Kentera: ANB provided counterintelligence protection, I personally warned the prime minister about Milosevic and his contacts

Savo Kentera, the recently acting (acting) director of the National Security Agency (ANSA), said today at the session of the Parliamentary Committee for Security and Defense that, when he accepted to come to the ANSA, he did so in order to create a professional and modern service, which will be out of political and "outside" influence.

"I had a conversation before the appointment with the current prime minister and the president of the country (Milo Đukanović), where I presented to them what the service should look like. I got their support, and my main condition that evening was that the political support for the Agency was limited to that neither one, nor the other, nor any third party interferes in the work of the ANB. That evening I received a promise that I would have full support. Unfortunately, only a few days later, that agreement was violated by the Prime Minister. The pressures began , to make employment in the service, to bring people from abroad into the service...", Kentera pointed out.

The session of the Committee, where the hearing of the head of the Government, the security sector and the prosecutor's office regarding current events in the security sector, continued for two and a half hours, after which the president of that body, Milan Knežević, took a break. As he announced, the continuation of the session will be determined later.

Apart from Kentera, the outgoing Prime Minister Abazović, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Raško Konjević, Minister of the Interior Filip Adžić, Minister of Foreign Affairs Ranko Krivokapić, Chief Special Prosecutor Vladimir Novović, Acting Supreme State Prosecutor Maja Jovanović and the prosecutor in the Special State Prosecutor's Office attended the session. (SDT) Jovan Vukotić.

Kentera added that he managed to resist all the pressures.

"I knew that it would pay off in the end, as it did. But I knew that I would not allow anyone to exert that influence. As a result, in a very short time we regained the trust of all international actors, which did not exist before my arrival Sometime in July, we already launched one of the largest and most extensive operations - cutting off Russian malignant influence in Montenegro, both direct and that which comes through proxies that Russia uses in Montenegro and the region. We had the realization of one part of that operation. Couple months after we started it, recognitions for everything we do followed again. The point of everything is that it was only the tip of the iceberg - I'm talking about the expulsion of Russian diplomats, the ban on entry, about those who provided logistical support...", he said is Kentera

He said that he was fired two days after he informed Prime Minister Abazović "about the complete operation" (regarding cigarette smuggling).

"The finding that I was dismissed because ANB did not provide counterintelligence protection and that the prime minister was not informed - does not stand. The agency provided counterintelligence protection, and I personally warned the prime minister several times about (former director of the Revenue and Customs Administration) Rad Milošević and the contacts that he there is. If that's not counterintelligence protection, then I don't know what is...", said Kentera.

He said that there is no one in the world who can give a work permit to ANB Inspector General Artan Kurti.

"This is what I can say at the session. I have no problem talking about everything publicly. If you agree, we can ask for a break, to invite the acting director of ANB (Boris Milić), to release me from the obligation to keep secrets. I have no problem with that , but I'm sure some in this room will have a problem with that.

Committee President Knežević said that he is ready to accept Kentera's proposal and invite Milić to the next meeting.