Medojević: Executive directors of EPCG and CEDIS do not understand the basic regulations governing the energy industry

Željko Medojević, owner of the former Podgorica-based company "Kvadrat Komerc", said that the executive directors of the Electric Power Company of Montenegro (EPCG) Zdravko Dragaš and the Montenegrin Electricity Distribution System (CEDIS) Vladimir Ivanović showed a serious misunderstanding of the regulations governing the energy industry and the functioning of the electricity distribution system, and that they were obviously given incorrect legal advice. He called on them to resign from their positions because of this.

Medojević stated this in response to an article titled "SDT Urgently Blocks Six Million Euros: Executive Directors of EPCG and CEDIS File Criminal Charges Due to Verdict" published on the Vijesti portal on Wednesday, March 11. The article states that Dragaš and Ivanović filed criminal charges against several individuals with the Vrnovo State Prosecutor's Office and the Special State Prosecutor's Office (SDT) due to, as stated, suspicion of the existence of an organized criminal group formed in connection with the court case filed by Medojević against the state energy companies.

The owner of the former Podgorica-based company "Kvadrat Komerc" said that the claims made by Dragaš and Ivanovic were based either on a complete misunderstanding of the basic regulations governing the energy industry or on a conscious attempt to switch theses.

We transmit his response in full:

"Regarding yesterday's statement by the executive directors of EPCG and CEDIS, published on your portal and television, which makes serious accusations and attempts to discredit a final court decision, I am obliged to point out to the public several key facts.

The executive directors of EPCG and CEDIS have made a series of claims in their public appearances that demonstrate such ignorance of the regulations governing the activities of the legal entities they head that, in any serious legal and business environment, after such allegations, they would have to seriously reconsider their ability to perform the functions entrusted to them, as well as the responsibility of the person who advises them so poorly, and who, by all accounts, is paid a considerable amount of compensation for it.

This statement was preceded by information about the amount of salaries in state-owned energy companies, where the management of the companies receives annually approximately the amount of my lost profit according to the court verdict, the executive director of EPCG, Dragaš, receives a salary of 4.784 euros, and the executive director of CEDIS, Ivanović, 3.857 euros. Therefore, the question rightly arises whether the construction of the alleged "criminal organization" is an attempt to divert attention from these topics and from responsibility for the operations of the companies they manage.

What is obvious is that they consider their own and narrow interests of their business to be public interest, and not what is prescribed. Article 4 of the Energy Law clearly stipulates that providing sufficient amounts of energy necessary for the life and work of citizens, as well as for the business and development of economic entities, is of public interest, and that the supply must be safe, reliable and of high quality. Also, according to the rules of operation of the electricity distribution system, consumers are classified into households, other consumption and public lighting, with the category of "other consumption" including business and economic entities, including production facilities such as clothing factories.

By spreading conspiracy theories and making obviously unfounded and malicious accusations, an attempt is made to conceal the essence of the problem - which is the damage that the Electric Power Company of Montenegro caused to the legal entity "Kvadrat Komerc", and indirectly to me as its founder and guarantor for numerous credit obligations.

It is particularly indicative that in public appearances they deliberately avoid mentioning which company is involved. This is a recognizable Montenegrin brand "Mali Medo", which has been present on the market for years and has been proof that in Montenegro, without informal privileges, privileged arrangements or schematic combinations, a healthy and promising business system can be built together with foreign partners. The procedure that they are trying to present today as "rigged" lasted 13 years, during which EPCG and CEDIS had full opportunity to submit all the evidence they considered relevant. During that period, several of their legal representatives and attorneys were changed, and numerous expert opinions were conducted, including a super expert opinion of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering of the University of Montenegro, as well as expert opinions of the textile-technological and economic-financial professions. The conclusion was the same - that EPCG and CEDIS were responsible for the circumstances that led to the inability of "Kvadrat Komerc" to operate and the bankruptcy of that legal entity. After that, the Basic Court in Podgorica issued a verdict in my favor on February 17, 2025, and the High Court in Podgorica rejected the appeal of EPCG and CEDIS on December 2, 2025 and confirmed the verdict, making the decision final.

All this indicates that the claims in their statement are based either on a complete misunderstanding of the basic regulations governing the energy sector, or on a conscious attempt to replace theses. In any case, the content of their statement and the public appearances that followed demonstrate exactly what I pointed out at the beginning - a serious misunderstanding of the regulations governing the energy sector and the functioning of the electricity distribution system, as well as obviously incorrect legal advice. Due to abuse of procedural law by CEDIS, the court process lasted too long, so the interest exceeded the compensation claim itself. Because of all of the above, if there is even a minimum of personal, professional and moral responsibility, it would be expected that the executive directors of EPCG and CEDIS would consider their own position and resign from the positions they currently hold," Medojević stated in his reaction.