Podgorica, (MINA) – Former director of the National Security Agency (ANB) Dejan Perunicic was sentenced to five years in prison for illegal wiretapping and survaillance of former opposition leaders, journalists and church dignitaries from late 2019 until the August 30, 2020 parliamentary elections.

As reported by Vijesti, secret service operative Srdja Pavicevic was sentenced to one year and four months in prison for illegal recording and surveillance carried out on the verbal orders of the former ANB chief.

The verdict was delivered by the Podgorica High Court, after a court proceeding which was closed for the public.

Perunicic was sentenced for unlawfully using his office and the authority as ANB director between December 2019 and August 2020 by issuing verbal orders to unidentified officials of the Agency to implement surveillance of electronic communications of certain phone numbers contrary to the Law on ANB and without the approval from the President of the Supreme Court or the judge acting in that capacity.