The trial of Vesna Medenica, the former President of the Supreme Court of Montenegro, along with other defendants linked to an organized crime group (Judicial Monitor No. 1) allegedly formed by her son Miloš, is currently ongoing at the High Court in Podgorica. The case has been combined with that of Nikola Raičević, who is accused of providing fake documents and arranging bribes for Miloš Medenica. Raičević faces charges including the formation of a criminal organization, smuggling, and illegal influence on two occasions.
Hearings scheduled for March 3 and 17 were postponed—first due to the merger of the cases, and the second due to a false bomb threat at the court. On March 18, testimonies from several defendants were read before Judge Vesna Kovačević. Most defendants denied the charges, while Marko and Bojan Popović maintained their earlier statements, admitting to the crimes they are accused of. During Popović’s testimony, Miloš Medenica addressed him, saying, “You cried, you will cry,” prompting Popović’s lawyer to file a criminal report against Medenica for endangering Popović’s safety.
During the main hearing on March 24, Vesna Medenica denied the accusations, asserting that she is “not a criminal.” She claimed the charges against her were politically motivated and that she had been unfairly portrayed as “proof of the fight against a certain regime.” The trial resumed on March 25, when Petar Milutinović, one of the accused, admitted to being part of Miloš Medenica’s criminal group involved in cigarette smuggling.
Since the indictment against Vesna Medenica was confirmed on February 15, 2023, more than two years have passed, during which the hearings have been postponed over 20 times. HRA presented an analysis of the reasons for these delays and key events in Judicial Monitors Nos. 1 and 3. The trial continued in March after a change in the presiding judge. Vesna Medenica is accused of abusing her official position and unlawfully influencing court decisions in favor of the criminal group.
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