Former Prime Minister Dritan Abazovic and former Minister of the Interior Filip Adzic They gave a statement to the Special Police Department (SPO), as part of an investigation into the honorary citizenship of a businessman from Kosovo. Naseru Ramaju, which was given to him towards the very end of the mandate of the minority 43rd Government, "Vijesti" learned from several sources.
Abazović and Adžić were questioned about ten days ago, where they answered questions from SPO officials - based on what documentation they decided to approve Ramaj's registration as a Montenegrin citizen.
The former prime minister confirmed to "Vijesti" that he gave a statement in his capacity as a citizen at the SPO premises, but he did not want to discuss the details of the hearing.
The former head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs did not respond to the newspaper's messages.
The Special State Prosecutor's Office and the SPO are conducting an investigative procedure to determine whether there was any abuse of official position when, towards the very end of the mandate of the Abazović Government, a businessman from Kosovo was granted honorary citizenship of Montenegro, based on discretionary rights.
The granting of this citizenship was preceded by a positive opinion from the Ministry of Finance, as well as a positive security check from the National Security Agency, as well as a proposal by the then Prime Minister that the Ministry of Interior register Naser Ramaj in the Register of Montenegrin Citizens.
“In Love with Montenegro”
When he submitted a request to Naser Ramaj on August 28, 2023, to obtain honorary citizenship of Montenegro under Article 12 of the Law on Montenegrin Citizenship, he wrote, among other things, that he was "a great lover of Montenegro, which he considers his country."
However, it seems that he did not show the same feelings towards the state of Montenegro when paying taxes for the two companies he founded, so "Alart Center" was on the "black list" of tax debtors at the time, and "Nova Gradnja" had been blocked since the summer of 2021 due to a debt of half a million euros.
Since the tax debts were not paid, the top executive authority decided to grant Ramaj honorary citizenship, which is reserved only for persons whose admission is of special importance for the state, scientific, economic, cultural, economic, sports or other interests of Montenegro, which is why this category represents an exception to the regular procedure.
Despite the fact that numerous requests to the Ministry of Internal Affairs for obtaining Montenegrin passports, due to strict procedures and checks at numerous stages, have not been resolved for years, this was not the case with the application of a Kosovar, whose request was resolved in exactly two months.
On October 27, 2023, the Ministry of Internal Affairs issued a decision to enter Ramaj into the Register of Montenegrin Citizens.
This decision was first addressed by the NGO Center for Civic Education (CCE), which in November of that year publicly announced the decision of the Ministry of Interior, which granted the Kosovar admission to Montenegrin citizenship.
In that document, the Ministry of Interior explained that the cabinet of then Prime Minister Dritan Abazović had asked the Minister of Finance for an opinion on Ramaj's request.
A positive response, stating that the request was justified, came from the Ministry of Finance on September 2, five days after Ramaj submitted his application for admission.
Based on that opinion, on September 14, Abazović proposed to the then Minister of Interior Filip Adžić that Ramaj be granted citizenship, explaining that his company was building the multi-million-dollar "Porto Budva" project, which is of multiple economic importance to the state.
The decision also mentioned that Ramaj is a great benefactor and participates in numerous humanitarian actions for children and vulnerable families in Montenegro.
Just four days after the Ministry of Interior granted a Montenegrin passport to a Kosovar, the technical mandate of the Abazović government expired.
Criminal charges
The following summer, the major investor found himself the subject of a criminal complaint by the Police Directorate, which announced in early August 2024 that the businessman was suspected of having damaged the state of Montenegro by 2,2 million euros.
A few days after the proceedings were initiated, Ramaj reported to the Montenegrin police, after which he was arrested and, with the measures of confiscation of his passport, released to defend himself at liberty in further proceedings due to suspicions that his company "Alart centar Budva - CG", as well as the executive director Valentina Grubović (46) caused damage to the state of 2,2 million euros.
The Basic State Prosecutor's Office in Kotor filed an indictment, and the Basic Court in Kotor confirmed the act in April 2025, accusing Ramaj, Grubović and the company "Alart Centar Budva" of embezzling 2.235.000 euros.
The criminal proceedings before the Basic Court in Kotor are still ongoing, and the trials have been postponed on several occasions, among other things, due to waiting for the findings of economic experts.
The indictment charges Ramaj with giving verbal orders to the executive director in the period from 2016 to 2023, that a part of the notarial records on the sale of residential and commercial units in the 'Porto Budva' complex should not be shown in the accounting of the company 'Alart Centar Budva – CG', and that another part of the income generated from the sale of apartments, which were paid by the buyers, should also not be shown in the business documentation.
"... All with the aim of partially or completely evading taxes, concealing data on legally acquired income, in order to obtain unlawful material gain, thereby causing material damage to the Budget of Montenegro in the total amount of €2.044.008,64," the indictment states.
The "Porto Budva" complex was built on Mediteranska Street in Budva, and the hotel and apartment building covers an area of 45.000 m², on the seafront, not far from the walls of the Old Town.
In numerous PR texts and posts on social networks, and during the advertising and sales campaign for apartments and business premises in the "Porto Budva" complex, it was emphasized that as many as "seven ladies are behind this major investment project".
"The CEO of the partner company "Alart Centar" Valentina Grubović is Montenegrin and has been in the team with Ana Golubović Ramaj since the beginning, they complement each other perfectly, they have the same vision and goal of how the Porto Budva project should develop. Valentina is ambitious, self-confident and results-oriented. She is characterized by impeccable skills in dealing with people," the project's advertising campaign reads.
During the verification of the application, the Montenegrin authorities also missed the fact that Naser Ramaj had left a debt in the Kosovo football club Feronikel from Glogovac.
Kosovo media reported that the club owed almost 700.000 euros, part of which included debts to the Kosovo Tax Administration.
The case may also harm the vital interests of Montenegro
Exactly three days after the Basic Court in Kotor confirmed the indictment against Ramaj, the current Prime Minister Milojko Spajić sent a request to the Minister of Interior Danilo Šaranović to urgently initiate the procedure for revoking the Montenegrin citizenship of Kosovo businessman Naser Ramaj.
Spajić then stated that Ramaj acquired Montenegrin citizenship based on false information and by deceiving the competent authorities regarding his tax obligations, which he "consciously and deliberately tried to avoid."
At that time, the Prime Minister expressed "serious doubts regarding the legality of Naser Ramaj's acquisition of honorary Montenegrin citizenship."
"I request that, pursuant to Article 24 of the Law on Montenegrin Citizenship, the procedure for revoking Montenegrin citizenship be initiated urgently, because it was acquired on the basis of false information and by deceiving the competent authorities regarding his tax obligations, which he consciously and deliberately tried to avoid. I believe that the case of Naser Ramaj may harm the vital interests of Montenegro on multiple levels, especially if it is confirmed that honorary citizenship was granted without adequate verification or based on incorrect information," Spajić emphasized at the time.
He also stated at the time that if it "is shown that honorary citizenships were awarded as personal favors or without clear criteria, it undermines citizens' faith in the rule of law and opens up space for clientelism and political corruption."
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