Operation "Cemik": Seven criminal charges against nine suspects for damaging the state by 290 thousand euros

As part of the operation codenamed "Cekic", officers of the Crime Prevention Sector - Department for Combating Corruption, Economic Crime and Conducting Financial Investigations, in cooperation with officers of the Regional Security Center "North", Berane Security Department, have filed a total of seven criminal reports with the competent prosecutor's office since September 2024 against nine persons suspected of being connected to deforestation and damaging the state budget by 290 thousand euros, the Police Directorate announced.

"Through several criminal reports filed with the Basic State Prosecutor's Office in Berane, due to the existence of reasonable suspicion of the commission of the criminal offenses of abuse of official position and accepting a bribe, the former manager of the Berane PJ-Administration for Forest and Hunting Areas Ž.V. (62) was included, while one of the former managers of the Berane PJ Ž.T. (53) was also prosecuted for the criminal offense of abuse of official position.

Furthermore, two criminal charges were filed against an officer or forest ranger of the Forest and Hunting Management Administration RN (58) from Berane, due to reasonable suspicion that he committed the criminal offense of abuse of official position, while one person, citizen M.Č. (33), was prosecuted due to reasonable suspicion that he committed the criminal offense of giving a bribe to the then manager of the Berane PJ Ž.V., and two criminal charges were filed against citizens N.Dž. (32) and Nj.K. (27) for the criminal offense of forest theft," the statement states.

The police said that the former managers of the Forest Management and Hunting Grounds Administration of the Berane Forestry and Hunting Grounds Unit Ž.V. and Ž.T., as well as the forest ranger RN, are reasonably suspected of having committed the aforementioned criminal acts by failing to perform their official position, as well as by abusing it, enabling the illegal felling of gross timber in the total amount of 3.291 m3 of conifers and 505 m3 of broadleaves in the Jelovica Forestry and Hunting Grounds Unit, Berane Municipality, thereby obtaining unlawful material gain for themselves or others, and causing material damage to the Forest Management and Hunting Grounds Administration in the total amount of over 290 thousand euros.

"During the implementation of the operation codenamed 'Chamfer', in addition to forest products, police officers also seized two cargo vehicles, which were used by the reported citizens N.Dž. and Nj.K. during illegal logging and transportation of the cut products," the statement concludes.