The Vice-President of the Assembly and an official of the Movement for Change (PzP), Branka Bošnjak, said today at the parliamentary session that certain former state and public officials repeatedly received apartments and loans from the state to solve the housing issue.
During the discussion on the amendments to the Law on Maintenance of Residential Buildings, which she proposed, she stated that provisions were hidden in that law that contributed to state and public officials getting loans and apartments without advertising.
"Given that the government is now deviating from these provisions, I believed that they should be deleted and that there is no legal basis for rewarding privileged persons with apartments and loans behind the scenes of the public, without advertising. We are obliged to vote for this solution. If there is a need, this issue should be legally regulated in a different way, so that it is transparent and that everyone can apply, and not as before, where millions are invested in loans and apartments for those who have solved the housing issue. There was so much injustice in those processes, and the fact that the archive in this regard was destroyed after the change of government, which means that we are talking about illegal activities, speaks in support of this," said Bošnjak.
Commenting on the case that the Special State Prosecutor's Office (SDT) formed about the work of the Government's Commission for Housing Issues, she said that she was sorry that no individuals were included in the case.
"The presidents of those commissions, like Slavoljub Stijepović, who allocated a large number of apartments and loans, were not included. Everything should have been investigated, not just the last two cycles of apartment allocation," she added.
MPs from DPS, SDP and SD do not attend the sessions.
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The Bosniak claims that former minister Milutin Simović received loans "as the currency changed".
"Over dinars, marks, up to euros, and in high amounts. I see that even his wife got it. This means that some privileged people got loans and apartments in this way several times. We have to find a way that those who got apartments and loans, compensate the state, at the market price, within a reasonable time... I call on the deputies to support this solution and to put an end to the arrogant behavior of those who think they deserve to have the state solve housing issues for their descendants, while we have a large number of those who live as tenants, they can't manage their bare existence," she said.
Martinović: Why are individuals corrupt - because someone heavily indebted them
Deputy Democrat Vladimir Martinović said, as the rapporteur of the Legislative Committee on the proposed changes, that Montenegrin society has matured to stand in the way of abuses with the allocation of apartments and loans.
"The time has come for cases like this to be processed today and for them to receive a legal epilogue. None of us in the Democrats have condemned anyone in advance. That's what the courts should be for. But they should be independent, and not, as some judges have become, the last line of criminal defense... We have worrying data - how is it possible that some people got apartments or loans more than once? And then someone asks why they or their children were corrupt. Why - because someone put them in deep debt. Helped, while the poor were grunting in debt, housing loans...", he added.
Among other things, Martinović said that he believes that there is no influence on the Chief Special Prosecutor (GST) Vladimir Novović.
"We elected a professional Prosecutor's Council and we have a professional GST. He should work in accordance with the law, and in everything we see, he works and acts like that. We encourage him to continue like that. It's enough to buy apartments from citizens' money and loans," he emphasized.
Božović: The square meter is the measuring unit of so-called patriotism
Member of the Democratic Front (DF), Jelena Božović, assessed that in three articles of the current Law on the Maintenance of Residential Buildings, there is a possibility that individuals in a secret and non-transparent manner allocate apartments and loans to themselves and loyal members of their parties.
"The so-called patriotism that the members of the former regime talk about so much has its own unit of measurement, which is the square meter. They love their country so much that they have provided themselves with hundreds of square meters of residential and business space. It is a false love for the country. But there is no escape. Everyone will have to answer for crime and abuse of office. During the ten years of the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) rule, 25 million euros were spent from the housing budget to solve the housing issues of 175 officials and 405 lower officials. Only in the technical mandate of the Government Duško Marković was distributed 119 apartments. Among them are almost all former ministers and MPs of DPS", she stated.
Paunović: Housing issues resolved by those eligible
MP Milosava Paunović of the Socialist People's Party (SNP) asked what the legal logic is for the Law on the Maintenance of Residential Buildings to include three articles that regulate the resolution of housing issues. He claims that there is no legal logic for that.
"There is none, but there is also some practical logic, because in this way the solution of housing issues to those who are in practice suitable for officials has slipped into practice. The greater the number of square meters, the greater the patriotism and love for the country. And now you the characters, who abused their rights, teach democracy and teach us that we worked against Montenegro. They must have brought it here...", she said.
