Local officials are the biggest donors to DPS

The maximum amounts, about 5000 euros, allowed by the Law on financing of political parties and election campaigns, were donated to the ruling Democratic Party of Socialists by lower officials, members of municipal boards, persons whose names are unknown to the general public.

This is shown by the list of donations published by the Agency for the Prevention of Corruption (ASK). The legal obligation of the parties is for the KAS to submit reports on contributions, but the Agency does not publish any data on the website from which it can be concluded who the donors are.

In the report for the period from July 5 to 19, it is written that a total of 118.840 euros was collected for the parliamentary elections. The list of donors, however, does not include the highest state officials and the majority of MPs of that party, whose incomes are mostly around or above 2.000 euros.

Only Prime Minister Duško Marković gave 500 euros for the Tivat elections, which was stated in a special report also on the ASK website, but for March of this year. The elections in Tivat were planned for April, but they were postponed due to the epidemic and will be held on August 30, when the parliamentary elections will be held.

The most money, 5000 euros, was donated to DPS by a certain Aleksandar Božović. That is the maximum that the party can give to the citizens. He is followed by party functionary from Tuzi Abedin Pepić who gave 4,600 euros. In 2016, the Democrats claimed that he had threatened them and filed a complaint against him, but the public does not know what its outcome was.

Among those who generously helped their party are several of its activists. Member of the DPS Committee in Plužine Mileva Damjanović donated 4500 euros to her party, Jovana Zarubica 4600 euros, and Jasna Radović 4700 euros. Director of the Clinical Center of Montenegro, Jevto Eraković, gave 500 euros, as did his colleague from the General Hospital in Berane, Budimir Dabetić.

The Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Miodrag Radunović, also donated the same amount for the parliamentary elections, and the head of the DPS club in the Assembly, Nikola Rakočević, donated 300 euros.

The President of the Municipality of Petnjica, Samir Agović, gave 500 euros. Until July 20, the party of Milo Đukanović received 118.840 euros from 123 donors for the parliamentary elections, for those in Andrijevica, Budva, Gusinj and Kotor another 26.550 euros from 24 people, and earlier for the elections in Tivat 12.900 euros.

Officials of the Democratic Party of Socialists donated more money for the elections in Tivat, in the period from March 5 to 19, than for the parliamentary and local elections. For the election race in Tivat, the member of the DPS presidency and the mayor of Podgorica, Ivan Vuković, donated 1.000 euros, the deputy and advisor to the president of the state, Petar Ivanović, donated 1.050 euros, while the deputies Mihailo Andušić, Miloš Nikolić and Marta Šćepanović allocated 500 euros each.

The member of the DPS Council Andrija Radman donated the most money for those local elections, 1.230 euros, while the vice-president of the Podgorica committee of the DPS, Andrija Čađenović, helped the party with 1.000 euros.

The mayors each gave two salaries to the party, Vukićević says that he deeply believes in its direction

Among those who are on the list of DPS donors is the President of the Municipality of Žabljak Veslin Vukićević, who donated 2.000 euros, that is, almost two monthly salaries.

"I made a donation for the election campaign for the reason that I deeply believe in the party of which I am a member, that I believe in and support the directions of its actions from the independence of the state of Montenegro to all the strategic aspects of the further development of the country for which DPS advocates. My donation is a form of support for the party I support," he told "Vijesti".

In the regular annual property record, it is stated that Vukićević received 1,191 euros per month last year. In addition, according to the record, at the end of last year he was paying back several loans worth around 1.250 euros, that is, a little more than his monthly income.

"It's about my and my wife's credit debts - a total of 1.250 euros, but in any case, the credit debt I have does not exceed my monthly income," claims Vukićević.

The card, however, shows otherwise, because at the end of last year, his installments amounted to 1.250 euros, and his wife another 630 euros.

Srđan Mašović donated 3.000 euros to the ruling party. Srđan Mašović is the president of the municipality of Andrijevica, who did not answer to the "News" whether it was he who donated the funds that amount to almost three of his monthly salaries.

According to the property record, his monthly salary was a little over 1.100 euros last year, and he pays back about 440 euros a month on loans and another 30 to the public bailiff.

He did not answer questions about why he donated so much to DPS. In Andrijevica, on August 30, in addition to parliamentary elections, local elections will be held.