New attack on "loan sharks": Nikšić man arrested for usurious loans

Slobodan Vujačić (52) from Nikšić was arrested yesterday in a police operation on suspicion of giving usurious loans to a large number of people in Nikšić and Budva over a long period of time.

The Police Directorate stated in a statement that officers of the Nikšić Security Department, undertaking planned activities to detect, clarify and prove the criminal offense of usury, arrested Vujačić on Thursday, on the order of the Nikšić ODT, and that he is charged with the criminal offense of usury.

"Police officers of the Nikšić Security Department, in cooperation with officers of the Special Police Unit, and pursuant to a court order, conducted searches at several locations used by the SV in Nikšić and Budva, during which certain records were found and temporarily seized, which will be the subject of further expert examinations and used as evidence in criminal proceedings," the Police Department states.

During the criminal investigation, which was conducted over a long period of time, it was determined that Vujačić, as stated in the statement, took advantage of the difficult financial situation of several people from the Nikšić and Budva areas and provided loans in amounts ranging from 500 to 70.000 euros, charging disproportionately high usurious interest rates on a monthly basis.

"It is also suspected that for the amounts he gave at usurious interest, he took certain amounts of money from the injured parties, while as a means of securing the collection of claims, he took the movable and immovable property of the injured parties, such as apartments, land and vehicles, thereby, as is reasonably suspected, committing the criminal offense of usury," the UP announced.

In relation to the acquired property of the suspect from Nikšćan, as well as close relatives, the police, in coordination with the prosecutor's office, will conduct a financial investigation to determine the legality of the acquisition and possibly initiate proceedings for the permanent seizure of property acquired through criminal activity.

The acting state prosecutor was informed about the measures and actions taken, as well as the evidence collected, and ordered that the suspect Vujačić be deprived of his liberty on suspicion of having committed a criminal offense, and that he be brought to further jurisdiction within the legal deadline, along with a criminal report.