A few days ago, the Special State Prosecutor's Office entered Atlas Bank and began checking all transactions through the accounts of about sixty companies suspected of having participated in tax evasion of tens of millions of euros since 2011, "Vijesti" has learned.
All these companies, half of which are bankrupt, were founded in Montenegro by several offshore companies from Latin American destinations, and about 600 million euros passed through their accounts in Atlas Bank from the online trade of consumer goods through websites for the sale of consumer goods. a source close to the investigation told "Vijesta".
SDT suspects that the money from the online trade arrived in the accounts of these companies and was then forwarded to the parent companies - except for the one for the salaries of the directors of the companies, the Montenegrin citizens who signed the documentation - without paying the profit tax of at least nine percent, depending on the legal regulations in transaction time.
"All the companies were allegedly registered by the same lawyer, with director's powers below the legal minimum," said a source close to the investigation, confirmed by another "Vijesti" interlocutor.
All transactions were allegedly made with visa and mastercard cards, but no taxes were allegedly paid on those incomes.
The Special State Prosecutor's Office suspects that around 50 million euros in taxes have been evaded, and the accounts of around XNUMX active companies with roughly that amount of money have been blocked.
The SDT also checks whether Atlas Bank has complied with legal regulations and its internal rules on the obligation to "know your client" before doing business with him.
When asked about the entry of the special prosecutor's office into the bank, Atlas Bank replied to "Vijesta" that they cannot provide any information about the actions of the competent state authorities, but that it "has nothing to do with the bank's operations".
A source close to the investigation said that they suspect that Atlas Bank earned several tens of millions of euros from commissions in these transactions, and 12 million in just one year.
The Special Prosecutor's Office replied to "Vijesti" that "the investigation in the mentioned case is ongoing".
The Tax Administration is also involved in the investigation, which needs to check the disputed companies and whether and how much they have paid in taxes during this period.
The Prosecutor's Office is also investigating suspicions that a large amount of money was laundered in this case.
The interlocutor of "Vijesti" did not want to say which companies registered in Montenegro are involved, nor which are the parent companies, registered in Latin American offshore zones, which founded the companies in Montenegro.
"The directors of those companies are our citizens, among whom there are those who did not know what those companies were doing, but they were getting several hundred euros, just to sign what they were told," said the interlocutor of "Vijesti".
Bank: The action of the prosecution has nothing to do with the bank's operations
Atlas Bank answered the questions of "Vijesti" that they cannot provide any information about the actions of competent state authorities.
"What is important for us is that this action has nothing to do with the bank's operations, which are carried out regularly and successfully, to our and our clients' satisfaction. Since our bank, like all other banks in Montenegro, is under the regular monitoring of the Central Bank, for any additional information, if you are interested in information about the usual affairs of state bodies in relation to banks, please contact the CBCG and other relevant state authorities authorities," the bank's reply reads.
Online bookmakers included, or money laundering?
The special state prosecutor's office is also checking whether some of these companies have connections with a special type of online trade, betting on the Internet through websites around the world.
"If this is confirmed, then there is a high probability that there was also money laundering, and that the big world players from the world of crime were involved in this business. We will try to determine this through international legal assistance," said a source close to the investigation for "Vijesti". That source did not want to say who the "big players" were.
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