Acting Director of the Revenue and Customs Administration Milena Petričević claims to be the Minister of Finance and Social Welfare Milojko Spajic the night before last, he asked her to resign, threatening her with dismissal, while his department replied that they only actually called her to account for an omission in her work.
Responding to Petričević's accusations, the Ministry told "Vijesti" that Spajić gave her an opinion on how to act in connection with the concession for games of chance of the company "Jackpot" whose owners Branislav Brano Mićunović i Sava Džigi Grbović, while Petričević claims that they did not say a word about it.
According to the opinion of the Ministry, which "Vijesti" had access to, Petričević had to respond negatively to that private company's request for a second extension of the concession for the casino "Falkeinstener" in Bečići, before the concession expired on February 18.
She did not do so, so the Commercial Court, at the request of "Jackpot", passed a temporary measure to extend the operation of the casino until the legally binding dispute between that private individual and the state is resolved.
Each new concession for casino operation initially costs 2.000.000 euros.
Since Friday, Petričević has not answered the questions of "Vijesti" about the procedure in connection with the concession for Mićunović and Grbović's company.
Who got on who?
Petričević told "Vijesta" yesterday that she came to the meeting with Spajić after being invited by his secretary, on Wednesday evening.
"The only topic was the request that I resign and make it easier for him. In the conversation, he stated that he would fire me regardless of the fact that I did not want to resign myself, stating that I had offended many people and that he was being 'punished' and that others would definitely fire me. He further stated that he spoke with the director of the National Security Agency (ANB) Dejan Vukšić and said 'you have to go, in order to protect you'", Petričević said.
She repeated that they did not discuss the concession for "Jack Pot", but also that she did not hide anything about it from Spajić.
"We did not mention any concessionaire, especially Jack Pot, at the meeting, but there is no action of which the minister was not officially informed. "If it's not a misunderstanding and if the pressure on me is being hidden through subterfuges and fabrications, then it's a criminal offense," she said.
After that, she claims, she pointed out to Spajić that she had achieved results in every field and that she had invested "superhuman efforts" in this over the past four months, but also that she had "found important international projects delayed, which she moved from a standstill". .
"I told him that because of my integrity, I refuse to act on the request (about dismissal)," she said.
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She claims that Spajić then offered her to be the director of the Supervision Directorate (assistant minister) in the ministry that they plan to turn into the financial police.
"He said that in that position I will have a higher salary and that in the future a new law will be drafted with the support of foreigners. I wonder why this speed, if the competition is in progress... I have to accept that they 'protect my head' by taking me out on the street without protection, I guess it costs them less," said Petričević, who has had twenty-four-hour security since the end of January. after the threats after the seizure of half a ton of cocaine.
No shift proposed
The Ministry of Finance told "Vijesti" that Petričević was invited to an interview in which the minister calls her to account for her recent actions as the head of the UPC body.
"The key reasons are related to the concession for games of chance, for which the opinion of the Ministry of Finance was submitted that the Administration should act in accordance with the Law on Games of Chance, as well as the problematic Proposed Rulebook on the internal organization and systematization of the UPC, which provides for the abolition of a special of the gaming sector. The draft rulebook has only just been submitted, although it was requested in December last year," explained the ministry.
Among the reasons, they wrote, is the halt in the implementation of two important projects for the improvement of tax and customs administration, for which the state receives warnings from the international partners who finance them, as well as the fact that it was carried out slowly, given the urgency of the procedure, and has not yet been fully established system of detailed electronic records of entry, exit and circulation of goods in free zones.
"This was insisted on by the National Anti-Corruption Council at a high level, and we remind you that the Government's conclusion was adopted on November 26, 2021. In this matter, the Ministry has done everything within its competence. Considering your questions about the ratings of the acting director, it is interesting why she feels the need to come forward and try to defend her position through the media, when she has not been relieved of her duties, nor has this been proposed to the Government. A public competition for the election of the director of UPC has been published, to which everyone who meets the conditions can apply", said the Ministry.
From this department, they pointed out that Petričević, in the wake of the latest events in the Free Zone of the Port of Bar, according to the request filed in the ministry's archive yesterday, asked for an annual vacation for the duration of 29 working days.
"The request is not in accordance with the Law on Civil Servants and State Employees, bearing in mind that her previous employment under a work contract in the ministry is not considered as a period for the possibility of using annual leave. Yesterday (March 10), the Ministry made a decision and, in accordance with the law, approved the use of annual vacation for the acting director of UPC, for the duration of nine working days, taking into account increases based on seniority, and proportional to the time spent in the position, i.e. the period of acting engagement ", they said in Spajić's department.
