Prosecutor Samardžić doesn't remember a thing

Retired prosecutor Mira Samardžić testified before the High Court in proceedings initiated by the Special State Prosecutor’s Office against former Chief Special Prosecutor Milivoje Katnić, former senior police official Zoran Lazović and suspended prosecutor Saša Čađenović, however she was unable to recall a single detail while answering to more than 30 questions posed by the accused Katnić about the cases against Ivan Milović, Ljubo Milović and others. She justified this by the passage of time, noting that the preliminary investigations had taken place seven to eight years ago.

In a brief statement, Samardžić said that during her questioning at the Special State Prosecutor’s Office the acting prosecutor reminded her of cases from 2017 and that she stood by the statement she had given at that time.

According to the indictment, Lazović, Katnić, and Čađenović are charged with subordinating their official positions to the criminal clan “Kavač”, which they have categorically denied.

Lazović’s defense attorneys Nikola Martinović and Zoran Piperović had no questions for the witness. Attorney Piperović pointed out to the trial panel that her testimony was unrelated to the dispositive part of the indictment concerning Zoran Lazović and the criminal offense of forming a criminal organization.

On the other hand, Katnić’s defense attorney Ljubomir Raković said he would not question Samardžić because the defense had not been provided with evidence from those cases, which prosecutor Miloš Šoškić had presented to Samardžić on April 15th.

- Due to such conduct, Katnić filed a criminal complaint against Miloš Šoškić. On September 25th I formally addressed the Chief Special Prosecutor Vladimir Novović and the Supreme State Prosecutor Milorad Marković requesting that the evidence be delivered to us, but this hasn’t been done until this hearing and I haven’t received a response to the request - Raković said.

In this way, he explained, the defense was placed in an unequal position.

Nevertheless, the accused Katnić asked more than 30 questions, but Samardžić was unable to recall any details from the cases involving Ivan Milović, Ljubo Milović, and others.

Katnić informed the trial panel, presided over by Judge Veljko Radovanović, that he had not been present at her questioning at the Special State Prosecutor’s Office and that only his court-appointed defense counsel had been notified, despite his explicit instruction not to undertake any official action because he did not wish that lawyer to represent him.

In response to numerous questions from Katnić, the witness stated that she could not remember when secret surveillance measures had been initiated against Ljubo Milović and others. She also could not recall the details of Ivan Milović’s statement or any other specifics, except that there had been three cases.

In response to Katnić’s question, she said that he had never exerted pressure on her regarding any case and that their relationship had been collegial and professional, but that she could not remember whether the former Chief Special Prosecutor had taken over her cases for review.

Katnić pointed out that Samardžić could not remember anything except one undisputed fact -that she had not consulted him in the case against Ivan Milović regarding his prosecution and arrest.

Prosecutor Miloš Šoškić stated that the case files were located at the court and that defense attorneys should address that institution with a request for the delivery of evidence.

Attorney Raković said that he had contacted the court, but that the evidence had not been delivered to that institution either.

At today’s hearing, the examination of witness Nikola Janičić was completed. He had been employed in the Sector for the Fight against Organized Crime and stated unequivocally that he had never been asked to ensure that any person not be prosecuted. On the contrary, he said, they always looked for cases where there was evidence to file criminal charges, and their work is reflected in data on prosecuted members of the “Kavač” and “Škaljari” clans.

The trial continues on Wednesday, when prosecutor Sanja Jovićević and police officer Zdravko Mirović will be heard as witnesses.