Interior Minister Danilo Šaranović announced that if it is established that the arrested Kosovar businessman Naser Ramaj obtained honorary Montenegrin citizenship illegally, he will demand that it be revoked.
Ramaj is accused of tax evasion in the amount of over two million euros, hiding income from the sale of apartments and apartments in the Porto Budva complex in Budva.
Because of this, the director of his company Alert Center, Valentina Grubović, was also arrested two days ago.
Saranović says that it is unclear on what basis the Ministry of Finance gave a positive opinion that Ramaj should be granted Montenegrin citizenship in October last year, at the suggestion of former Prime Minister Dritan Abazović.
During the previous government, this person received the so-called honorary citizenship, in accordance with Article 12 of the Law on Montenegrin Citizenship.
Šaranović said at the press conference that on August 28 of last year, Ramaj turned to former Prime Minister Dritan Abazović with a request to receive the so-called honorary citizenship at the proposal of the Prime Minister.
"Two days later, the cabinet of the former prime minister turned to the then minister of finance for an opinion. That opinion was delivered by the minister of finance to the former prime minister on September 12, in which it is said that the ministry of finance considers it justified for Naser Ramaj to receive Montenegrin citizenship. Given that today this person is charged with tax evasion of at least two million euros, what is very indicative is the basis on which the then Ministry of Finance gave a positive opinion, when, as I was informed, there is no trace in the Ministry of Finance, that is, any documentation that testifies to the financial operations of Naser Ramaj in Montenegro. However, the Ministry of Finance could provide more details about this," Šaranović said.
As he added, on September 14, Abazović approached the former Minister of the Interior with a proposal to grant Montenegrin citizenship to Naser Ramaj in accordance with Article 12 of the Law on Montenegrin Citizenship, based on the positive opinion of the then Ministry of Finance.
"Finally, on October 27, 2023, that is, four days before the formation of this Government, the Ministry of Internal Affairs passes a decision by which Naser Ramaj acquires the status of a Montenegrin citizen, according to a shortened procedure, at the proposal of the former prime minister. So, in order not to leave room for any what kind of arbitrary interpretations in the public regarding the awarding of Montenegrin citizen status to Naser Ramaj, there was a need to clarify to the public how and in what manner this procedure was carried out from a formal aspect," said Šaranović.
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