Two consortia submitted bids for the competition for the development and implementation of a special investment program, on the basis of which one can acquire Montenegrin citizenship (economic citizenship).
The first consortium consists of the British companies Henley and partners Government Services and Fragomen LLP, as well as the Chinese Shanghai Overseas Chinese Exit-Entry Services. The second applicant is the Canadian-American consortium Arton-Ipsa.
Both consortia have offices around the world, and Arton also has an office in Montenegro.
"At the meeting of the Commission for the selection of bidders for the development and implementation of a special investment program on the basis of which a person can acquire Montenegrin citizenship by accepting that the bids were submitted in a timely manner in accordance with the deadlines indicated in the tender documentation," the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism announced.
The Ministry announced an international public call on November 28 last year. The deadline for purchasing the tender documents expired on February 16, and the deadline for submitting bids was yesterday.
"In the following period, the commission will determine the formal correctness and evaluate the correct bids, in accordance with the tender rules," said the Ministry.
At the end of July last year, the Government adopted the Decision on the method, procedure and criteria for the selection of bidders for the development and implementation of a special investment program on the basis of which one can acquire Montenegrin citizenship.
In the public invitation, it was explained that the Program implies investments in economic activity that will contribute to the economic development of the state, investment in real estate or payment of money to a special account of the state budget.
The program includes management, methods and conditions for the selection of investors and the application of the program, analysis and assessment of financial effects, development and implementation of marketing and communication strategies, as well as other activities determined by the project task. The commission will make a ranking list of bidders no later than 15 days after the opening of bids.
Based on the determined ranking list of bidders and the Commission's report on the bidder selection procedure, the Government will make a decision on the selection of bidders and authorize the Commission to start negotiations with the selected bidder.
The contract with the selected bidder will be signed for 36 months, with a revision of the contract from the aspect of achieved results every 12 months and the possibility of extension for a maximum of 36 months under the conditions defined in the contract.
In recent years, Montenegrin passports were distributed even to controversial people, suspected of criminal acts in their countries, at the suggestion of former Prime Ministers Milo Đukanović and Igor Lukšić, President Filip Vujanović and former President of the Assembly Ranko Krivokapić.
Among the "famous Montenegrins" are the former Palestinian minister Muhamed Dahlan, whom the Palestinian authorities suspect of embezzling hundreds of millions from state funds, and the former Prime Minister of Thailand, Thaksin Shinawatra, who was convicted in that country for corruption.
Nathaniel James Rothschild, the heir to a well-known banking dynasty and one of the financiers of the Porto Montenegro project in Tivat, also has a passport.
Bonus video:
