Joseph Assad proceedings end in Montenegro, lawyers say

Montenegro has ended criminal and financial proceedings against former CIA counterterrorism officer Joseph Assad and agreed to reimburse his costs, Assad's law firm Amsterdam & Partners LLP said.

The firm said Montenegro's Special State Prosecutor's Office discontinued the criminal and financial investigations in May 2026 after finding that the available evidence did not establish reasonable suspicion that Assad had committed an offence. It said Assad was never indicted or tried.

According to Amsterdam & Partners LLP, the Higher Court in Podgorica withdrew an arrest order in July 2026 and later set aside a pretrial detention order, noting that Assad had not been named in the indictment in the underlying case. The reimbursement amount has not been publicly disclosed.

The firm said Assad, a United States citizen, travelled to Montenegro in October 2016 for professional work and was publicly accused of involvement in an alleged coup plot despite not being charged.

Amsterdam & Partners LLP said the underlying prosecution ended after all defendants were acquitted in July 2024 and appellate proceedings concluded in February 2026.

The firm also said former chief special prosecutor Milivoje Katnić and suspended special prosecutor Saša Čađenović are on trial in a separate case over allegations that they abused their positions and unlawfully sought to influence Assad's testimony. It said both deny wrongdoing and the case remains pending.