Montenegrin officer arrested in Rome

A Montenegrin Army battleship captain, Ilija Brcic, has been arrested at Rome airport on the orders of Croatian authorities. Brcic has been under investigation by the Croatian prosecution since 1992, and was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment by the Split District Court in 1993 for war crimes committed against civilians. Montenegrin officer arrested in Rome Montenegrin Defense Minister Boro Vucinic announced that his ministry would ask Croatian authorities for an explanation. Vucinic said that the Montenegrin Embassy in Rome had informed him on Sunday of Brcic’s arrest. The captain was a member of a Montenegrin delegation invited by NATO joint command to attend a military exercise in Naples. The minister said that Brcic had been placed in an extradition prison in Rome, and that he had been assigned a temporary lawyer. He also denied claims that the Defense Ministry knew that Croatia had already issued an international warrant for the captain’s arrest, as “they had received no such information from that country.“ He reiterated that that the Montenegrin Army and Defense Ministry had asked all countries in the region “to keep us informed on their views and suggestions concerning military personnel in Montenegro, regarding their role in past conflicts.“ “The Defense Ministry received no such reply, and did not possess any information suggesting that any Montenegrin officer currently serving had committed crimes or had been convicted in another country,“ Vucinic told journalists. The minister did not wish to go into any further detail over the “Brcic affair“, claiming that “we shouldn’t be too quick to comment.“ He added that, “Let the authorities give their response to the matter so that everything can be done in accordance with the law, and everyone will then be held accountable for whatever it is they’ve done.“ Brcic’s lawyer Goran Rodic said yesterday that the Montenegrin officer had been sentenced in absentia to 15 years behind bars for war crimes committed against civilians, and that he would have to begin serving his sentence. Rodic added that Brcic could now ask for a retrialin order to try and prove his innocence. The Croatian police confirmed the information concerning the arrest, while the Justice Ministry had no information regarding the matter, though it announced that once they had received confirmation, they would seek Brcic’s extradition. An international arrest warrant was issued for the captain by the District Court in Split, said Krunoslav Borovec from the police department’s public relations office. According to Justice Ministry spokeswoman Vesna Dovranic, the ministry still had no information on Brcic’s arrest on the basis of the warrant issued by the Croatian authorities, although once official confirmation from the Interior Ministry had been received, they would then be able to launch extradition proceedings.

Montenegrin officer arrested in Rome

Montenegrin Defense Minister Boro Vučinić announced that his ministry would ask Croatian authorities for an explanation.

Vučinić said that the Montenegrin Embassy in Rome had informed him on Sunday of Brčić’s arrest.

The captain was a member of a Montenegrin delegation invited by NATO joint command to attend a military exercise in Naples.

The minister said that Brčić had been placed in an extradition prison in Rome, and that he had been assigned a temporary lawyer. He also denied claims that the Defense Ministry knew that Croatia had already issued an international warrant for the captain’s arrest, as “they had received no such information from that country.“

He reiterated that that the Montenegrin Army and Defense Ministry had asked all countries in the region “to keep us informed on their views and suggestions concerning military personnel in Montenegro, regarding their role in past conflicts.“

“The Defense Ministry received no such reply, and did not possess any information suggesting that any Montenegrin officer currently serving had committed crimes or had been convicted in another country,“ Vučinić told journalists.

The minister did not wish to go into any further detail over the “Brčić affair“, claiming that “we shouldn’t be too quick to comment.“ He added that, “Let the authorities give their response to the matter so that everything can be done in accordance with the law, and everyone will then be held accountable for whatever it is they’ve done.“

Brčić’s lawyer Goran Rodić said yesterday that the Montenegrin officer had been sentenced in absentia to 15 years behind bars for war crimes committed against civilians, and that he would have to begin serving his sentence. Rodić added that Brčić could now ask for a retrialin order to try and prove his innocence.

The Croatian police confirmed the information concerning the arrest, while the Justice Ministry had no information regarding the matter, though it announced that once they had received confirmation, they would seek Brčić’s extradition.

An international arrest warrant was issued for the captain by the District Court in Split, said Krunoslav Borovec from the police department’s public relations office.

According to Justice Ministry spokeswoman Vesna Dovranić, the ministry still had no information on Brčić’s arrest on the basis of the warrant issued by the Croatian authorities, although once official confirmation from the Interior Ministry had been received, they would then be able to launch extradition proceedings.