Last year, the Special Police Department (SPO) launched seven and ended three financial investigations, which are trying to trace the valuable assets of the defendants, which are believed to have been acquired by engaging in organized crime.
The financial investigations included 361 people, which is almost three times more than the 127 suspects, as many of them were charged with criminal charges in 2023 for creating a criminal organization, money laundering, abuse of official position, cigarette smuggling...
The completed financial investigations included a total of 67 persons, and the information collected about the property by the officers of the Special Police Department was submitted to the acting prosecutors, who are simultaneously conducting criminal investigations for the creation of a criminal organization.
The total material damage included in the criminal charges, which SPO officers submitted to the Special State Prosecutor's Office (SDT) last year, amounts to almost 40 million euros, was answered by "News from that police department, which he manages Predrag Šuković.
The direct damage to the budget of Montenegro is over 21 million, which is twenty times more than it was the case during the comparative year 2022, when the material damage to the state coffers of 907.485 euros was calculated by criminal reports of the SPO...
"The material damage included in the criminal charges submitted to the Special State Prosecutor's Office amounts to 38.772.923 euros, 241.642 USD, 125.000 CHF and 32.570 GBP, of which the damage to the budget of Montenegro is 21.024.136 euros and is many times higher than the damage from 2022 - 907.485 euros", SPO analysts counted.
A significant increase in cases occurred due to corruption crimes when the Special Police Department submitted six criminal reports and reports as a supplement to criminal reports in the area of high corruption.
During 2023, due to high corruption, by order of the SDT, 14 people were prosecuted on suspicion of having committed 13 criminal acts, and two former directors of the Police Administration were arrested - Veselin Veljović, who is still in custody as of July 2023 and Slavko Stojanovic, due to abuse of official position.
"Among those prosecuted are three police officers, of which four are public officials (former director of the Police Directorate, Minister of Defense, State Secretary in the Ministry of Defense and executive director of the Environmental Protection Fund) and four customs officials. In addition to the reported persons, another person was deprived of his liberty by order of the acting special prosecutor former director of the Police Administration, who was at the time of the crime public functionary, due to well-founded suspicion that he abused his official position", writes the response of the Police Administration.
By order of the Special State Prosecutor's Office, which he has been managing for the past two years Vladimir Novović, 65 people were arrested last year, and among the persons who are covered by criminal charges are 12 officers of the Police Directorate and one member of the National Security Agency working in the police...
"In the action that the Special Police Department undertook by order and together with the SDT, and based on several months of planned and coordinated action by the SDT, SPO and EUROPOL, the acting assistant director of the Police Directorate for the Anti-Crime Sector was also deprived of his liberty , due to the existence of grounds for suspicion that he committed a criminal offense under the jurisdiction of the SDT," the police state.
As many as 27 members of the OKG are under attack
Last year, the documents of the European Commission also praised the work of the SDT and SPO, where, among other things, it was stated that the Special Police Department acted with high readiness in a large number of cases of high level of corruption and organized crime, which shows "the deep infiltration of organized crime in the state structures"...
The SPO stated in the report for last year that their officers submitted 27 criminal reports and reports to the SDT as supplements to criminal reports, against 127 natural persons on grounds of suspicion that they had committed 244 criminal acts, as well as against five legal entities, on grounds of suspected of having committed nine criminal acts.
"Out of the total number of criminal reports, 20 of them refer to crimes committed in an organized manner, involving 106 physical and legal entities," states the UP.
In the statistical data for 2023, it was stated that the names of as many as 27 persons, who were registered in police documents as members of organized criminal groups in Montenegro, are among the prosecuted persons.
"The special police department launched several extensive activities to detect, prove and prosecute perpetrators of crimes in the fight against organized crime and high corruption, and excellent results were achieved, which is the contribution of the full commitment of the operational composition of this organizational unit of the police", they emphasized. from the Police Administration.
100 million went up in smoke
The report data of the Special Police Department show that during 2023, 109.833 packs of cigarettes were smuggled across the customs line in an unknown direction, to be sold on the gray market, causing direct material damage to the budget of Montenegro of around 100 million euros.
In the area of the fight against cigarette smuggling, the officers of the Special Police Department submitted three criminal reports to the Special State Prosecutor's Office during 2023 against a total of 15 persons and five legal entities.
A major operation due to cigarette smuggling took place in the summer of last year, when a criminal organization, a fugitive from Nikšić, came under attack. Aleksandar Mrkić, who is believed to have been smuggling large loads of cigarettes for years...
