Nikola Janičić, a former officer in the organized crime department, testified today at the High Court in Podgorica, denying any pressure to exclude individuals from criminal charges. His testimony lasted over three hours, where he answered questions from the accused and their defense attorneys in the ongoing trial of former Special Prosecutor Milivoje Katnić, former high-ranking police official Zoran Lazović, and suspended prosecutor Saša Čađenović.
Janičić asserted, “Zoran Lazović never called me to say that a person should not be prosecuted, especially not Duško Roganović.” He emphasized that neither Lazović, Katnić, nor Čađenović had requested any privileges for members of criminal organizations.
The special prosecutor, Miloš Šoškić, charges Lazović with forming a criminal organization, allegedly including retired prosecutor Katnić and suspended prosecutor Čađenović, accused of collaborating with the *kavački* clan. Lazović is also alleged to have protected Duško Roganović, a member of the same criminal group, by instructing prosecutors to exclude him from criminal cases.
During his testimony, Janičić stated, “It is not known to me that Zoran Lazović had any connections to criminal groups, nor could we establish that from covert surveillance measures.” He recalled first meeting Lazović in June 2019, following the murder of Stefan Šarović in Herceg Novi, where both helicopter support and experts from Danilovgrad were requested by Lazović. Janičić noted that the prosecutor at the time wanted to postpone the witness hearings due to fatigue.
The former police officer also commented on the activities of Lazović’s son, Petar, who is charged with alleged membership in the criminal group led by Radoje Zvicer. Janičić claimed that Petar Lazović had provided numerous operational details about both the *kavački* and *škaljarski* clans.
He further denied having information prior to January 2021 regarding plans by Serbian nationals Veljko Belivuk and Marko Miljković to commit crimes in Montenegro. “We were aware of plans for their liquidation upon arrival in Montenegro. Certain individuals were arrested because of this,” he stated, recalling that weapons, lime, and encrypted phones were found.
Janičić also discussed the murder case of Nikola Stanišić, initially reported as missing but later confirmed as a homicide. “He was listed as missing until we received the Sky material from Europol. Until then, we had no evidence of his murder or who the killer was.” He explained how they developed a tactic for apprehending suspects involved in Stanišić’s murder, stating, “We were issuing summonses for them to attend hearings for some local cases.”
The accused individuals connected to the *kavački* clan in the Stanišić case include Radoje Zvicer, Slobodan Kašćelan, Milan Vujotić, Vladimir Vučković, Miloš Radonjić, Krsto Maroš, Zoran Kažić, and Darko Prelević.
The court session today also planned to hear testimonies from prosecutors Sanja Jovićević and Mira Samardžić. However, their testimonies were postponed to a future hearing due to the extensive duration of Janičić’s questioning.
Zoran Lazović, a former assistant director of the Police Administration, Milivoje Katnić, a retired chief special prosecutor, and Saša Čađenović, a suspended special prosecutor, have all denied allegations from the Special Prosecutor’s Office claiming they abused their positions to benefit individuals from the *kavački* clan. Lazović is also alleged to have facilitated the removal of entry bans into Montenegro for criminals from Belgrade, including Belivuk and Miljković, in late December 2020 and early January 2021. Katnić is suspected of using his position to prevent criminal prosecution against the leader of the *kavački* clan, Radoje Zvicer, and other group members.
The trial is set to continue on December 22, 2023.
