Sasa Sindjelic

Montenegro on Wednesday extradited Sasa Sindjelic, a former protected witness in the Montenegro "Coup Plot" trial, to Croatia, where he is to serve a jail sentence over an unrelated case.

It previously arrested Sindjelic, a Serbian national, on the basis of an Interpol "red notice" submitted by Croatia.

The Higher Court in Podgorica on Friday accepted an extradition detention order for Serbian national Sasa Sindjelic, who has been arrested in Montenegro on the basis of an Interpol "red notice" submitted by authorities in Croatia, where he is wanted.

The Higher Court in Podgorica on Monday issued an extradition detention order for Sasa Sindjelic, who was arrested in Montenegro on the basis of an Interpol 'red notice' requested by the authorities in Croatia, where he is wanted.

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.

The key witness in the election coup plot trial, Sasa Sindjelic, said he was hired by a Russian intelligence officer to organise the overthrow of the government to stop Montenegro from joining NATO.

A key witness in the trial for the alleged election-day coup plot in Montenegro, Sasa Sindjelic, is expected to give evidence before the court in Podgorica on Wednesday - his first public appearance since the launch of the case, which has been shadowed by conspiracy theories.

The trial in the coup plot case is to resume on Wednesday with the Montenegrin public eager to hear the evidence of the prosecution, which is seeking to prove that the two Russian intelligence agents were involved in a covert scheme to prevent Montenegro from joining NATO.

The Telegraph published on Tuesday what it said were surveillance photographs "obtained by European intelligence agencies" that could offer "key proof" that Russian intelligence officers plotted a violent takeover of power in the Balkan state last October.

A former top general in Serbia's elite Gendarmerie unit, Bratislav Dikic, on Wednesday denied having backed an alleged coup plot in Montenegro during the elections in the republic last October.

Dikic told the court in Podgorica at the pre-trial session that he was a victim of the "fabricated charges" of the Montenegrin Special Prosecution.