Bogdanović: 25 million for homes of party and public officials
Boris Bogdanović (Democrats) said that in ten years, 25 million euros from the budget were spent on the homes of party and public officials who were given 20.000 square meters of space.
"Instead of discussing homes for young married couples, homes for children, today we are discussing the theft of homes because the former owner gave them to the eligible instead of the victims," said Bogdanović.
He stated that it is a question of such a square footage that an entire settlement can be built in Podgorica.
"The former regime was the largest real estate agency in Montenegro, and maybe even wider, but also the worst. Imagine the audacity of giving away an entire neighborhood and paying 139 euros per square meter in that apartment block. That's an outrageous price, but it was not available to everyone, but only to the eligible".
He cited the example of the former president of the Supreme Court, Vesna Medenica, who asked the Governmental Commission for Housing for 30 euros for the adaptation of housing, and the Governmental Commission itself assessed that it was not enough for her and gave her 40 euros.
"Has it ever happened to you that you ask a state commission for a thousand euros, and they tell you here are 1.333 euros? Of course not... What a good commission, perfect, a commission that thinks for you. Great logic, great math. "Mama Justice" knew at the moment when she asked for 30 thousand euros that she had to return eight thousand euros. The Government Commission also knew that, but in order not to return it, the Commission told her here's another ten thousand. To return the ten thousand eight thousand and put another two thousand in his pocket... The best loan "in the world".
He reminds that two years after that, Medenica gave an 80-square-meter apartment to her daughter, and there would have been nothing disputed if she had not received that apartment from the Government Commission.
"Like in the social game Monopoly, you build and move houses. You move and build new ones. Not even God can see that off. But here we are seeing off nine public officials of the former regime, who get a living space of 833 square meters and pay 113 thousand euros for it. You citizens can buy an apartment of 113 to 70 square meters for 80.
He added that one of these nine received 62 square meters from the commission and paid 6,2 thousand euros for it.
"And it was easy for him not to sell it later and earn 62 thousand euros. Was it a state business or a state mafia? When is he already a patriotic pig that he didn't even do it for the state, so that the state could earn ten times more? This it's not just a state affair, but a classic state hit because the former officials, perhaps the current ones, actually stole an entire Podgorica neighborhood. Justice has begun and soon it will be knock, knock, we have questions for you."
He said that the Democrats submitted amendments to the Budget Law for the next year, which prohibited the allocation of apartments to ministers, deputies and members of the government.
Radulović: Everyone should buy apartments from their salaries
Branko Radulović (PzP) said that the law on property review could have been adopted a long time ago.
"I see that the minister accepts the vetting, which I have been proposing for a long time, other political parties also accept. If there is no package for this entire transition, I will not vote for a partial and low-quality solution, as I have the impression that this law on reviewing the imvouna will be. I want it to be reviewed theft since the 9th, to return everything to the citizens," said Radulović.
He said that his members are going through Golgotha, and they have not received a single euro from the state, not a single square meter.
"Disgusting untruths have been told about my family. I swear to everything that neither I nor my family, nor my father's family, has ever received a single square meter from this state, not a single euro".
He said that everyone should buy apartments from their salaries, and if someone is a top doctor, a top professor should give him a good salary.
Commenting on the attack on Milan Knežević, he said that it is no longer permissible, that it is a state of anarchy where everyone gives himself the right to judge, judge and attack.
"He must know that this is Montenegro and that we still have that face-saving... We are only divided into thieves and honest people and everyone should know that," he said.
Bosniak: Apartments reward or corruption
Branka Bošnjak said in her closing speech that, unfortunately, since the 90s, this has been the way many people have been honored with apartments and loans, not only in the last ten years.
"Now there is controversy and talk about two or three commissions, and it was there before... The essence was that it used to be done by the Cabinet of the Government, and at other times by the Government Commission," she stated.
She reminded that she had filed a criminal complaint against Slavoljub Stijepović, because according to the act concerning the allocation of apartments, workspaces were allocated to certain professors of the University who solved their housing issue through an action carried out by the University, and then they were allegedly rewarded with workspaces that were bought off.
"Among them is the former Minister of Culture Mićunović, who I don't know how much real estate and income he has, up to some actors, mostly prominent DPS members".
According to the criminal complaint, the prosecutor, as she added, replied that the Commission allegedly had to do what the Prime Minister ordered it to do.
