Ljiljana Simović: My husband took me to meetings for translation, to save the state budget

Ljiljana Simović, the wife of former Minister of Agriculture Milutin Simović, stated at the trial today that her husband took her to meetings for translation purposes in order to save money from the state budget.

"My husband is a very frugal man. Even though he had the right to hire a translator, he took me to these meetings in order to save the state budget," Simović emphasized.

She added that her goal is not to defend her husband, but that her only goal is the truth.

"I am a privileged witness and I had the right not to testify. My husband was the Deputy Prime Minister and a minister, so I attended some events. I emphasize that none of these events were private, but that these meetings were working, sometimes protocol-related," Simović stated.

She stated that she had helped her husband on several occasions by translating. From 2015 to 2020, she was the Assistant Minister of Labor and Social Welfare for European Integration.

"After that, I moved to the Chamber of Commerce, where I currently work as an advisor to the president of that institution," she added.

Regarding her stay at the Splendid Hotel from June 2 to 4, 2017, she said that they were there for work, and that she helped her husband translate in connection with the development of a fiscal strategy. She said that she helped and translated because she speaks English and Italian.

When it comes to her stay at the Bianca Hotel in Kolašin, from November 9 to 11, 2018, she said that her husband was touring the northern municipalities at the time.

"I know it was the weekend, and he was staying at the hotel to do activities in the north. I didn't go on tours with him, but I used that time to visit my aunt and uncle," Simović said.

She pointed out that they had free stays at certain hotels on the coast and that her husband and she had been honored.

When asked by prosecutor Siniša Milić, she said that her husband held a diplomatic passport while he was serving as Deputy Prime Minister.

At the previous trial, Milutin Simović denied the allegations of the SDT prosecution.