Lazović: The prosecutor and investigators have been digging into my life for a long time, and he knows I never sent a single message or used Sky ECC
Throughout my professional career, there has never been a case where an official act or document was leaked to the public or ended up in the hands of people who were not authorized to possess it. I have always exercised particular care and sensitivity regarding the work of the security sector. The prosecutor is persistently trying to link me to unlawful activities without a single valid piece of evidence, former Assistant Director of the Police Administration Zoran Lazović said today before the High Court in Podgorica.
The High Court in Podgorica heard testimony from experts in digital technology, computer forensics, and construction engineering. Lazović's defense pointed out that the report and opinion prepared by the digital forensics expert contain only a photograph of part of a document rather than the complete document. As heard during today's hearing, the document concerns one of the leaders of the Kavač crime clan, Radoje Zvicer, and information relating to Kyiv.
In the indictment, prosecutor Miloš Šoškić states that the NCB Interpol office in Kyiv forwarded information to Enis Baković, who was then one of the assistant directors of the Police Administration, regarding what was found on Zvicer when he was wounded. According to the prosecution, Baković then forwarded that document to Zoran Lazović, and part of the document later appeared in Sky ECC communications. Lazović firmly denies having any connection to the document.
- What this expert report contains, concerning Enis Baković's memorandum, would not deserve particular attention if not for one detail. The memorandum states that it is linked to another memorandum dated May 27, 2020, while this one is dated May 28, 2020. The text even says that the Department for International Operational Police Cooperation at NCB Interpol Kyiv received a new communication. It would be interesting to see what the memorandum from May 27, 2020 actually contains. We need to obtain that document and establish who received it, when they received it, and what it contains. That is important because the memorandum dated May 28 contains nothing that could compromise anyone. It merely states facts that Radoje Zvicer himself already knew - that he had been wounded, the passport he used, and similar information. I therefore propose that the court obtain the memorandum dated May 27, 2020 - said one of Lazović's defense attorneys, Zoran Piperović.
Lazović stressed that he had never possessed or used an encrypted phone, something that, according to him, is well known to the prosecutor.
- It is common knowledge, including to the prosecutor, because he and his investigators have been digging into my life for quite some time, that I have never owned or used an encrypted phone. I have never even used a smartphone. I have never sent a text or voice message, a photograph, or ever made an audio or video recording, not since mobile telephony has existed - Lazović said.
He explained that while serving as head of the Sector for Combating Organized Crime, he never had a computer in his office and was not connected to the sector's information system or its departments. He also said that he never had a laptop or an email address and neither sent nor received emails.
- If the prosecutor disproves me, provided he does not fabricate or plant evidence, I am prepared to accept responsibility – Lazović said.
According to Lazović, he did not maintain document archives in his office; all documentation was kept by the Organized Crime Department or the relevant divisions.
- When mail arrived, it was never kept in my office. It was immediately marked by hand in the upper right-hand corner and forwarded to the heads of the Organized Crime Department or the relevant divisions, unless it was marked as urgent. When I was away on official business or during weekends, the department heads or the head of the Organized Crime Department whom I had authorized would open the mail, and they did not have to wait for my return. I had no communication whatsoever concerning the document in question - Lazović emphasized.
He argued that the way official correspondence is handled clearly shows that the document in question was in the possession of several individuals.
- If the prosecutor can produce counter-evidence to everything I have said and prove me wrong, I am ready to accept full responsibility, provided he does not fabricate evidence, frame me, or engage in speculative reasoning with intent, as he has done throughout these proceedings. Logic is not an exact science where two plus two always equals four and requires no proof. If cases were decided solely on the basis of logic, especially logic driven by intent, we would not need laws - Lazović said.
Lazović's defense attorney, Stefan Jovanović, said that the key issue is now becoming increasingly clear:
- How does this expert report support the indictment's claim that Zoran Lazović committed any criminal offense? The answer is: it does not – Jovanović said.
He reiterated that previously presented evidence had already established that Lazović never possessed an encrypted phone.
- When this evidence is considered together with the Sky messages, I draw the Court's attention to the undisputed fact established through the response to the letter admitted as evidence during the main trial, that our client neither possessed nor used an encrypted phone or the Sky application. Alleged exchanges between anonymous Sky usernames cannot incriminate Zoran Lazović in the manner alleged by the indictment - Jovanović said.
Jovanović also argued that the computer forensics report, like previous expert reports, suffers from certain shortcomings.
- Nevertheless, the defense has no objections. The expert compared one document with only a partial photograph of that document, without having access to the complete image. Under such circumstances, it is impossible to establish any fact with the degree of certainty and clarity that this Court requires - Jovanović concluded.