The former chief of the Berane police, Predrag Kukalj, the former head of the criminal police in Rožaje, Sead Husović, and the former commanders of the Bijelo Polje police, Danko Gogić and Almir Ćatović, were suspended by decision of the Minister of the Interior, Danilo Šaranović.
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According to "Vijesti", this is only part of the list of Police Directorate officers whose actions are being reviewed.
Kukalj was arrested for allegedly accepting bribes almost a decade and a half ago in Operation "Signal", during which 21 police officers, customs officers and entrepreneurs were handcuffed, but he was released due to lack of evidence.
He was later reinstated.
At the time he was deprived of his liberty, he was the head of the Border Police Station in Berane.
Back in 2011, when Ivan Brajović was the head of the Ministry of Interior, then-MP and leader of the Movement for Change, Nebojša Medojević, claimed that Kukalj had acquired enormous assets during his tenure as head of the Berane IGP, "which are inconsistent with legitimate and legal income."
Former border police officers Rešad Kalač and Hamdo Murić mentioned him in 2011, demanding a review of cigarette and oil smuggling that, as they claimed, “took place during Kukalj’s mandate.” They also demanded a review of the cooperation between Kukalj and the former head of the border police in Berane, Veselin Krgović.
In 2013, Sead Husović's garage in Rožaje was set on fire, and the fire also consumed his Audi A6. At that time, he was an inspector for the fight against drugs.
In 2019, Danko Gogić received a "special recognition" from the then President of the Municipality of Bijelo Polje, Petar Smolović - he was awarded as one of the best police officers.
A year later, the clergy and monks of the Serbian Orthodox Church Municipality of Bijelo Polje accused him of violating the Constitution and laws that guarantee citizens freedom of movement by banning, without any reason or legal basis, the movement of a convoy of vehicles from Berana to Bijelo Polje in honor of the holiday and celebration of that city.
A decade ago, during the large protests of the then Democratic Front, Almir Ćatović was accused by that political alliance of harassing the citizens of Bijelo Polje and behaving arrogantly at the Ribarevina checkpoint, when going to protests and returning from their protests in Podgorica...
Ministry of Interior: Bribery, abuses...
Šaranović announced yesterday, without revealing names, that following the proposal of his immediate superiors, and with the opinion of the Director of the Police Administration, Lazar Šćepanović, he had issued decisions to suspend four more police officers from the Regional Security Center "North".
"They were suspended on various grounds, such as the criminal offenses of creating a criminal organization, abuse of official position, accepting bribes, as well as due to disciplinary proceedings initiated for serious breach of official duty under Article 173, paragraph 1, item 28 of the Law on Internal Affairs - the existence of security obstacles to further work," reads a statement sent from the Cabinet of the Minister of Internal Affairs.
They explained that the achievement of the set priorities of the Ministry of the Interior and the Police Directorate must be preceded by the achievement of what is crucial for them - to become an institution with the greatest public trust, but that this can only be achieved through the establishment and ensuring of full integrity of the police service.
"Decades of criminal infiltration into the police ranks, as the most serious legacy from the past, have opened up space for the growth of all forms of crime, especially the carefree activities of organized crime groups. Instead of the black headlines in the media being full of the police's determined fight against crime, the media columns were, with full justification, dominated by articles testifying to the connection of a number of police officers with organized crime. The extent of the police's criminalization is best demonstrated by the fact that it was not police officers with lower police powers who were at the forefront of criminal activities, but former police directors, former assistant directors and dozens of high-ranking police officers. With the strict commitment of this management of the Ministry of the Interior and the Police, we are decisively putting an end to the infiltration of crime into police structures," said Šaranović yesterday.
He emphasized that they are additionally obliged by the fact that it has been "recognized, supported and praised by the highest authorities in the international community, from which today there are assessments that the Ministry of Interior is a leader in establishing the full rule of law in Montenegro."
"Although the public has had the opportunity to read a number of commissioned texts signed by organized crime in recent weeks, of which those that, with a touch of primitive misogyny, were aimed at blatantly exerting pressure on our colleagues, the President of the Disciplinary Commission and the Disciplinary Prosecutor, are particularly indicative, we announce in advance that their purpose will not be fulfilled. On the contrary, regardless of the pressures and attempts to stop the functioning of the control mechanisms in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which are reflected in the commissioned texts, and attempts to pressure professionals in our service, the establishment of the full integrity of the service will be implemented even more decisively," the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs announced.
Šaranović said that, in contrast to the not-so-distant past, their task is to establish a system in which every police officer must be loyal only to the police badge, the Constitution, and the law.
"This is an obligation to the state, citizens, the Constitution, but above all to those who are the overwhelming majority in the Police Directorate, which are honorable and professional police officers."
The police claim they are innocent.
Last night, Vijesti television announced that four suspended police officers had contacted them and claimed that they had no connection to criminal activities or unexplained property. They told the television station that disciplinary proceedings were being conducted against them based on the opinion of the commission for determining security obstacles, which has since been disbanded. They also pointed out that they were not given an explanation as to why the disciplinary proceedings were being conducted, and said that they were being politically persecuted, and that as long-time professionals, they had nothing to do with politics.
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They also stated that they would request protection of the integrity of those who disclosed their names and alleged abuses in the court process.
Predrag Kukalj was arrested almost a decade and a half ago for allegedly accepting bribes, when 21 police officers, customs officers and entrepreneurs were handcuffed, but he was released due to lack of evidence.
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