Control hearing of security sector leaders - Danilo Saranovic, Lazar Šćepanović i Ivica Janović failed because some of the MPs who requested it were absent. Instead of a debate in the parliamentary hall, the Minister of Internal Affairs Šaranović and the Director of the Police Directorate Šćepanović said that some political structures, the media and the civil sector are acting in the interests of organized crime. Šćepanović revealed that some journalists threatened police officers and told them not to arrest the daughters of mafia members.
A hearing on the topic of "Disinformation by the security sector regarding the incident in Zabjelo in which a Montenegrin citizen was injured, on the basis of which the Government abolished the visa-free regime with Turkey" was requested last week by MPs from the Democratic Party of Socialists. Danijel Zivkovic i Nikola Janović, of the URA civil movement Dritan Abazovic, Social Democrat Nikola Zirojevic and independent MP Jevrosima Pejović.
Abazović and Pejović did not attend the session, which is why the hearing of Šaranović, Šćepanović and Janović was postponed after they entered the so-called silent room.
The Minister of Interior, commenting on the events that followed the incident in Zabjelo, said that it was evidence of "hybrid action".
"Malicious actions aimed at continuing attacks on the security sector through the instrumentalization of past social events, with the ultimate goal of disturbing the public."
He said that various structures are behind this: "First of all, the police cartel and organized crime, I think that all this is evidenced by the latest cases processed by the Special State Prosecutor's Office, the Special Police Department and the Crime Prevention Sector of the Police Directorate."
He said that he and Šćepanović responded to the call for a control hearing due to the public interest, in order to "narrow the space for what is continuity in the socio-political life of Montenegro."
"And that is a constant subversive activity with a focus on stopping the fight against organized crime in Montenegro."
"You can see that the intensity of activities in the fight against organized crime for months, not to mention the last two years, has its continuity and this is an attempt by organized crime, the police cartel, to divert the focus of the UP in the fight against organized crime," said Šaranović.
He said that the intensity of activities delivered by the security sector in the recent period clearly shows that they will not be stopped: "And we will always have a strong response to that."
Šaranović said that his task is to protect the professional integrity of police officers, assessing that the title of the topic that was supposed to be discussed yesterday was "a malicious statement, incorrect, far from the truth and not based on facts."
He recalled that Šćepanović and the Police Directorate had made official statements several times regarding the incident in Zabjelo and that they had clearly explained everything, but that certain parliamentary groups had nevertheless claimed that the police had made mistakes in their work.
"And they claimed that the police deprived the freedom of persons who were not responsible through their omissions, and even that I, as Minister of Internal Affairs, may have almost caused bloodshed in Montenegro together with the Police Department. Imagine the lack of responsibility among certain political actors who do not choose the means to achieve certain political goals, possibly destabilizing the social environment... I responsibly claim that the response of the security sector to such attempts will always be much stronger," said Šaranović.
Politicians, media, civil society
He added that they have repeatedly explained that foreign citizens who were arrested were determined not to be perpetrators of the crime.
"I warn once again that the security sector, through such comprehensive subversive action, which is carried out through the influence of organized crime on various social factors from the world of politics, media..., is trying to thwart what is the absolute priority of the state of Montenegro at this moment, which is to carry out the final fight against organized crime," said the minister.
He also recalled the latest action by the SDT and SPO, stating that one of the suspended police officers was among those arrested, and that they had previously been accused of "political vetting and revenge".
"What is happening now is the police cartel's revenge against the security sector," he stated.
"The results delivered by the security sector are historic," said Šaranović, emphasizing that in almost all operations, at least one police officer is arrested:
"And these are predominantly police officers who have worked in the drug department for years... Who have been deprived of their liberty due to their participation in criminal organizations that have been smuggling drugs on a transnational level. The suspension of such police officers during our mandate - is it a political vetting or is it the establishment of the long-awaited rule of law in Montenegro?"
Part of the Committee also operates in a hybrid manner.
