Montenegro Police Hunt Suspects in Tunnel Raid on High Court
(Bloomberg) -- Police in Montenegro are searching for six suspects over a tunnel being dug into the High Court in the capital to steal or destroy evidence related to cases against drug cartels, state broadcaster RTCG reported.
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The Podgorica break-in, uncovered earlier this week, has rocked the tiny Adriatic State and NATO member, which has sought to improve the rule of law and judiciary amid political turbulence and efforts to form a government following elections in June.
Authorities haven’t named the suspects, but an initial investigation indicates they are not Montenegrin nationals, RTCG said on Thursday, citing people within the security services it didn’t name.
The court’s underground storage was found to have been ransacked on Monday, with a hole in the wall connected to an apartment building some 30 meters away.
The break-in is “the most serious and most dangerous attack on state institutions and the judiciary,” Justice Minister Marko Kovac said in a statement after convening a meeting of Montenegro’s top security and intelligence officials.
Outgoing Prime Minister Dritan Abazovic visited the scene and spoke to investigators along with Justice Minister Marko Kovac and Interior Minister Filip Adzic soon after the break-in.
Their visit, however, raised questions over potential contamination of evidence in the early stages of the investigation, unleashing accusations between justice and government officials, who are responsible for security at the nation’s courts.
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