Mijajlović: I never used Sky ECC, the prosecution portrays me as travelling alone, when I was with my family, I wasn't away for six days, but seven

They seized two laptops and two USB flash drives from my apartment and present that as evidence of something. Why was it never verified what was actually found on those devices? One could logically conclude that who knows what was typed or done on them... One laptop had not been turned on for nine years, we didn't even know it was still in the house. The other computer belonged to my wife. Why didn't they examine their contents? The USB flash drive contains nothing but photographs of our children - businessman Aleksandar Mijajlović told the High Court today, whom the Special State Prosecutor's Office has charged with being one of the organizers of a cigarette-smuggling operation, an allegation he categorically denied.

Mijajlović made these remarks after the trial panel, chaired by Judge Boris Bulatović, began reviewing documentary evidence, including records of items seized from the defendants.

He pointed out that page 161 of the indictment identifies him as the user of the Sky ECC PIN „Aco“, whereas Europol's documentation identifies that same PIN as belonging to „Novi Miki“ („New Miki“).

Mijajlović reiterated that he had never used the Sky ECC application and highlighted what he described as numerous inconsistencies in the indictment.

- The prosecution claims that I am the user of PIN 50IQ0W based on the message: „I'm flying around 6 p.m“. However, on February 18, 2021, my flight departed at 8:45 p.m. I wasn't travelling alone, I was with my wife and our two sons. I purchased the tickets on February 4, so I knew exactly when my flight was scheduled - Mijajlović explained.

He said he had been away for seven days, not six as claimed by the Special State Prosecutor's Office.

He argued that if he had been the user of that PIN, he would have said he would be away for seven days, not six.

Mijajlović returned to Montenegro on February 24, and, according to him, that PIN became active only 26 hours after his arrival.

- If I had been using that PIN, wouldn't it have been logical for me to turn on the phone immediately and check what had happened while I was away - Mijajlović said.

He also repeated that his personal phone had remained switched on the entire time.

- In December, January, February and March I travelled with my family. Those facts are absent from the prosecution's documents. Instead, they portray me as travelling alone, suggesting I went there to carry out some kind of activity - he said.

His defence attorneys, Zoran Piperović and Stefan Jovanović, also argued that there is no material evidence whatsoever proving that Mijajlović used the Sky ECC application. They maintained that such evidence does not exist because their client never possessed a phone equipped with the Sky ECC app.

The defence requested that the court exclude from the case file, as legally inadmissible evidence, official reports prepared by the Special Police Department identifying the alleged users of the Sky ECC application, citing the case law of the Court of Appeals and the High Court. The trial panel will rule on that motion on September 25, when the proceedings are scheduled to continue.

In addition to Mijajlović, those named in the indictment include Vesko Petranović, owner of the electronics retail chain Tehnomaks, as well as Dejan Jokić, Zoran Đukanović, Golub Vojinović, police officers Milenko Mića Rabrenović, Dragan Backović, Mirko Mijušković and Radoje Rabrenović.

The indictment also includes police officers Marko Đurišić, Dražen Vukadinović and Davor Lukačević, along with Branko Čelić, Ratomir Obrenić, Jovan Miletić, Marinko Koprivica, Dušan Vukadinović and Dražen Vukadinović.

The current proceedings combine three separate indictments into a single trial.