"I saw later in the media that the prosecutor got an apartment based on this. I think that the prosecutors and judges should be held criminally accountable as they know exactly that it can only go through the Prosecutor's and Judicial Council... I'm sorry that there are some officials who may have deserved it, but they have to go in the same basket".
It is disputed, as she said, that members and presidents of the commission got apartments in this way.
"They had already solved the housing issue, but this was a reward or corruption... Why didn't colleague Ćeman get an apartment, and he is a prominent doctor, or Tamar Vujović, but Jevto Eraković got it?", she asked.
She said that since there is no Bill on property confiscation yet, she is thinking of putting her own proposal on the agenda.
Milatović: A square for Jevto Eraković costs as much as a meter of wood
Janko Milatović (DF) stated that 18.000 families live as tenants.
"Multiply by three or four family members and you will reach a city, the size of Nikšić. We had to help those people, and we got to the point where people who have 5-6 properties pay for a square meter of an apartment what a meter of wood costs. Do you know what kind of poor people comes to my place in Nikšić, there is no wood for two meters, and Jevto Eraković pays for a square meter of an apartment by a meter of wood".
Vukićević: The interest group shares what it stole from the citizens
Maja Vukićević (DF) said that it is not controversial to help civil servants to solve the housing issue, it is controversial that it is done in this way, non-transparently and when it is done below any market price.
"It is controversial when certain people are placed in a privileged position compared to the rest of Montenegro. It is controversial that apartments are allocated to other branches of government, so judges and deputies also received them, and in the end, instead of one branch of government controlling the other, we got one an interest group that divides among itself what was stolen from the citizens".
Koprivica: They will propose that SDT expand the investigation
Momo Koprivica (Democrats) announced that he will submit documentation to the SDT about the Government's participation in the purchase of apartments owned by the University, in order to expand the investigation.
He announced that at the session of October 25, 2018, the Government decided to participate in the purchase of apartments owned by the University.
"Eight apartments were bought for 680 euros. And then five apartments, worth 457, which the Government paid to the University, were allocated to five officials - one deputy, two ministers, the president of the Constitutional Court and the secretary of the Secretariat for Capital Projects. for 81 thousand euros, apartments that were paid for 457 thousand euros. So, they were honored with 337 thousand euros".
He emphasized the issue of violation of the applicable regulations - Article 5 of the Decision on solving housing needs of officials stipulates that the right to solve housing needs is for an official who does not have an apartment, that is, a family residential building in co-ownership or joint ownership, that is, he has an apartment of inadequate living area.
"Former President of the Constitutional Court Dragoljub Drašković had a house of 110 square meters, an apartment of 52 square meters, and he got an apartment of 109 square meters, for 24 thousand euros".
He said that his party will vote for changes to the Law in order to send a clear message that public officials cannot solve housing issues at the expense of citizens and gain unfair and immoral privileges.
He said that when it comes to removing immunity, it was not initiated by Prime Minister Dritan Abazović, but the issue was raised four years ago, but the SDT is now a bright spot in the institutional system because it indiscriminately deals with the problems of illegal criminal acts, so the officials of the current executive authorities found under the scrutiny of SDT when it comes to cigarette smuggling.
Branka Bošnjak supported the Democrats' initiative and called on the SDT to deal in detail with the method of allocating apartments to officials, saying that she is ready to testify about many anomalies for which she has the necessary documentation.
Genci Nimanbegu (Forca) said that the message of the majority is to follow the path of the market and asked whether vulnerable groups will be able to solve the housing issue in this way.
"This policy was because of that, but in the meantime it was being misused," he said.
Bosniak: The university shared apartments because it wanted to save staff
Branka Bošnjak said that she supported the University's action in 2007 to resolve housing issues for university staff, because former Prime Minister Milo Đukanović was briefly out of politics and decided to enter the business of higher education and founded a private university.
"That was the answer of the rector at the time, to solve the housing issues for the university staff so that they would not end up in a situation where professors from the state university go to the former prime minister's private university".
She said that it was mostly done properly, transparently, it did not go below market prices, even some employees were injured in one part.
"All of us who had an apartment, even if we inherited it, had to return it and give it to the University for distribution if we asked for a bigger one. I think that would fall in the Constitutional Court because no one has the right to order our inheritance to let's bring back the University".
She said that it was a good action that has since been misused.
The debate on the Bill on Amendments to the Law on the Maintenance of Residential Buildings has ended, and the MPs will give their opinion on it later.
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