They also said that they will not comment further on the matter, because a public competition for the election of the UPC director is underway.
Ignores Jackpot questions
"Vijesti" published a text on Saturday that he is the acting assistant director of UPC for the sector of games of chance Andrija Ćetković wrote a decision rejecting the request of "Jackpot" for a new extension of the concession, because they already used that right in 2016, so according to the law they have no right to a second extension. They can be issued a new concession, if they pay a fee of two million euros.
Ćetković submitted his decision with an explanation to Petričević, so that she would forward it to the Ministry of Finance, and they would forward it to the Government, which would state the termination of the concession. However, according to "Vijesti" information, Petričević did not forward the decision to the Ministry, but initiated disciplinary proceedings against Ćetković for not informing her that he had sent his decision to the Ministry.
On February 17, the day before the concession expired, "Jack Pot" submitted a request to the Commercial Court for a temporary measure requiring their casino to continue operating until a final court decision is made regarding whether they have the right to a second extension of the concession. Judge and President of the Commercial Court Blazo Jovanić on the day of the expiry of the concession, issued a decision accepting the "Jackpot" request and forbidding the state to interfere with their work, regardless of the expiry of the concession, until the court's decision is made.
Since last Friday, Petričević has not answered the questions of "Vijesti" sent to her in connection with "Džek potom". After the questions were sent, she asked the journalist to postpone writing the text and wait with the answers until Monday. After it was answered that the decision of the Commercial Court has become final and is public, a reply was sent to the e-mail from her office in which it is proposed to answer the questions asked of Ćetković. However, he told "Vijesta" that he answered the questions, but that he does not have the authority of the director to forward them to the media until she approves.
Two days after the publication of the article in "Vijesti", a public competition was announced for the election of the UPC director.
At the end of October, the government appointed Petričević as acting director.
Several Vijesti sources claim that her current assistant for the collection sector is Jelena Đukić and her possible successor.
Spajić confirmed the correctness of Ćetković's decision
On February 10 of this year, eight days before the expiry of the concession for the "Jackpot" casino, Spajić sent a letter to Petričević asking her to make a decision regarding the concession for this casino and send it to the ministry so that the Government could confirm it.
Spajić states in the letter that the law states that the concession is issued for 10 years and that it can be extended to five years.
"The above implies that the concession can be extended only once. This attitude is also confirmed by the application of the method of grammatical interpretation of law, bearing in mind that the term 'extend' and not 'extend' is used. The same is stated in the UPC letter dated February 1, 2022," says the letter, which "Vijesti" has access to.
Ćetković also informed Petričević about the same in his decision on February 1 and the ministry.
Spajić states that until now the Government interpreted that the concession can be extended only once, citing the examples of the Montenegrin Lottery and the casino in "Maestral", which paid two million euros for a new concession after the expiry of the five-year extension.
Vukšić: I never said that we can save it only by shifting
"Vijesti" yesterday asked ANB director Dejan Vukšić if he told Minister Spajić that, as she claims, it is best for Petričević to step down as acting director in order to save her head.
Petričević said that Spajić actually recounted to her the conversation with Vukšić, who allegedly told her that she had "grudged" many people with her work and that they could save her only by changing her.
"I consider it important to point out that I have never said something like that, nor could I say it, for several reasons. First of all, I do not have the legal authority to remove or appoint personnel in responsible positions within other state bodies. If, while performing the duties of the director of ANB, I came into possession of information that is of importance for national security, and that could be of importance to other state bodies, I would, according to established practice, deliver the same to the invited addresses for familiarization, use and handling. "Also, if the Agency was in possession of specific knowledge that the security of anyone, especially someone in a responsible position like Petričević, was directly threatened, I would act promptly and in the same way, by informing other competent state authorities," said Vukšić.
He said that the Agency will act in accordance with the law and professional standards in relation to all persons for whom the competent state authorities turn to with a request for a threat assessment.
Vukšić added that the cooperation between ANB and UPC is excellent, timely and expedient: "And Petričević deserves a lot of credit for his professional and proactive approach, and his unreserved willingness to cooperate with the Agency in accordance with the law."
Answering the question of whether he told the Minister of Finance and Social Welfare that "it is best for Petričević to step down from the position of Acting Director of the Revenue and Customs Administration in order to save her head", Vukšić said that he by no means gets involved in personnel matters of other state bodies.
"I would like to point out that in my comments and answers to your questions, I remain within the framework of cooperation between the two competent authorities, and in no way comment or go into the personnel issues of other state authorities, nor into other aspects of the work and actions of Petričević, nor of the Revenue and Customs Administration as a whole." , said Vuksic.
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