Bulatović: Koprivica never backed down because he knows he did not commit a crime and believes justice will prevail

In her closing arguments, prosecutor Tanja Čolan Deretić asked the trial panel, presided over by Judge Nikola Boričić, to sentence retired senior police official Duško Koprivica and his fugitive son-in-law Duško Roganović to eight years in prison each. She also requested prison sentences of seven years for Koprivica's son Strahinja, and six years for his wife Radosava.

While the prosecution maintains that the trial established the defendants had laundered nearly €1 million, the defence argued that there is not a single piece of evidence proving their clients committed any criminal offence and requested that they be acquitted. The verdict is scheduled to be delivered on September 18.

Defence lawyer Matija Bulatović, representing Duško Koprivica, said in his closing statement that his client had served the public honourably for 45 years as what he described as „an exemplary police officer“, building a successful career that required significant personal sacrifice.

On pre-trial detention

- He is being tried for a crime he did not commit and has now spent 19 months in detention. Despite being 72 years old and suffering numerous health problems caused by poor detention conditions, he stands before you today with dignity because he believes justice will ultimately prevail and that the court will not repeat the mistake it made by keeping him in detention for all this time. Duško Koprivica never backed down when he knew he was acting lawfully and properly. That is why he has not backed down now - because he knows he did not commit the offence he is accused of - Bulatović said.

He reiterated that there were no circumstances justifying such lengthy pre-trial detention, arguing that it had effectively become a form of punishment.

- Established judicial practice does not treat the alleged perpetrator of the predicate offence in the same manner as other defendants in the proceedings. Yet here, the prosecution is attempting to attribute to Duško Koprivica the full scope of alleged criminal conduct associated with other defendants, something this trial panel should not accept lightly - Bulatović argued.

No money was found

According to the defence, it is undisputed that no money was ever found during the investigation, nor was there any bank transaction or financial activity that could be considered suspicious or indicative of money laundering.

Bulatović noted that numerous searches had been carried out at properties owned by the Koprivica family, but nothing was discovered that could constitute the proceeds or instruments of the alleged offence of money laundering.

- My client Duško Koprivica fully cooperated with the police. He voluntarily handed over his personal mobile phone together with the access code, hoping to facilitate the prosecution's work and believing the case would never reach trial. A forensic examination of the phone uncovered no incriminating information, no record of communication with the defendant Duško Roganović, and no evidence whatsoever suggesting involvement in money laundering - Bulatović said.

He reminded the court that his client had answered every question put to him and that his testimony had been truthful throughout the proceedings.

According to Bulatović, the indictment suffers from such fundamental deficiencies that it could never have progressed beyond the threshold of reasonable suspicion.

- It remains entirely unclear on what evidence the prosecution bases its claim that my clients, Duško and Radosava Koprivica, knew that their son-in-law Duško Roganović was allegedly engaged in criminal activities to obtain illicit funds - Bulatović said.

In his view, the prosecution failed to prove the existence of any illegally obtained money or other unlawfully acquired assets.

On the Roganović family's assets

- The greatest flaw in this indictment is not merely the absence of the alleged proceeds of crime, whether illegal funds or suspicious financial transactions. Nor is it the prosecution's failure to distinguish between concealing money and concealing its origin, which is the only issue relevant to this indictment. The fundamental problem is that no one in the prosecution ever examined the financial circumstances of the Roganović family. Their considerable wealth did not originate with the defendant Duško Roganović but with his late father, Niko Roganović, who created the family's entire fortune - Bulatović said.

He also referred to the testimony of Duško Roganović's wife, Bojana Koprivica, who told the court that her father-in-law, Niko Roganović, had provided the couple with all of their financial support during their marriage.

- She testified that her husband had no business activities of his own and was in poor psychological condition after suffering the loss of his father, brother and cousin, as well as his own personal tragedy in which he lost a leg. She further stated that Duško Roganović was simply the heir to a substantial estate consisting of numerous profitable businesses, real estate, pizzerias, fish markets, hotels, vessels and other assets. The same was confirmed by Branislava Roganović, Duško Roganović's mother - Bulatović said.

He added that it was evident Roganović had inherited substantial wealth from lawful sources and therefore had no reason to conceal its origin.

- The prosecution has failed to produce a single piece of evidence proving the allegations in the indictment that Duško and Radosava Koprivica knew, or could have known, that the money mentioned in the Sky ECC communications originated from illegal sources. They believed the Roganović family to be wealthy, with assets accumulated through the hard work of the late Niko Roganović. Several conversations Duško Koprivica had with the now deceased Niko Roganović reinforced that belief - Bulatović said.

He also pointed out that neither Duško nor Radosava Koprivica used the Sky ECC encrypted messaging application, arguing that the indictment lacks material evidence and is based solely on messages exchanged between other individuals through the platform.