Simović: Spending state money is not my lifestyle, nor my manner

Spending state money is not my lifestyle, nor my manner, said former Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Milutin Simović today, asking the Higher Court in Podgorica to acquit him of charges of abuse of official position.

After closing arguments from the prosecution, defense, and the accused, the court scheduled the verdict for September 10th.

Special Prosecutor Siniša Milić said that Simović's guilt was indisputably established during the proceedings and that the former minister was aware of his actions.

According to the prosecution, Simović presented the private expenses of family members as official, using funds intended for representation. The prosecutor, among other things, pointed to the stays of Simović and his wife at the Splendid Hotel and in Rome, stating that no travel orders were found to prove the official nature of these expenses.

Milić proposed that the court find Simović guilty and sentence him to prison, stating that such a sanction is important for the general prevention and deterrence of other public officials from abusing their position. He also requested that the court, when determining the sentence, take into account the fact that Simović was a high-ranking state official at the time of the crime.

Adžić: Case formed based on Stijović's report

Simović's defense attorney, Miroslav Adžić, requested an acquittal, stating that a state official's work during the weekend or outside of normal working hours is not illegal.

He recalled that the case was filed based on a criminal complaint filed by former Agriculture Minister Aleksandar Stijović. Adžić said that, if the court decides otherwise, when determining the sentence, it should take into account that Simović has no previous convictions, is a father of three children, has two grandchildren, and is elderly.

In his closing argument, Simović reiterated that he did not feel guilty and that the prosecution had not offered concrete evidence, but rather assumptions based on the fact that certain invoices were generated on weekends or outside of working hours.

He said that the disputed entertainment expenses were incurred in connection with the performance of official duties and in accordance with the internal procedures of the Ministry of Agriculture.

"As a public official, during the mandate covered by the charges, I performed my duties strictly within the framework of my authority and the law. The entertainment expenses represent the exercise of my legal and associated right to perform my job, and not any harm to the state," said Simović.

He stated that during several government mandates, more than 600 million euros of state money, international funds and investments were under his direct responsibility, without, as he claims, a single cent being misappropriated.

"A public official has a moral and legal obligation to be accountable for every state euro, including these 5.029 euros that are the subject of the charges. But is it realistic, logical and legally conceivable that a man who manages more than 600 million euros without a single mistake suddenly develops a criminal intent to damage the state for 5.000 euros through sixteen catering accounts? The answer is clear - no," he said.

Simović added that as Deputy Prime Minister, during his four years in office, he did not spend a single euro on the national team.

"This clearly proves that spending state money is not my lifestyle, nor my manner, and least of all my way of experiencing public office. I have behaved responsibly, and I have used representation at the Ministry only where the needs of the job dictated," he said.

He claimed that all expenses were reported through regular administrative procedures, without concealment or misrepresentation, that they were paid by the competent service, and that there were no warnings from the accounting department or objections from the State Audit Institution.

He specifically disputed the invoice for the company "Sunside" for 556,92 euros, claiming that it was a forgery planted on him. He said that the invoice was not fiscal, that it did not have a date or his signature on it, and that the amount, in his opinion, had been adjusted.

Simović also stated that 20 witnesses during the proceedings confirmed that the meetings whose expenses the prosecution had marked as private were official.

Speaking about the expenses related to his wife Ljiljana, he said that she was present on certain trips to assist him as a translator, which, according to him, cost the state less than hiring a professional translator.

When asked by the prosecutor why former minister Sanja Vlahović was not proposed as a witness, Simović replied that she has been living and working outside Montenegro for a long time and that she is involved in the proceedings known as "Apartments".

The SDT charged Simović with the extended criminal offense of abuse of official position, which allegedly includes 16 acts of commission.

According to the indictment, from June 2017 to August 2020, he submitted invoices to the Ministry's treasury for hotel stays and food and beverage consumption with his wife, family members, and other close people, after which his expenses were reimbursed in cash as official representation expenses.

The prosecution claims that these were not expenses related to the performance of official duties and that Simović thus obtained a material benefit of around 5.000 euros.