N13.T4 – Miloš Medenica Released from Spuž Detention, Vesna Medenica from House Arrest
HRA NEWSLETTER 13 – TOPIC 4
After three years, four months, and 24 days in detention, Miloš Medenica, the son of former Supreme Court President Vesna Medenica and accused as the organizer of a criminal group of which his mother is also a member, was released from the Spuž Remand Prison on 17 October. The detention was lifted because, within three years from the filing of the indictment, no first-instance judgment had been delivered in the proceedings against him and other defendants before the High Court in Podgorica. Immediately afterward, the same court placed him under house arrest, following a proposal from the Special State Prosecutor’s Office.
It should be recalled that in September, Judge Vesna Kovačević expressed concern that Vesna Medenica, whose numerous hearings had been postponed due to her health condition, was obstructing the continuation of the trial in order to help her son be released from detention. The current President of the Supreme Court, Valentina Pavličić, has stated that she is not satisfied with how the situation ultimately unfolded, noting:
“This is something that does not bring honor to our judiciary, but it is also something for which the judiciary alone cannot bear full responsibility… In any case, it is a reminder and something we must address in our future work,” said the head of Montenegro’s judiciary.
Before Miloš Medenica was released from detention, on 8 October, an extraordinary panel of the High Court in Podgorica lifted the house arrest of his mother, Vesna Medenica, which had been in place since 14 September. Meanwhile, the trial in the case involving the Medenicas and other defendants has continued. During hearings, the court reviewed intercepted conversations collected through covert surveillance, questioned the police officers involved in the search of Vesna Medenica’s house, and heard testimony from a telecommunications expert.
At a hearing held on 21 October, Vesna Medenica requested that the court allow her to travel for medical treatment at the Dr. Simo Milošević Institute in Igalo, citing poor health. The court will decide on her request at a later date.
It should be recalled that Miloš Medenica is charged with establishing a criminal organization in 2019, which included his mother and other defendants, with the aim of cigarette smuggling and illegal influence over the judiciary, in order to gain unlawful profit and power. The Special State Prosecutor’s Office has filed charges against him, his mother, and other individuals, as well as the company Kopad Company, for criminal offenses including forming a criminal organization, smuggling, giving and receiving bribes, illegal influence and inducing illegal influence, abuse of official position, drug trafficking, illegal possession of weapons, causing serious bodily injury, and obstruction of evidence.
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