The Special State Prosecutor's Office (SDT) suspects Mihailo Banjević, Duško Đukanović and Đorđe Đurđić that, contrary to banking procedures, and as responsible persons in "Atlas Bank", they approved a cash loan of 365 thousand euros to Dejan Sekulić, which later grew to a debt of almost 600 thousands of euros, "Vijesti" learns.
Because of this, the special police team detained Banjević, Đukanović and Đurđić yesterday and took them to the special prosecutor Lidija Vukčević for questioning.
Dejan Sekulić, the godfather of fugitive businessman Duško Knežević, was arrested on Tuesday on suspicion of having committed the criminal offense of abuse in business operations. In the period from 2009 to 2016, he allegedly encouraged Banjević, Đukanović and Đurđić to "obtain material benefit" by abusing his official position.
In 2009, according to "Vijesti", Sekulić was granted a loan in the amount of 365.000 euros, as SDT suspects, without all banking procedures. Banjević, Đukanović and Đurđić, with various contract annexes and loan refinancing, are suspected to have enabled Sekulić not to repay the loan. They allegedly did not, in accordance with the law and banking procedures, secure the bank, that is, they did not take security measures in case of non-return of the loan.
SDT suspects that damage of EUR 592.103 was caused to "Atlas Bank", and Sekulić obtained an illegal property benefit in the same amount.
365 thousand euros is the amount of the cash loan, which Dejan Sekulić took out in 2009 in "Atlas Bank". However, the bank's leaders, by abusing their official position, enabled him not to repay the loan, and Sekulić's debt grew to 2016 euros by 592.103.
Sekulić, as they suspect, spent this amount inappropriately by transferring about 14 thousand to his account in "Atlas Bank", he withdrew about 246 thousand in cash, while he transferred 144 thousand to the account of the company "Atlas Invest", whose owner Dusko Knezevic.
After several hours of questioning, Đukanović and Banjević were released, while Đurđić was questioned until late in the afternoon, and "Vijesti" did not receive information on whether and when he was released.
Attorney Tomislav Dedić, Banjević's defense attorney, told "Vijesta" that the proceedings were declared secret, which is why he cannot comment on anything.
"I normally do not make statements regarding my ongoing cases," Dedić said.
Banjević was the vice president of "Atlas Group", and at the end of 2013, he resigned from all the positions he held in that company. In the resignation that Banjević sent to Knežević, no concrete reasons were given for that move. Đukanović worked as the executive director for commercial at "Atlas Bank", while Đurđić was the deputy executive director.
The "Atlas Group" previously announced that the actions of the SDT can be characterized "as open terror towards all persons who are close to Duško Knežević".
"The goal of this terror is their intimidation, and the meaning is to create ever stronger pressure on Duško Knežević, so that he gives up his fight and the discovery of illegality at the top of the executive power of Montenegro", announced the "Atlas Group" after the arrest of Sekulić.
Sekulić's defense attorney, lawyer Zdravko Đukanović, said earlier that his client was arrested on the orders of Chief Special Prosecutor Milivoj Katnić.
He then said that his client was charged with two criminal offenses - abuse of position in business and abuse of authority in the economy.
Knežević is being investigated by the Special Prosecutor's Office for tax evasion, money laundering and abuse of office.
The president of Atlas Group - Knežević, avoided arrest by leaving Montenegro for Great Britain, of which he is also a citizen.
Director from the Youth Center to the Pension Fund
Banjević graduated from the Faculty of Economics, and was engaged in many managerial positions, the most important of which were: director of the Budo Tomović Youth Center, Secretary of the city SIZ of social activities in Podgorica, after which he managed the Fund for Culture and Physical Education and the Social Fund for building land and was the secretary of the Republic SIZ of Health of Montenegro.
He was the director of the Pension Fund of Montenegro, and then he was the general director and president of the Board of Directors of Kombinat aluminum Podgorica.
Yesterday, he did not want to comment on the charges against him due to, as he claims, the secrecy of the proceedings.
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