Defense Minister Dragan Krapović said that this morning he informed the Supreme State Prosecutor Milorad Marković that he was aware of illegal actions by the Chief of the General Staff of the Army of Montenegro, Brigadier General Zoran Lazarević.
"I was obliged to notify the prosecutor so that the necessary measures and actions could be initiated," said Krapović at the press conference.
He says that on September 10, he received an order that was delivered to all organizational units with the offices of members of the Council for Security and Defense and the offices of ministers without prior approval.
"The Law on the Army stipulates that a person serving in the Army must publicly speak about the state of the Army and the equipment, weapons, and use of units... The law stipulates that command is based on the principles of coordination and single leadership and the obligation to carry out the decisions and orders of the superior and competent authorities. An employee in the Army is obliged to perform his duties based on the Constitution, the Law and other acts," said Krapović.
He points out that Lazarevic did not address the Security and Defense Council as a body, but the members individually.
He also points out that the letter was not marked as confidential, and that, according to its content, the letter contains parts that may not be made public.
"In the letter, the Chief of the General Staff discusses the decisions of the Minister of Defense with the remark that it is time to stop 'such behavior'. The letter was published in its entirety on media portals. The document does not contain the seal of approval of the Assembly, the Government, the President, which implies that Lazarevic himself sent to the media. It is clear that when the General Staff's position is that the law and regulations do not have to be respected, you are aware of where this leads - to anarchy in the Army and serious consequences in society," Krapović said.
He said that, in order to preserve the rule of law, he expects the prosecutor's office to investigate whether there are elements of non-execution of orders, self-rule, incitement to resistance or other criminal acts that are prosecuted ex officio.
"While I am the Minister of Defense, no one will play with the system, not even the Chief of the General Staff," he said.
When asked by TV Vijseta what did Lazarevic do before the letter that his activities abroad were not approved, Krapovic said that he approves the activities of the army.
He said that Lazarevic was referring to some contacts for which he was not authorized.
"From the point of view of the constitutional division of powers, this is inadmissible and that is the reason why I banned the activities," he announced.
When asked by TV Vijesti about the case related to the motorcycle that happened in March, why he did not act earlier, Krapović pointed out that he had proposed then, but that Lazarević's request was not to interrogate anyone.
"I didn't speak publicly because I wanted to preserve the integrity of the Army and the state. I didn't want the state to be embarrassed in front of the world, NATO allies, and EU members because of this behavior," said the Minister of Defense.
He noted that the Council session was scheduled in May, then canceled, then in June, and that it was finally scheduled for the end of August.
He added that there were other omissions.
"Maybe Lazarevic and the political centers behind him thought they could do anything, but now they will face the law," he said.
He added that he thinks that Lazarevic is under direct instruction from some of the opposition parties and the former president of the state and DPS, Milo Đukanović.
When asked by a journalist what he will do if Milatović maintains his position that Lazarević remains at the head of the General Staff, Krapović said that he does not want to get involved in what others think.
"Let's see how the three members of the Council will deal with what I said. And not only with this, there are more transgressions. I will do everything to make the Army function", he said and pointed out that he knows his responsibilities.
When asked by journalists who could succeed Lazarevic, Krapovic said that, as a responsible minister, he proposed an adequate replacement after requesting his dismissal.
"The proposal is before the Council, it is within their jurisdiction, I would not comment on their views in advance," he announced.
Answering a journalist's question about the accusations made by Lazarevic, he said that "they are at the level of corporals, not generals".
Krapović, when asked about the law on the Army, which is in the draft stage, said that Lazarević has nothing to do with it, and that when the proposal is ready, it will be sent to the Government, which will forward the proposal to the Assembly, where dozens of amendments can be added to it.
He stated the fourth quarter of this year as the deadline for creating the document.
The Minister of Defense, when asked if he had stated at the previous session of the Council, because then the main reason for the dismissal of Lazarevic was the rejuvenation of the staff, said:
"Then this letter was not sent. In the meantime, I am obliged to report".
Krapović said that the case with the motorcycle was a disciplinary matter, and that it was better for Lazarević to be dismissed, so that disciplinary proceedings would then be initiated.
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