Božović sentenced to three years and five months in prison for usury and ordered to pay 10.000 euros

Vasilije Božović, a resident of Podgorica, was sentenced today in the first instance to a single prison sentence of three years and five months and a fine of 10.000 euros for usury.

Božović was arrested in June last year, and the indictment charged him with repeatedly lending money to M. Ð. over a three-year period, taking advantage of his difficult financial situation, need, and dependence on loans, while endangering his safety, to the extent that the injured party had to leave Montenegro and go to the United States.

By the verdict of Podgorica Basic Court judge Borko Lončar, Božović was sentenced to three years in prison and a fine of 10.000 euros for the continued criminal offense of usury in conjunction with the criminal offense of endangering security.

"It has been established beyond doubt that the defendant lent money to the injured party, and that he contracted a disproportionate material benefit, all in the manner presented in the indictment," the verdict states.

The judge, it is alleged, considered, aside from aggravating circumstances, the fact that Božović committed criminal offenses over an extended period of time, undertaking multiple actions that individually constitute a criminal offense, the motives for the offense, which are reflected in the fact that he sought to gain a disproportionate benefit in relation to the borrowed money, and the severity of the threat and violation of protected property.

On the mitigating factors side are the fact that he was born in 1997, has no criminal record, and that the injured party did not join the criminal prosecution.

The criminal offense of usury is punishable by imprisonment for one to eight years and a fine, and the criminal offense of endangering security is punishable by a fine or imprisonment for up to one year.

"Having regard to the above, and moving within the limits of the prescribed sentence, the court determined individual prison sentences for the defendant in the manner previously pronounced, and sentenced the defendant to a single prison sentence and a fine, finding that in this way the purpose of punishment will be achieved, i.e. that the perpetrator will be prevented from further committing criminal offenses, that others will be influenced not to commit criminal offenses, that social condemnation of this criminal offense will be expressed, that it will oblige to respect the law, strengthen morality and influence the development of social responsibility, especially since the criminal offense of usury represents one of the most serious offenses not only from a criminal legal perspective but also from a spiritual, philosophical and moral perspective," the verdict states.

Božović is charged with obtaining unlawful material gain in excess of 30.000 euros from 2022 to mid-2025, when he was arrested. He lent money to the injured party on several occasions, agreeing to a disproportionate monthly interest rate of 2.000 euros, and the latter paid him a total of 41,558.38 euros in principal, interest, and penalties.

It has been proven that Božović repeatedly sent threatening messages that caused the injured party to feel fear and threatened his life and body.