Pantovic: The police verbally informed Pantic that his detention was extended; I have never had such a case

Dejan Pantic's house arrest had been extended for another two months, his lawyer Ljubomir Pantovic said, emphasizing that an unusual legal situation had been created in that case, because neither Dejan Pantic nor Pantovic as his lawyer, had so far received a decision on the extension of house arrest, which was the only possible legal way in which custody was determined or extended.

Pantovic told Kosovo Online that neither he nor his client had received the written decision of the court's decision and that Dejan had informed him that a police patrol had come to his house at 9:00 this morning and had shown him the decision in the Albanian language.

"Dejan informed me that this morning at 9 o'clock a police patrol had come to his apartment, which normally controlled his presence in the house every day, and had shown him a copy of the decision. They told him that it was a decision on the extension of detention in the Albanian language, they showed him only the first page, where the date May 9 was underlined with a marker, as the day until which the detention was extended. Then they took that decision with them, and they told him that he would get that decision later in the Serbian language," Pantovic said.

As he says, it is possible that the decision will arrive during the day, and Pantic's previously determined house arrest will expire tonight at midnight.

But, as he adds, if it happens that the new decision does not arrive, then an incredible situation is created to the detriment of Dejan Pantic.

"He is verbally told that he is still under house arrest, and there is no written decision about that, which is the only way in which house arrest is extended. We will see what happens this afternoon and evening, but for the first time in my career I see something like this, and I've been a lawyer for 28 years," emphasized the lawyer.

As he says, the only possible next step is when that decision comes at some point, and it is possible that it will be during the day, to file an appeal against that decision.

In that appeal, Pantovic says that he will write that it is not legally allowed for the police to verbally tell a detainee 'you are still in custody', to show him some paper, without handing him a written decision about it.

"In the appeal, I will emphasize that detail, and if the decision arrives tomorrow, for example, I will request that the Court of Appeal states that the house arrest of Dejan Pantic ceased to be valid as of today, March 9, because if the decision does not arrive by the end of the house arrest, it is considered abolished. The only possibility to use that legal remedy is an appeal, but that appeal goes to the Court of Appeal in Pristina, so I have told you everything," Pantovic concludes.