The agency follows the traces of offshore companies to DF

The Agency for the Prevention of Corruption will investigate informal allegations as to whether the Democratic Front (DF) was secretly financed through Russian oligarchs, this institution told "Vijesti" unofficially.

Citing intelligence, US media reported that Russia spent at least $300 million to influence political processes in more than 20 countries.

According to a source from the US administration who is familiar with the specific case, the Voice of America announced that DF was among them, but not about the sum involved.

From that political alliance, it was announced to "Vijesta" that it is not, as they claim, a random campaign aimed at influencing the process of electing a new government in Montenegro, that is, to hinder it.

From the Front, one of whose leaders Andrija Mandić is coordinating the agreement on the solution to the political crisis, claims that the campaign lasts for a long period of time and that unnamed elections are often quoted from the State Department and from other addresses that try to insinuate a connection between DF and Moscow.

The Voice of America announced, citing a source from the US administration, that "associates of Oleg Deripaska provided funds to the Democratic Front in 2016 and probably before the 2018 elections through inadequate contracts and offshore companies."

DF previously announced on their Facebook page that the American official "seems to have mistaken them for Milan Rocen". Roćen is a former Montenegrin ambassador in Moscow and adviser to the President of Montenegro, Milo Đukanović.

The head of the election campaign of the former American president, Paul Manafort, previously stated that Deripaska hired him in 2006 for the needs of the Montenegrin authorities in the campaign for the referendum on the state independence of Montenegro.

He said that the contract with Deripaska and the company Rusal was worth 10 million dollars. Deripaska previously refused to answer the questions of "Balkan Insight" regarding these allegations.

After the vote of no confidence in the Montenegrin Government last month, a spokesperson for the State Department told Voice of America that the US does not consider DF a partner.

"News" was told yesterday by the Front that the DPS is being bypassed from the USA, despite public information about their connections with some Russian tycoons who also supported the independence of Montenegro.

The Voice of America source mentioned that among those who received money from Moscow were the member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina Milorad Dodik and the party of former Albanian Prime Minister Salji Berisha.

Fines of up to 20.000 euros

The Agency controls the financing of political parties and election campaigns.

The Law on Financing Political Entities and Election Campaigns prohibits, among other things, the receipt of material, financial assistance and non-monetary contributions from other states, legal and physical persons outside the territory of Montenegro.

In the event that a violation of the law in this part is determined, the political subject will be fined from 10.000 to 20.000 euros.

In the report of the Agency concerning the parliamentary elections of the aforementioned year 2016, it is stated that the total costs of the election campaign then amounted to 4,05 million euros, of which the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) spent the most individually - 1,38 million, followed by the Front of the Unfulfilled 910.000 euros.

These elections were overshadowed by the alleged coup attempt. In February 2021, the Court of Appeal annulled the first-instance verdict that, among other things, convicted DF leaders Andrija Mandić and Milan Knežević, because the verdict contained significant violations of the provisions of the criminal procedure. A new trial is scheduled to begin at the end of November.

At the end of 2016, when Sreten Radonjić was at its head, the agency announced that the funds collected and spent in the election campaign were not transparently presented by the DF.

In Montenegro, suspicions about illegal financing of election campaigns are often raised publicly, as was the case in the "Envelope" affair. In the video released by fugitive businessman Duško Knežević, you can see and hear how the former mayor of Podgorica and the current general secretary of the state president Slavoljub Stijepović (DPS) took less than 100.000 euros from Knežević.

ASK previously announced on several occasions that the financial reports of the DPS were the cleanest and that there were no irregularities in the election campaigns, and after the outbreak of the scandal, it conducted a re-inspection and announced that the ruling party at the time had violated the Law on the Financing of Political Entities and Election Campaigns.

This institution initiated proceedings against the DPS for the imposition of a maximum threatened fine of 20.000 euros and requested the return of funds to the budget of Montenegro in the amount of 47.500 euros.

Assault on sovereignty

Voice of America reported that the State Department sent cables to 110 countries with which it shared the findings. Additionally, US intelligence officials reportedly held meetings with representatives of countries whose electoral and political processes were particularly targeted by the Russian campaign.

A spokesman for the State Department told "Vijesti" that he could not provide details from this intelligence.

"But we have been clear about our concerns about Russia's activities when it comes to influencing democratic processes in various countries around the world, including our own," said Port Patrol.

He added that the secret political influence of Russia represents a great challenge for the United States of America and other democracies around the world.

"We have worked and will continue to work with our allies and partners around the world to uncover Russian efforts at malignant meddling and help other countries defend themselves against this activity," said the interlocutor to "Vijesti".

Previously, the representative of the State Department, Ned Price, assessed that what Russia is doing around the world in terms of interfering in elections is an "attack on sovereignty".

"It's an effort to diminish the ability of people around the world to choose the government they feel best represents them, their interests and their values," he said.