Montenegro Court Accused of Letting ‘Coup’ Witness Flee
The opposition accused the court and prosecution in Podgorica of letting the main witness in the high-profile Montenegro coup plot case, Sasa Sindjelic, leave for Serbia to avoid serving a prison sentence.
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| Sasa Sindjelic. Photo: Sasa Sindjelic/Facebook. |
Montenegro’s main opposition alliance, the Democratic Front, accused the court and prosecution in Podgorica of negligence, alleging that Sasa Sindjelic had been allowed to abscond so he can avoid serving a 21-year jail sentence in Croatia.
The Democratic Front claimed on Monday that Sindjelic has left the country and is reportedly in Serbia.
It accused the Higher Court in Podgorica and the Special Prosecution of allowing him to leave despite the fact that Croatia has asked Montenegro for his extradition to serve his sentence for a murder committed in 2001.
The Serbian Justice Ministry declined to comment on Tuesday about whether Sindjelic was in Serbia and whether Croatia has requested his extradition from the Belgrade authorities.
“You should ask the Montenegrin judiciary,” the ministry told BIRN.
The court in Podgorica said on Monday that Sindjelic was not forbidden from leaving Montenegro.
“The court did not decide on a measure which would ban him from leaving the country,” local media quoted court spokesperson Aida Muzuroic as saying.
Sindjelic, a self-proclaimed Serbian nationalst advocating closer ties with Russia, gave testimony in court in Podgorica for almost three months about his role in preparing an alleged coup in Montenegro in October 2016.
Sindjelic was one of 20 Serbian citizens, including a former Serbian police general, Bratislav Dikic, to be arrested in Montenegro in connection with the alleged plot.
Their apparent motive was to assassinate then Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic in a coup that would then bring the pro-Russian opposition to power.
The Democratic Front insists that there was no coup plot and that allowing Sindjelic to leave proves it.
“This is the best proof, for those who needed proof, that everything was staged,” a Democratic Front spokesperson told a press conference on Monday.
According to the prosecution, Sindjelic was the only person who had a direct contact and communication with two Russians - Eduard Shishmakov and Vladimir Popov, both believed to be military intelligence officers - who are accused of being the masterminds behind the alleged coup plot.
But Sindjelic’s testimony sparked criticism from opposition parties and some NGOs that claimed he was instructed by the prosecution to present false evidence to back up the indictment.
Sindjelic denied this.
Read more:
Key Witness in Montenegro ‘Coup’ Trial to Testify
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