Amsterdam & Partners LLP: Montenegro Ends All Proceedings Against Former CIA Officer Joseph Assad for Lack of Evidence and Agrees to Reimburse His Costs

Joseph Assad was never indicted or tried; arrest and detention orders have been withdrawn following proceedings that damaged his reputation for nearly a decade

Montenegro has terminated all criminal and financial proceedings against former CIA counterterrorism officer Joseph Assad after determining that the evidence did not establish reasonable suspicion that he committed any criminal offence.

Mr. Assad was never indicted or tried. Montenegro's courts have now withdrawn the arrest and pretrial detention orders issued against him, and the Special State Prosecutor's Office has agreed to reimburse the costs he incurred in connection with the proceedings. The amount of the reimbursement has not been publicly disclosed.

“ These are not assertions made solely by Mr. Assad or his attorneys. They are the documented actions and findings of Montenegro's own prosecutors and courts ”, Robert Amsterdam, Founder and Managing Partner of Amsterdam & Partners LLP, states.

Mr. Assad, a United States citizen, travelled to Montenegro in October 2016 in the course of his professional work. He conducted a lawful security assessment for a consultant connected to the country's political opposition and remained in Montenegro for six days.

Despite never being charged, Mr. Assad was publicly accused of involvement in an alleged coup plot. An international arrest warrant was issued against him in absentia, a pretrial detention order remained outstanding, and a separate financial investigation was opened. The accusations severely damaged his professional reputation, restricted his ability to travel and placed him and his family under the continuing threat of arrest and extradition.

In May 2026, Montenegro's Special State Prosecutor's Office discontinued both the criminal investigation and the separate financial investigation against Mr. Assad, finding that the available evidence did not establish reasonable suspicion that he had committed any offence.

In July 2026, the Higher Court in Podgorica withdrew the order for his arrest. The same court subsequently set aside the pretrial detention order, expressly noting that Mr. Assad had never been named in the indictment in the underlying case.

The underlying prosecution has also ended. The Higher Court in Podgorica acquitted all defendants in July 2024, and the appellate proceedings concluded in February 2026, bringing the case to an end.

Following the termination of the proceedings against Mr. Assad, the Special State Prosecutor's Office agreed to reimburse the costs he incurred in the case. That decision represents a further formal acknowledgment by the Montenegrin authorities that the proceedings against him have concluded and that he is entitled to recover the costs resulting from them.

In a separate criminal proceeding, former chief special prosecutor Milivoje Katnić and suspended special prosecutor Saša Čađenović are now on trial over allegations that they abused their official positions and unlawfully sought to influence Mr. Assad's testimony in the coup case. The prosecution alleges that they linked Mr. Assad's proposed testimony to the withdrawal of warrants and the termination of proceedings against him. Both defendants deny wrongdoing, and the case remains pending.

Mr. Amsterdam continues:

"For nearly a decade, Joseph Assad lived under the shadow of accusations that Montenegro's own authorities have now determined were unsupported by evidence. He was never indicted. He was never tried. Nevertheless, an international warrant, a detention order and a financial investigation inflicted profound and lasting damage on his reputation, his work, his freedom to travel and his family.

"The official record is now clear: the criminal and financial investigations have been terminated, the arrest and detention orders have been withdrawn, and the Special State Prosecutor's Office has agreed to reimburse the costs Mr. Assad incurred in these proceedings.

"The separate prosecution of the former prosecutors over their alleged efforts to influence Mr. Assad's testimony raises serious questions about how this case was pursued and why an innocent man was subjected to years of international suspicion without ever being charged.

"The accusations against Mr. Assad were reported around the world. His vindication must now be reported with equal prominence. We call upon every news organisation that published or repeated the allegations to update its coverage, correct the public record and make clear that Montenegro's proceedings against Joseph Assad ended for lack of evidence."

The allegations against Mr. Assad received extensive international coverage when they were first made. The subsequent prosecutorial findings, court orders and termination of the proceedings should not receive less attention.

Amsterdam & Partners LLP will therefore be contacting media organisations and other entities whose published accounts continue to associate Mr. Assad with criminal conduct unsupported by the official record. The firm will request appropriate corrections, updates and explanatory notes reflecting the final disposition of the proceedings.

Amsterdam & Partners LLP is an international law firm specialising in political advocacy and human rights. For further information, please visit www.amsterdamandpartners.com .

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