Montenegro Court Accused of Letting 'Coup' Witness Flee

Montenegro's main opposition alliance, the Democratic Front, accused the court and prosecution in Podgorica of negligence, alleging that Sasa Sindjelic had been allowed to abscond so he can avoid serving a 21-year jail sentence in Croatia.

The Democratic Front claimed on Monday that Sindjelic has left the country and is reportedly in Serbia.

It accused the Higher Court in Podgorica and the Special Prosecution of allowing him to leave despite the fact that Croatia has asked Montenegro for his extradition to serve his sentence for a murder committed in 2001.

The Serbian Justice Ministry declined to comment on Tuesday about whether Sindjelic was in Serbia and whether Croatia has requested his extradition from the Belgrade authorities.

"You should ask the Montenegrin judiciary," the ministry told BIRN.

The court in Podgorica said on Monday that Sindjelic was not forbidden from leaving Montenegro.

"The court did not decide on a measure which would ban him from leaving the country," local media quoted court spokesperson Aida Muzuroic as saying.

Sindjelic, a self-proclaimed Serbian nationalst advocating closer ties with Russia, gave testimony in court in Podgorica for almost three months about his role in preparing an alleged coup in Montenegro in October 2016.

Sindjelic was one of 20 Serbian citizens, including a former Serbian police general, Bratislav Dikic, to be arrested in Montenegro in connection with the alleged plot.

Their apparent motive was to assassinate then Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic in a coup that would then bring the pro-Russian opposition to power.

The Democratic Front insists that there was no coup plot and that allowing Sindjelic to leave proves it.

"This is the best proof, for those...