SDT is investigating the business with Hamović

On November 2 last year, the Ministry of Finance submitted documentation regarding the agreement on the termination of the Bot arrangement for the Meljine - Petijevići road, according to which a criminal case was established in order to establish the existence of grounds for suspicion that a criminal offense has been committed, for which it is prosecuted ex officio under substantive jurisdiction of this prosecution.

This was officially told to "Vijesta" yesterday by the state prosecutor and the spokesperson of the Special State Prosecutor's Office (SDT). Vukas Radonjic.

"Vijesti" asked the SDT when the documentation related to the agreement on the termination of this Bot arrangement arrived at the prosecution, what the SDT has done so far in relation to that documentation and whether a case has been established.

"An investigation is underway, and in order to make a decision, the SDT is monitoring the state of the litigation before the Commercial Court of Montenegro, between the parties to the agreement, because the outcome of the litigation is also important for the decision of the state prosecutor, and it has also obtained the opinion of the Protector of Property and Legal Interests of Montenegro." explained Radonjić.

Prime Minister's Government Dritan Abazović decided in mid-October 2022 to complete the documentation regarding the agreement on the termination of the Bot arrangement for the Meljine-Petijevići road, which was terminated during the time of the former government headed by Zdravko Krivokapic forward to the competent state prosecutor's office for further action.

According to the plan of the Krivokapić Government, the company "Univerzal Monte", behind which stands a Serbian businessman Vuk Hamovic four million euros should have been paid from the current budget reserve for the early termination of the contract for the Meljine-Petijevići road.

Hamović's company built the road according to an arrangement based on which it was supposed to use it for 20 years and return it to the ownership of the Municipality of Herceg Novi, but the contract was terminated before the expiration of that period.

Let's go back to the newspaper lie that they submitted anything to the prosecutor's office, as far as I know they have formed a working group to find out about it now. To your credit, you deal with everything and everyone, not the progress of citizens," said Spajić in the program "Nachisto" broadcast on Thursday on TV Vijesti.

The agreement was signed on behalf of the state by the former Minister of Finance and Social Welfare Milojko Spajic and on behalf of the Municipality of Herceg Novi, the president of that local administration Stevan Katic.

The Ministry of Finance and Social Welfare, headed by Minister Milojko Spajić, signed an agreement on the termination of the contract in which it was defined that the money should be paid by January 31, 2022. However, in the budget for that year, the payment of four million was not planned, but at the last session of the former Government on April 20, 2022, a conclusion was reached that this money should be paid from the current budget reserve. On April 15 of last year, the protector of property and legal interests of the state submitted to Spajić the lawsuit filed by "Univerzal Monte" in the Commercial Court.

"Newspaper lie"

The agreement was terminated without the consent of the Ministry of Capital Investments (MKI), which was managed by the minister Mladen Bojanic, which announced that it could not take over the management of this share.

Spajić said in the program "Načisto" on TV Vijesti that was broadcast on Thursday that no one called him from the Prosecutor's Office and that "his knowledge is that they did not submit anything to the Prosecutor's Office, that they made news out of it, that it was on the front page of all the media and that the wolf came out of the donkey".

He said that Vuk Hamović's company had a loss of 4,5 million, that Hamović accepted that it would be a loss of four million and that he would repair the road for some 200-300 thousand.

"So, he would definitely be in the red and it suited him because he didn't have the money to enter into an arrangement with the state, and for the state it was a good chance to get rid of one obstacle for tourism from Bosnia and Herzegovina," said Spajić, adding that In 2021, it was important to attract tourists from the region since there was no air traffic.

Spajić said that he looked at the state interest in relation to this decision and that he can't wait for the prosecution or someone else to come up with an argument against his.

"We are going back to the newspaper lie that they submitted anything to the prosecutor's office, as far as I know they have formed a working group to clarify it now. Congratulations, you deal with everything and everyone, not the progress of the citizens", said Spajić.

This section of the road is 12,5 kilometers long, is part of the Herceg Novi - Trebinje road and was officially opened at the beginning of July 2008. It was built as a public-private partnership, according to the BOT system (take, build, use and return) between the Municipality of Herceg Novi and the Belgrade company "Univerzal Holding", that is, the company "Univerzal Monte" from Herceg Novi.

The road was given to the investor for 20 years, after which it was supposed to become the property of the Municipality.

For the past five years, Universal Monte has consistently presented a loss in business to the tax authorities in Montenegro. The company ended 2021 with an accumulated loss of three million euros, while total debts amounted to 11 million euros.