Former high-ranking official of Montenegro and the Democratic Party of Socialists Svetozar Marovic he will not be harmed by the economic sanctions imposed on him by America, because he has no property there, his lawyer told "Vijesta". Zdravko Begović.
He, as well as the former State Secretary of the Ministry of Justice Boris Marić, agree that putting the former president of the SCG community on the black list is in fact a demonstration exercise for others accused of high corruption and an incentive for Serbia to extradite Marović to Podgorica.
On Monday, the USA announced that the former Montenegrin official is on the so-called black list of the US Department of Finance, which entails sanctions in the form of the blocking of assets and income from assets in the USA. The reason given is that they were introduced "due to responsibility or complicity, direct or indirect involvement in corruption related to the Western Balkans, including corruption on behalf of the government or associated with the government in the Balkans, or by a current or former government official at any level of government in Balkans, such as embezzlement of public property, or confiscation of private property for personal benefit or political purposes, or bribery".
"I learned from the media that America imposed economic sanctions on my client, we have not heard from each other about it, I have no information on his current whereabouts. For the last 15 to a month, I have not had any communication with him, even though I participated in some procedures related to the transfer of his property and land to the municipality of Budva," Begović told "Vijesta".
He says that based on earlier conversations with the client, he believes that he "doesn't own any real estate or any business" in America.
"Essentially, that one measure concerning economic sanctions will not touch him. I believe that it was passed in order to encourage his extradition from Serbia, and as a confirmation of this is the fact that today the Ministry of Justice sent an urgent request to the Ministry of Justice of Serbia, so that it would act on the warrant for extradition", says the lawyer.
Yesterday, the Ministry of Justice once again sent an urgent request to colleagues in Serbia regarding the request for extradition, stating, among other things, that they did not receive answers to earlier requests and that they cooperate well in other cases.
Former State Secretary of the Ministry of Interior Boris Marić believes, as he said, that the "black list" is not final and that Marović is only the first in a series of those who should be on it, on various grounds. His example, as he assumes, was used as a macrant case that is ambiguous.
"First of all, because he is the first high-ranking official in Montenegro who has admitted where high level corruption and organized criminal activity has been proven, and we all know that he is not the only one and that we have announced procedures for determining responsibility. This should cause a reaction that sends the message that corruption is the biggest scourge of societies in the Balkans. On the other hand, Marović is a case that also speaks about the relations between the states in the Balkans, the principles and quasi-values of the state elites because of the cheating of justice", explains Marić.
Asked whether, while he was in the Ministry, he had the opportunity to hear announcements about which there was speculation in the public, that the list would include officials of the current and former government, he said that he did not receive such messages from diplomatic contacts.
"What could be heard is that the list could appear and that a certain number of people could be under the influence of a certain type of sanctions, primarily as a form of fight against high corruption, which was estimated to be the source of the greatest number of problems in to the countries of the Balkans and that the main support is the emergence of a high level of organized crime and criminal groups... It was mentioned that people who were in high state positions or are in high party and state positions are being considered," said Marić, without denying the possibility that the Ukrainian crisis may have changed the "priority list", but that those who, by inciting high corruption, are harming the democratic processes in the states of the Republic of Croatia, remained on it.
In 2016, Marović signed two plea agreements in which he admitted his involvement in corruption cases, but instead of serving his sentence, he fled to Serbia.
His lawyer said yesterday that he was surprised by the US decision: "I never felt anywhere that sanctions could be introduced at such a level." Representatives of the US government gave an explanation that by doing so, it destabilizes and creates corruption in the region, but I objectively did not know nor did I expect that such sanctions would be applied in relation to Marović... I assume that there are still a certain number of persons in Montenegro. in relation to which competent authorities of the USA could adopt such a measure, whether they will adopt it and at what time, that is of course a matter of the foreign policy of the government of that country", said Begović.
Đukanović accused Serbia of not fulfilling its obligations, Marović accused him of enriching himself
The President of Montenegro and the leader of the DPS, Milo Đukanović, said yesterday that he understands the explanation of the US, but that he considers it more important to determine the "point of stagnation". "In this case, it is the state of Serbia, which does not fulfill its obligations from the international agreement," he said yesterday in Cetinje.
"Marović was the highest state official in Montenegro and the state community, so the judicial system and the state of Montenegro showed uncompromisingness in the implementation of the policy concerning the consistent application of the provisions of the constitutional-legal system... I saw the appeal of the American official to Mr. Marović - to come to Montenegro. "Okay, I understand that appeal, but I would understand even more the appeal that should be sent to the state of Serbia, a country that is also a candidate in the negotiations with the EU to fulfill its obligations from the agreement on international legal cooperation," Đukanović pointed out.
Immediately after that, some portals in Montenegro and Belgrade's Novosti published a letter, which they claim is Marović's answer to Đukanović. In it, he is accused of privatizing the state and that his family has become rich, and that "American investigators, since you trust them, should be invited to investigate and thus determine what your brother has and what mine".
"Do you have a face, man, and is nothing in your life sacred, neither human life, nor friendship, nor the truth?! Second, I won't do anything for now because of other people who showed themselves to be bigger than you, who showed their true face, red without shame, because both the Americans and Montenegro know who has what and who is the main owner of everything in Montenegro and whose Montenegro is like this European and NATO while you are at war with the Orthodox faith, the Metropolis, Serbia and Russia, where you have been many times with your personal ambassador and for an interesting reason..."; writes in the text published by Novosti.
"Vijesti" wrote to the office of the president of the country regarding Marović's letter, while Zdravko Begović knew nothing about the letter yesterday.
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