Božović remains in custody: €1.4 million in property was not enough
A panel of the High Court rejected the defence’s motion for former Budva Mayor Milo Božović to be released on bail of €1,418,890 and allowed to defend himself from liberty for the remainder of the proceedings - independent public relations adviser at the High Court in Podgorica, Marija Milovanović, told Portal ETV.
The bail offered consisted of real estate valued at €1,418,890. The properties are owned by third parties.
The former head of Montenegro’s tourism capital has been in custody since April 2023, and two separate cases against him are currently pending before the High Court in Podgorica.
In one of the cases, he is accused of allegedly being a member of a group which, according to the Special State Prosecutor’s Office, was formed by Mileta Ojdanić and suspended police officer Ljubo Milović, who is currently on the run.
In addition to Ojdanić, Milović and Božović, 18 other people are named in the indictment. They are accused of smuggling 4.3 tonnes of cocaine, while some of the defendants are also linked to money laundering and abuse of office.
Also named in the indictment are „Kavač“ clan leader Radoje Zvicer, suspended police officer Petar Lazović, Ivan Stamatović, Dejan Knežević, Miloš Mišurović, Milan Popović, Nebojša Bugarin, Dražen Milović, Marko Novaković, Ivan Nikolić, Goran Stojanović, Božidar Jabučanin, Aleksandar Keković, Vladimir Bajčeta, Tihomir Adžić, Filip Zindović, Darko Knežević and Ivan Mijatović.
In his defence, Božović denied the allegations in the indictment, describing them as a „brutal lie“ and arguing that they were untenable, while also claiming that the prosecutor had manipulated the Sky ECC material.
Božović maintained that it was untrue that, as a member of Parliament and a member of the Parliamentary Committee for Defence and Security, he had „collected information for the needs of a criminal organisation“. He also denied allegations that he was the owner of part of the drugs.
Milo Božović’s name also appears in a case publicly known as „General“. In that case, Vaso Ulić, as well as Radoje Zvicer and Slobodan Kašćelan, along with 17 other people, have been identified as the alleged organisers. The prosecution accuses them of smuggling nearly 2.5 tonnes of cocaine from South America to Europe and Australia.