Lazović: I am only a target, I am waiting for the calibre they have been looking for for years

It seems that I am merely a prop for the prosecution, in order to create an impression for the public and give legitimacy to this proceedings. To the prosecution and the prosecutor (Miloš Šoškić, ed. note), speaking in hunting jargon, I am only a target they want to shoot down so that I do not survive... I am calmly waiting for the calibre they have been looking for for years - former Deputy Director of the Police Directorate Zoran Lazović said today at the High Court.

He repeated that he was speaking in hunting jargon because he had been involved in hunting for 40 years and did not want his words to be understood differently.

Lazović made the statement after written evidence was presented - documents and indictments were examined - which, in his view and that of the defence, have nothing to do with the former police official.

After the court examined a case concerning preparations for the assassination of Serbian nationals Veljko Belivuk and Marko Miljković, in which several people were arrested, Lazović told the judicial panel that the service and sector he headed had not made a single omission.

- Respecting the basic principles governing the work of the services, I will not discuss details or colleagues, so as not to put their lives or the lives of their families at risk. I repeat that no omission was made - Lazović stressed.

He is standing trial before a panel presided over by Judge Veljko Radovanović on charges that he abused his official position in the interests of the Kavač criminal group. Also indicted alongside the former deputy director of the Police Directorate are retired Chief Special Prosecutor Milivoje Katnić and suspended prosecutor Saša Čađenović.

Written evidence was presented in court today, including indictments and case files from 2022.

One of the pieces of evidence presented today was a confirmed indictment against suspended National Security Agency official Petar Lazović, former police officer Ljubo Milović and several other individuals.

Special Prosecutor Miloš Šoškić said that Čađenović had archived the case and had neither provided the communications to police officers, as had been done in other cases, nor forwarded them to Special Prosecutor Sanja Jovićević. Following the work carried out on that case, he explained, an indictment was brought against Lazović, Milović and several other individuals.

One of Lazović’s defence lawyers, Nikola Martinović, said it was a legal absurdity to „introduce an indictment from another active case“ into these proceedings.

- An indictment has not been evidence for the last 400 years... The prosecutor is attempting to introduce unlawfully obtained evidence into these proceedings. Under the law, none of the evidence the Special State Prosecutor’s Office is relying on can be considered evidence - Martinović said.

According to him, particular attention should be paid to the allegation that the former Chief Special Prosecutor abused his position in favour of Petar Lazović because he did not submit the evidence to the Special Police Department for analysis.

- This tells us that the proceedings are being conducted by the police, which is part of the executive branch of government - Martinović said.

His colleague, lawyer Stefan Jovanović, also said that this „evidence“ had no significance.

- These two pieces of written evidence do not mention our client, nor do they mention any circumstance that would incriminate him. The defence is left with the impression that other people are on trial, rather than Zoran Lazović - Jovanović pointed out.

Katnić said that Petar Lazović and Ljubo Milović had presented themselves as corrupt police officers and had, in that way, established contacts with drug traffickers with the aim of uncovering criminal offences.

- Lazović believed that Milović was an honourable police officer. There was no evidence that they were involved in criminal activity. Everything remained at the level of suspicion - Katnić said.

Čađenović, who was once his closest associate, denied that he had concealed anything.

According to him, prosecutor Jovićević had received the complete case files.

After the court examined the case files from 2021 concerning Veljko Belivuk and Marko Miljković, Lazović’s lawyer Zoran Piperović said the evidence was irrelevant, given the wording and scope of the indictment.

- The whole point regarding this evidence is whether it has any criminal-law consequences for this offence - he said.

- The indictment does not deal with political motives - who entered, where and why -and as one of the defence lawyers, I do not care what kind of relationship they had with (Aleksandar) Vučić. The prosecutor does not deal with that either, so neither should we. There is no evidence that could be introduced to nullify anything, because this is solely a criminal-law question: Are there any consequences for this offence or are there not - Piperović said.

The trial will continue on 6 October.