Montenegro Court Acquits 13 in 2016 Election Day Plot Retrial

A Montenegro court acquitted 13 individuals, including pro-Russian politicians and Russian intelligence officers, in a retrial over a 2016 plot to overthrow the government and assassinate then-Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic. Initially convicted in 2019, the verdict was overturned in 2021. Accusations of Russian involvement were denied.

A Montenegro court has acquitted 13 individuals, including pro-Russian politicians and Russian intelligence officers, in a retrial over an alleged 2016 plot to overthrow the government and kill then-Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic. The original 2019 conviction, which saw lengthy prison terms handed out, was overturned on appeal in 2021, leading to the retrial.

Delivering the verdict, Judge Zoran Radovic of the Montenegro Higher Court stated that the attempt to commit a criminal offence, specifically terrorism, had not been proven beyond reasonable doubt. Prosecutors may now bring the case before the Court of Appeals.

All defendants, which include current parliament speaker Andrija Mandic and a former Serbian police general, pleaded not guilty. The Russian intelligence officers were tried in absentia. Both Russia and Serbia have denied any involvement in the alleged plot. Montenegro, which became independent from Serbia in 2006 and joined NATO in 2017, has imposed sanctions on Russia and expelled several Russian diplomats.

(With inputs from agencies.)