Trading in the shares of the company "Vektra Boka" on the Montenegro Stock Exchange was blocked until June 30 this year at the request of the Financial Intelligence Sector of the Police Administration, as part of the investigation conducted by the Special State Prosecutor's Office against Dragan Brković, of his sons Boris i Bojan Brković, including Milić Popović, "Vijesti" learns.
On the website of the stock exchange, it was announced that on May 27, this sector asked them to temporarily block trading in "Vektra Bok" shares for three days. As the block on that request expired on May 30, this Sector sent a new request to the Stock Exchange on May 29, requesting suspension of trading for 30 days, which the Stock Exchange accepted yesterday and announced the decision on temporary suspension. The possibility of blocking trade in shares is provided for in the Rules of the Montenegro Stock Exchange.
According to "Vijesti" information, the ban on the trading of shares was requested to prevent possible malpractice with their value as well as to protect that property, which may be confiscated from the Brković family in the continuation of the proceedings.
Two days before the first request for a trade freeze, the shares of "Vektra Bok" grew by 50 percent in one day, from ten to 15 cents per share, thanks to the trade of only 25 shares. Before that, on May 9, the shares of this company had a growth of 150 percent, when their value was increased from four to ten cents.
Also, at the beginning of April of this year, Herzegovinian company "Ellena group" bought 33 percent of the shares of "Vektra Boka" (8,7 million shares) at a price of four cents, that is, it paid 350 thousand euros for the total package. Those shares were previously seized from Brković's company "Vektra Investments" due to debt, and the off-exchange sale was organized through an auction.
At the beginning of January this year, the Special State Prosecutor's Office handed over the indictment against Dragan Brković, his sons Boris and Bojan Brković, as well as the company's board member Milić Popović, to the Special Department for Trials for Criminal Offenses of Organized Crime, Corruption, Terrorism and War Crimes of the High Court in Podgorica. who charge you with prolonged criminal offenses of abuse of authority in the economy and abuse of authority in the economy by aiding and abetting and criminal offenses of money laundering and money laundering by aiding and abetting.
"In the procedure that preceded the filing of the indictment, at the level of reasonable suspicion, it was established that the defendants, in the period from September 2017 to December 2019, during the execution of the reorganization plan of the company 'Vektra Boka", as responsible persons in the company, misused their powers, with the intention of obtaining illegal property benefits for other legal entities and that they used the funds at the company's disposal in the amount of 5.075.346,19 euros contrary to their purpose and thus grossly violated their powers in terms of management, disposal and use of property, and that the defendants DB, BB and BB also laundered part of the money that was obtained as an illegal property benefit by abuse of authority", said the spokesperson of the SDT, special prosecutor at the time Vukas Radonjic.
The owner of "Vektra" Dragan Brković, his sons Boris and Bojan, as well as the executive director of "Vektra Boka" Popović were detained in August 2022, by order of the SDT. Judge for the investigation of the High Court Suzana Mugoša last year, it imposed a temporary measure prohibiting the disposal and use of real estate registered in the cadastre as ownership or with the right to use the company "Vektra Boka".
The proceedings on the control of this indictment were postponed at the end of April due to Dragan Brković's request for the exemption of the complete extrajudicial panel presided over by the judge Boris Savić.
Placed big plans, property sold off and mortgaged
HTP "Boku" was privatized in December 2007 by the company "Vektra Montenegro" of Dragan Brković, which as the first-ranked bidder received a state package of 59,4 percent of the shares for 22 million euros with an obligation to invest 50 million euros in the next three years.
Before that, Brković with his other company "Vektra investments" bought a share of 33 percent of the shares from Hungarian companies, which, after the purchase of the state package, gives him a total ownership of 92 percent. Brković changed the name of the company to "Vektra Boka".
He then announced the construction of 200 square meters of new hotel capacity and an investment of 360 million.
After that, there were years of big problems for the company, a large part of the property was pledged for loans, while there were no planned investments. The owner justified himself by disputes with the municipality and the state due to urban plans. A large part of the property of "Boka" has been sold off or seized in the meantime.
Since the introduction of the reorganization under the measures of the Commercial Court, there have been frequent protests by company workers who believe that the reorganization plan is not respected and that the money from the sale of property does not go to them, but is taken by the owners of the company for disputed loans, which is why they submitted several reports to the prosecutor's office.
Bankruptcy was introduced to the company for the first time in June 2015, at the request of Crnogorska kommercielja banka, but later the reorganization plan was replaced under the measures of the Commercial Court. Now a new request for the introduction of classic bankruptcy is current.
Before privatization, HTP Boka had four hotels, several restaurants, business premises and land in several locations in Herceg Novi. It is still not clear what was sold or pledged.
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