The Ministry of Internal Affairs has initiated the procedure to revoke the Montenegrin citizenship of a Kosovar Naseru Ramaju, but that work will wait until the trial before the Basic Court in Kotor is completed due to accusations that a naturalized Montenegrin committed the criminal offense of tax and contribution evasion in the amount of 2,2 million euros.
The department headed by Minister Danilo Šaranović explained in a response to "Vijesti" that only after the completion of the criminal proceedings will they "undertake further measures and actions within their jurisdiction, because any decision before that would represent a prejudgment of the court's decision."
In its response, the Ministry of Interior emphasized that on several occasions, since the end of April 2025, they had checked with the Basic Court in Kotor how far the criminal proceedings had progressed.
The procedure for deleting a Kosovo businessman from the Register of Montenegrin Citizens was initiated by the Prime Minister Milojko Spajić On April 28, 2025, three days after the Basic Court in Kotor confirmed the indictment of the ODT in that city, which charged Ramaj, his company “Alart Center Budva” and the company’s executive director Valentina Grubović accused of tax and contribution evasion of 2,2 million euros.
"On April 28, 2025, Prime Minister Milojko Spajić submitted a request to the Ministry of Internal Affairs for the urgent initiation of the procedure for the revocation of Montenegrin citizenship from Naser Ramaj from Kosovo, due to the fact that the Basic State Prosecutor's Office in Kotor filed an indictment against this person for the criminal offense of tax and contribution evasion in the total amount of 2.235.000 euros, which was confirmed by the Basic Court in Kotor. The Ministry ex officio initiated the procedure for the loss of Montenegrin citizenship by force of law," the Ministry of Internal Affairs' response reads.
They stated that they immediately contacted the Basic Court in Kotor to check whether criminal proceedings were being conducted against Ramaj before that court, and that they received feedback that proceedings were being conducted against him for the criminal offense under Article 264, paragraph 4, in conjunction with paragraph 1, in conjunction with Article 49 of the Criminal Code.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs then, as they stated in their response, inquired twice more in court about the progress of the trial, the last time they did so in early July this year.
"In response to a query from the Basic Court in Kotor regarding the status of this case, the court informed this ministry that the proceedings against the defendant Naser Ramaj have not yet been concluded," the department's response reads.
When the Prime Minister requested the removal of Naser Ramaj's name from the list of Montenegrin citizens, he stated in his explanation that the Kosovar had obtained a passport 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 acquiring honorary Montenegrin citizenship."
"I believe that the case of Naser Ramaj can 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 pointed out 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."
"Vijesti" reported that officers of the Special Police Department took a statement from the former Prime Minister about ten days ago, in his capacity as a citizen. Dritan Abazović and former Minister of the Interior Filip Adžić, and as part of an investigation into the honorary citizenship granted to a businessman from Kosovo, which was granted to him towards the very end of the mandate of the minority 43rd Government.
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, in a very express procedure, which is otherwise a very rare case, 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 by the National Security Agency, as well as a proposal by the then Prime Minister Dritan Abazović that the Ministry of Interior register Naser Ramaj in the Register of Montenegrin Citizens.
Ramaj submitted his application on August 28, 2023, five days later a positive opinion was received from the Ministry of Finance, and then on September 14, the then Prime Minister proposed to the Minister of Interior Filip Adžić to grant Ramaj citizenship, explaining that his company was building the multi-million dollar "Porto Budva" project, which is of multiple economic importance to the state.
During the procedure, the then executive branch did not check that the Kosovar company "Alart centar Budva" was on the "black list" of tax debtors, and "Nova gradnja" had been blocked since the summer of 2021 due to a debt of half a million euros.
On October 27, 2023, the Ministry of Internal Affairs issued a decision to enter Ramaj into the Register of Montenegrin Citizens, just four days before the end of the 43rd Government.
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.
The criminal proceedings before the Basic Court in Kotor have been postponed several times, among other things, due to waiting for the findings of an economic expert.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs has ex officio initiated proceedings for the loss of Montenegrin citizenship by force of law, the response from that institution states.
What does the indictment say?
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.
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