Katić on the procedures for paying the concession for the road Meljine - Petijevići: Everything was done according to the law

All allegations regarding any corrupt and illegal elements when it comes to the procedure by which the state undertook to pay the concession for the road Meljina - Petijevići are completely incorrect and without any foundation.

This is what the President of the Municipality of Herceg Novi officially told "Vijesta" yesterday Stevan Katić.

"Vijesti" published information that was confirmed by several sources that the Government Commission for Economic Policy on Tuesday considered the information on the status of the obligation related to the mutual termination of the contract on the construction, operation and transfer of the Meljine - Petijevići road and that it was concluded that the deadlines for that obligation is fulfilled and that four million euros must be paid, because otherwise the state would be exposed to account blocking due to the enforced document.

"At the Commission for Economic Policy (KEP) there was a discussion about the nature of this work and the need to conclude such an agreement, so it was agreed that this material should be submitted to the competent authorities to see if there were any corrupt actions in this case," said the source. "News".

The company "Univerzal Monte", behind which stands a Serbian businessman Vuk Hamovic, four million euros will soon be paid from the current budget reserve for the early termination of the contract for the Meljine-Petijevići road, which was done by the government of the former prime minister Zdravka Krivokapića. Krivokapić's government, although it assumed the obligation, did not plan the debt in the budget for 2022. At the end of their mandate, they concluded that the money should be paid from the budget reserve.

Katic is with the former Minister of Finance and Social Welfare Milojko Spajić one of the signatories of the termination agreement. Yesterday, "Vijesti" asked them for a comment regarding KEP's position and whether they believe that everything was legal when signing the termination of the agreement. Spajić did not answer the questions of "Vijesti".

"Collecting tolls on the main road of regional importance, which even today has no alternative and leads to the interstate border, was a shame for the state, damaged the image of Montenegro as a tourist country and significantly hindered the transit of goods and passengers through the Sitnica border crossing. The agreement between the Government, the Municipality and the concessionaire solved a long-standing problem, not only for Herceg Novi, but for the state of Montenegro," said Katic.

He explained that by the Rulebook on the categorization of state roads, which was adopted by the Ministry of Transport and Maritime Affairs in 2016, the road Meljine - Petijevići was designated as the M-12 main road, which made the Government the owner and bearer of rights and obligations on the section in question, in accordance with the Law on Roads.

"Since that moment, the Municipality of Herceg Novi has repeatedly sent initiatives to abolish the payment of tolls on this section. We are grateful to the previous Government that, after five years of waiting, it accepted the request of the Municipality of Herceg Novi and undertook to pay the concessionaire part of the obligation that remained from the credit arrangement taken for the construction of the road. The BOT arrangement was supposed to last another ten years, but the concessionaire, with its decision to terminate the agreement, came out to meet the state and the municipality," Katic said.

"Universal Monte" could continue to collect tolls

Katic said that the concessionaire could have continued to collect tolls and for the remaining period, he would have earned a significantly higher amount than what was agreed between the representatives of the Government and the company "Univerzal Monte".

"It is about the amount of four million euros, but two important things should be noted - the concessionaire, through the agreement, assumed the obligation to rehabilitate the landslide at the Kotobilj location, in which he invested about half a million euros from his own funds in the past period. Secondly, on this road there is a large building that was used as a toll ramp, and which was said to be able to be used as a new, common border crossing if an agreement is reached with Bosnia and Herzegovina", emphasized Katic.