Milutin Simović sentenced to six months of house arrest for abuse of official position

Former Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Milutin Simović was sentenced today in the first instance to six months of house arrest for abuse of official position.

Judge of the Higher Court in Podgorica, Veljko Radovanović, said that Simović committed a criminal offense by abusing his official position for an extended period of time.

Simović obtained illegal material gain in the amount of 1.535,30 euros.

"He damaged the Montenegrin budget by a little over 1.500 euros. He presented private expenses as official expenses that he incurred at the Splendid Hotel twice, and at the Bianca Hotel and in a hotel in Rome. The court took into account the fact that he had no previous convictions as a mitigating factor," said Radovanović.

The judge also said that the court had undoubtedly established that Simović committed a criminal offense.

Simović's defense attorney, attorney Miroslav Adžić, told reporters that the defense will file an appeal with the Court of Appeals of Montenegro.

The Special State Prosecutor's Office (SDT) has 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.

In his closing arguments on July 15, Simović asked the Higher Court in Podgorica to acquit him of charges of abuse of office. He said at the time that spending state money was not his lifestyle or his manner.

Special Prosecutor Siniša Milić said at the time 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 Simović and his wife's stays at the Splendid Hotel and in Rome, stating that no travel orders were found to prove the official nature of these expenses.

Milić then proposed to the court to find Simović guilty and sentence him to prison, assessing that such a sanction was 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.