The Montenegrin Electric Distribution System (CEDIS) suffered major material damage in an unusual theft that happened a few months ago in Tivat, and the Police Administration has not yet officially announced the crime, nor revealed its perpetrators.
As unofficially confirmed by CEDIS to the "News", an eight-megavolt transformer was stolen from a storage area in the area of Krtol in Tivat, whose sub-tenant was the state electricity distribution company, while 43 transformers were damaged by removal and removal of parts from them. In addition, as many as 74 tons of transformer oil were taken from this CEDIS equipment.
"Vijesti" had insight into the criminal complaint filed by CEDIS against the unknown perpetrators on October 18 last year to the Basic State Prosecutor's Office (ODT) in Kotor. It states that CEDIS, as a sub-lessee, entered into an agreement with the Budva company "EKO MODUS" on the sub-lease of "storage space for hazardous waste, with an area of 1.300 square meters, which is located on cadastral plot number 827/3, registered in the Land Registry No. 1336, KO Đuraševići" in Tivat.
In that warehouse, CEDIS stored used transformers which, in the event that the need arises, would be sent for testing and overhaul in order to bring them into working condition and to perform their reassembly on the electrical distribution network.
"After the indicated need for the installation of an 8MVA transformer, which was dismantled as working from the "Novi Obod" substation on September 21, 9 and stored in the aforementioned warehouse, it was determined that there was no transformer oil in it. During the examination of that transformer, it was determined that there is no oil in the transformer, and further examination determined that all three windings on the 2022kV side of the transformer are broken," the report says.
After CEDIS workers discovered this condition of one of the transformers stored in a rented warehouse in Tivat, that company "performed a tour of the warehouse in order to determine the condition and correctness of the other transformers" on October 3 last year.
"During the control, it was determined that there is no 2,5 MVA transformer in the warehouse, manufactured by Elprom, factory number 147740, which was stored in the warehouse in question, and that out of a total of 43 stored transformers, 42 of them do not have oil. The amount of alienated oil from those transformers can amount to around 74 tons. A further visual inspection of 43 transformers revealed a break in the windings on the 35kV side, and a random sample of three transformers, after removing the insulators, found that the core made of steel sheets, which are inside the transformer's boiler, had also been alienated from them," the application states. .
A report and a photo report were made on the established condition of the CEDIS equipment, which were submitted to the ODT Kotor together with the statement of the employees and the criminal complaint against the unknown perpetrator. In the application signed by the manager of the Legal Affairs Department of CEDIS Jelena Martinović it is stated that damaged or alienated transformers, depending on the power, "weigh several tons, so carrying out such an act of alienating transformer parts requires preparatory and organizational activities that involve the engagement of mechanization (trucks, trucks), tools and equipment, as well as a large number of people ".
"Through this action, the perpetrators illegally obtained a financial benefit for themselves, which, according to the assessment of the injured party (CEDIS, author's note), amounts to over 4 euros for the 10.000MVA power transformer alone, which leads to the conclusion that the committed crime is aggravated theft under Article 240 of the Criminal Code of the law of Montenegro", it is written in the application.
The police, as "Vijesti" unofficially learns, have not yet discovered the perpetrators of the unusual criminal act, nor has it been revealed where the stolen transformer, or parts from the remaining 43 transformers, or 74 tons of transformer oil ended up.
In this regard, CEDIS sent an urgent letter to the ODT Kotor on November 22 last year, asking for information about what was specifically done following their report from October 18, that is, what actions were taken to detect and prosecute the perpetrators.
In the meantime, it was confirmed by ODT Kotor to "Vijesta" that a case was filed against an unknown person for the criminal offense of aggravated theft committed at the expense of the business company CEDIS doo Podgorica.
"The acting prosecutor ordered the Police Directorate - Tivat Security Department to take actions and measures within their jurisdiction in order to discover the perpetrator of the above-mentioned criminal act", said on December 31 the spokeswoman of the Kotor ODT, the state prosecutor Tijana Celanovic.
The Public Relations Service of the Police Administration told "Vijesti" today that since October 2024, CEDIS "has not contacted or submitted a report to the Tivat Security Department for the criminal offense of aggravated theft."
"This act was reported by the aforementioned business entity to the Basic State Prosecutor's Office in Kotor, which was informed by the Tivat Security Department in a letter dated December 31, 2024. Officers of the Tivat Security Department are undertaking measures and actions within their competence in relation to the relevant report received on December 31," said the police.
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