The continuation of the trial of those accused of wounding journalist Olivera Lakić and murdering Miodrag Kruščić has once again been postponed at the High Court in Podgorica.
This time, the hearing was postponed because the defense attorney of Goran Rakočević, lawyer Stefan Jovanović, did not appear in court. Jovanović had previously filed a motion for recusal, as the defendant Rakočević refuses his representation.
Before the panel of the High Court, presided over by Judge Radovan Vlaović, Rakočević stated that he would hire a lawyer “once the conditions are met.”
“I will do so when I am given a fair trial. Today, I do not have a defense attorney,” Rakočević said.
He complained that he had not been provided with extensive material from the Sky application, amounting to about 3,000 pages.
Rakočević, together with co-defendants Mario Milošević and Goran Vukčević, claims that they are unable to prepare their defense while being held in detention.
Milošević’s attorney, Dajana Koprivica, submitted a motion to the court requesting to be released from her duty as Milošević’s court-appointed defense counsel, stating that he refuses any cooperation and opposes her taking any official actions.
“The conditions have not been met for me to represent Milošević. Under these circumstances, I can only formally attend the hearings,” she said.
Milošević confirmed that he refuses to cooperate because, as he claims, his right to a trial within a reasonable time has been violated.
Judge Vlaović stated that all the material had been copied onto CDs and delivered to the defense attorneys of the accused, including Rakočević’s.
He added that the case is indeed delayed, but mainly because some of the defendants are obstructing the trial.
“Today, both you and Rakočević are refusing to have defense counsel. Every hearing begins with, ‘We request a postponement,’” Judge Vlaović said.
He fined attorney Jovanović €1,000 for failing to appear at the hearing and ordered him to pay the costs resulting from the postponement. Vlaović also rejected Koprivica’s request to be relieved of her duty as Milošević’s defense counsel.
The continuation of the trial has been scheduled for October 28.