office would obtain enough evidence to file charges in the attempted coup case.
As Katnic said, the indictment for the coup case will be raised in two months.
He added he understood Stankovic’s decision to veto Mandic and Knezevic’s arrest.
Manipulations
Commenting on the claims that the Special Prosecutor’s Office’s moves helped DPS before the local elections in Niksic, as it had done on the election day, 16 October, Katnic called them “skilful manipulation”.
He added that the spinning that came from DF leadership and certain media was used to indicate that one of the suspects for the attempted coup, Eduard Shirokov, from a European country.
“He is not Shirokov, but Eduard Shishmakov who served as Russian deputy military attache in Poland in 2014. However, he was expelled for espionage in Russia, as persona non grata. This passport was granted to him by Russian authorities and a member of the Russian security services,” Katnic said.
Russian nationalist structures behind the developments
He added that Sindjelic, currently cooperative witness in the case, was in Moscow, where he underwent interrogation in order to be able to participate in the entire campaign.
“Russian nationalist structures are behind these developments, but now we know that the Russian state authorities were also involved. The Russian state authorities should investigate how this happened and I expect it will do that,” said Katnic.
Indictment by 15 April
He announced that the Special State Prosecutor’s Office would complete the indictment for the attempted coup on 16 October 2016 by 15 April.
“Special State Prosecutor’s Office issued the order to conduct the case against 23 persons. As you know, after the immunity of two more people was lifted, the case includes 25 suspects,” he said.
Katnic added that he could not specify whether some other persons would be covered by this indictment and that he informed the Supreme State Prosecutor Ivica Stankovic about everything, including lifting Andrija Mandic and Milan Knezevic’s immunity.
“The SSP was informed of Knezevic and Mandic’s immunity, because it is impossible to conduct criminal proceedings without that In addition, custody cannot be required if it is not approved by MPs. I understand that Stankovic worked under changed circumstances. One very important power branch, approximately 30 percent of the legislative power, ie Democratic Front (DF), does not recognise the Parliament, the President of the state, the prosecutor’s office and the judiciary. DF’s rhetoric has been unacceptable for a long time. But this was a different situation because the psychological state of the society was in a completely extraordinary level, since there were civil war threats,” Katnic said.
He added that all conditions were met for remanding Mandic’s driver Mihailo Cadjenovic in prison and that “the competent court found grounds to extend his custody to 30 days”.
Sufficient evidence
“The Special Prosecutor’s Office has only six months to file an indictment in this case. Let’s look back, whether there was a single similar case, or one with fewer suspects, was completed more quickly? The prosecutor’s office does not have the legal capacity to act beyond the Constitution and the law,” said Katnic.
When it comes to personal insults, Katnic said that DF members did not insult him, but his late ancestors.