Šaranović told reporters that the session did not take place because not all members of the Committee "who made the decision to hold the session on this malicious topic, which is not correlated with the truth," showed up.
Asked whether the Security Committee, headed by an MP from the ruling Europe Now Movement, also operates in a hybrid manner, Miodrag Laković and in which the ruling majority has a majority, Šaranović said that each MP is independent in decision-making.
"Each MP is independent and decides how and in what manner they will act in parliament," he said, repeating that the session was called with a title of malicious content.
"There is a part of the parliament that supports institutions, especially those that are a positive example of transparent and professional work, but there is also another that will contribute to stopping the security sector in this historic fight against organized crime," said Šaranović, answering a question from "Vijesti" whether his assessments mean that part of the Security and Defense Committee is acting in a hybrid manner to destroy the security sector.
He explained that MPs have the right to choose their own political course of action, but that he expresses a clear revolt and protest from the Ministry of Interior and the Police Department against the malicious title of the session's topic.
"Which means that a part of the members of parliament who are behind such an initiative, agree with it, are obviously providing, consciously, unconsciously, directly or indirectly, assistance to organized crime in an attempt to stop the security sector from fighting organized crime."
He pointed out that the protest in front of the Government building, which followed the incident in Zabjelo, was attended by the highest-ranking representatives of organized crime groups.
"Who, of course, are always committed to ensuring that if there is any room for instrumentalization of the impact on the security sector, they will seize that opportunity."
"...That is why I am using the opportunity here today to send a message on behalf of the Ministry of the Interior and the Police Department, and the director will certainly do the same, that there is no destructive, hybrid activity of organized crime that we will not be able to combat, and I promise that further results in the fight against organized crime will be increasingly intense," said Šaranović.
Šćepanović: Fights are frequent, we worked legally
Acting Director of the Police Administration Lazar Šćepanović said yesterday that incidents like the one in Zabjelo, in which MJ was injured in a fight, are almost daily occurrences.
"There's not a weekend without a fight in some bar across the country or in the world in general," he said.
He also pointed out that the police acted in accordance with the law after the incident, and that the UP officers did not detain anyone using physical force or force, but rather that they were issued commands in accordance with the rules of procedure to remain under control.
He stated that he did not see any reason for a certain person not to raise their hands and make themselves available to police officers.
"Whoever can consider this as some kind of repression, it is not well-intentioned. We need to undertake these activities against criminal structures on a daily basis. Using service dogs, specialized equipment, and also in relation to foreign citizens for whom there was information that they had suitable objects for attack. Of course, we had to put them under control until all investigative actions were taken. Thirty people were immediately released, without delay, and they returned to their homes," said Šćepanović.
Journalists threatened them and called for murder
The Director of the Police Directorate said that some journalists at conferences of that security institution told their officers - "may you be murdered tomorrow" and "do not arrest the daughter of a member of an organized crime group, they will kill you"...
This is how he responded when asked what, apart from frequent statements that certain representatives of the media and civil society are under the control of the mafia, they are doing to prosecute them.
"I know the exact identity of that person, he is not here today, but I am telling them that they cannot spread disinformation and work on behalf of criminal structures, and that they must respect the code of media reporting. We must have integrity in every sphere, respect the rights of both the media and the rights of the public, to know, but not to work in the interests of criminal structures," said the police chief.
He stressed that he could not reveal the activities of the Special State Prosecutor's Office, the Special Police Department, and the Police Directorate on this issue, but that he would do everything to bring everyone to justice.
"Those who are responsible will be held accountable, those who respect the regulations and laws of the state will be on an equal footing with all citizens, those who are will be suspected and prosecuted."
Šćepanović said that criminal groups are spreading disinformation and alarming the public.
"Someone wants to revitalize this topic that would be represented in public discourse, in order to divert attention from the fight against organized crime. Just when this incident happened in Zabjelo, one of the largest actions, of a final nature, was carried out, when a controversial businessman in Montenegro was arrested, and in that case the public heard little," the police director assessed.
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