President of NGO Busha Predrag Vujnović filed a criminal complaint against Božidarka Marković, the president of the commission for the distribution of funds from the Agrobudget for 2024 relating to measures for the preservation of indigenous genetic resources in agriculture due to, as he stated, the criminal offense of abuse of official position.
The report was filed with the Basic State Prosecutor's Office in Podgorica, and it also includes members of the commission.
The application stated that, during the implementation of the 2024 Agrobudget, funds intended for the preservation of indigenous genetic resources in agriculture were not allocated for the intended purpose, and that the Commission appointed to distribute these funds distributed amounts of up to 23.000 euros per household, "which enabled households that do not meet the conditions to make a profit from these measures."
"In addition to the disproportionate distribution of funds, the Commission that made the decision on that occasion did not take into account the criteria related to the breed of sheep called 'Zetska žuja'. Specifically, the Bulatović farm received 23.000 on this basis, although it does not own this type of sheep on its farm, but only the 'Piperska žuja' breed," the application states.
On Friday, "Vijesti" sent questions to the Ministry of Agriculture and Božidarka Marković, a professor at the Faculty of Biochemistry, regarding the allegations in the criminal complaint, but no response has been received so far.
The NGO Buša reminds that a total premium amount of 60.000 euros has been allocated for genetic resources in livestock farming in 2024.
They state that the premium for Busa cattle is 150 euros per head, sheep (Pivska Pramenka, Sora, Ljaba) 15 euros, Zeta Žuja sheep 50 euros, Balkan Red goat 15 euros, donkeys 60 euros, and for the purchase (import) of a Busa bull up to 1.000 euros.
"By acting in the above-mentioned, illegal manner, members of the commission for the distribution of the Agrobudget for 2024 directly endangered the 'Zetska žuja' sheep breed, since by distributing funds to farms that do not own this breed in large amounts, the funds for the 'Zetska žuja' in 2025 were significantly reduced, and therefore it was not possible to contribute to the preservation of this breed in an appropriate manner in order to prevent its disappearance," the report states.
In this way, as it is added, damage was caused to other participants in the public call, who were deprived of the amount of funds that could have been distributed in a larger amount than planned to livestock farmers whose households have the breed for which the public call was announced.
The report points out that all of the above "indicates the existence of corruption" among those responsible for implementing the Agrobudget.
"The roots of corruption are not only with the named Božidarka Marković, but also reach to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management. In relation to the previously stated facts, the applicant pointed out all of the above to the aforementioned Ministry, however, no one from that ministry reacted to these suggestions," the report states.
The NGO Buša states that, in addition to everything mentioned above, there are many "corrupt practices in the field that no one from the ministry controls, but on the contrary, this state body contributes to them."
As they say, Marković, as the president of the commission for the distribution of funds from the Agrobudget, has been irreversibly destroying the biodiversity of Montenegro and the indigenous race for years, "and thus the tradition and history of our country, which it should preserve."
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