A new crackdown on cigarette smuggling took place towards the end of 2023, when the owner of the Basketball Club Mornar was arrested. Djordje Pavićević, his former employee Nikica Kovačević and two customs officials on suspicion of organizing the smuggling scheme of at least three ships loaded with cigarette containers...
An important pillar in the criminal pyramid of cigarette smuggling was shaken at the end of February this year when he was arrested on the order of the SDT Aleksandar Aco Mijajlović, who is believed to have been on at the head of the cigarette smuggling scheme, but also seven other people, including several former and current police officers...
"Among the reported persons, six officials of the Revenue and Customs Administration were prosecuted last year, four of them in the capacity of members of the Commission for the destruction of seized cigarettes, who are charged with assisting in the smuggling of cigarettes for a long period of time, but also with corrupt crimes. Also, among those reported are two persons who have been registered as members of organized criminal groups", it is stated in the reply to "Vijesta".
An increase of 120 percent
Statistics of the SPO for 2023 show that the number of detected criminal offenses compared to 2022 increased by 24,49%, while the number of detected criminal offenses in 2022 compared to 2021 increased by as much as 120,23 percent. ..
During 2023, SPO officers submitted six criminal reports and reports to the SDT as supplements to the criminal reports, which included 35 individuals, who are accused of having committed 46 crimes against life and limb.
Of those 35, as many as 18 were labeled as members of organized criminal groups.
"Among those reported are two police officers. 14 persons were deprived of their liberty. Of the indicated number of criminal acts, 11 refer to crimes against life and limb, and 35 to membership in a criminal organization. Out of 11 crimes, which are directed against life and body, eight are crimes of aggravated murder by aiding and abetting, two crimes of aggravated murder in complicity and one crime of attempted murder by aiding and abetting," the police state.
During 2023, SPO analysts found that eight criminal charges and reports were submitted to SDT as a supplement to criminal charges, which included 47 persons, due to drug smuggling.
Six people were prosecuted for human trafficking.
SDT keeps records of temporarily confiscated property
The Special Police Department, in coordination with the Special State Prosecutor's Office, conducts continuous activities with the aim of conducting other evidentiary procedures in parallel for all criminal acts that generate financial gain in the investigation phase.
Precise data on temporarily confiscated property is kept by SDT.
"Procedure of gathering evidence in the direction of confirming the basis of suspicion that a criminal offense has been committed or is being prepared (criminal investigation) and the procedure of taking actions aimed at collecting data of a financial nature (financial investigation) that can also be used for classic confiscation (property benefit created by the commission of a criminal act) and for extended confiscation (property benefit from criminal activity), that is, in specific cases, operational teams should be formed, which will be composed of inspectors who conduct criminal investigations/investigations and inspectors who conduct financial investigations/investigations", it was explained in Police Department.
SPO officers collect notifications and documentation in several cases with the aim of proving the grounds for suspicion that crimes against official duty, payment transactions, economic operations, money laundering have been committed, as well as with the aim of conducting financial investigations and confiscating property benefits acquired through criminal activity.
There are 20 officials missing in the SPO
Currently, 30 officers are employed in the Special Police Department, while 50 jobs are systematized by the current Rulebook on Internal Organization and Systematization of the Ministry of Internal Affairs - Police Administration.
They state, however, that the filling of the Special Police Department is "an activity that is given special attention."
"In the previous period, we strengthened the Special Police Department by hiring officers with many years of experience in organized crime, corruption, economic crime, as well as with officers who have experience and specific skills and knowledge in the field of taxes and business operations in other state administration bodies" , it is explained in the answers of UP.
Last year, 8.132.822 euros were "washed".
Officials of the Special Police Department during 2023 believe that the total amount of money, which was acquired through criminal activities and placed in legal channels, is 8.132.822 euros.
That cumulative figure is significantly higher compared to the comparative year 2022, when 971.100 euros were "laundered" in Montenegro.
"Officials of the SPO in the field of combating money laundering submitted five criminal reports and reports to the Special State Prosecutor's Office as a supplement to the criminal reports, which include 13 persons, who are accused of having committed 19 criminal offenses of money laundering, primarily due to criminal offenses - unauthorized production, possession and distribution of narcotic drugs and other criminal acts. Two criminal reports involving four persons, primarily due to the committed criminal acts of money laundering. Three police officers are among the reported persons," the Police Directorate says.
See more:
Download the app and follow the news
FOLLOW US ON
