Prime Minister Milojko Spajić has sent a request to the Minister of Interior Danilo Šaranović to urgently initiate the procedure for revoking the Montenegrin citizenship of Kosovo businessman Naser Ramaj.
In a document that "Vijesti" had access to, Spajić announced that he would initiate revisions of "honorary" citizenships in the coming days.
Spajić claims that Ramaj acquired Montenegrin citizenship based on false information and by deceiving the competent authorities regarding his tax obligations, which he "consciously and deliberately tried to avoid."
"As you are aware, Naser Ramaj, a businessman from Kosovo, was arrested in August 2024 on suspicion of evading taxes and contributions in the amount of over two million euros, which damaged the budget of Montenegro by the aforementioned amount. He is one of the owners of the company DOO 'Alart Centar Budva – CG', which avoided reporting income from the sale of residential and commercial units in the 'Porto Budva' complex in Budva. The Basic State Prosecutor's Office in Kotor has filed an indictment against Naser Ramaj for the criminal offense of evading taxes and contributions in the total amount of 2.235.000 euros, which was confirmed by the Basic Court in Kotor," Spajić reminds Šaranović.
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Ramaj, he adds, as the investor of the "Porto Budva" project, worth around 80 million euros, was "expressly granted honorary Montenegrin citizenship" in October 12, pursuant to Article 2023 of the Law on Montenegrin Citizenship, with the explanation that he had made a significant economic contribution to Montenegro, which was signed by Filip Adžić at the proposal of the then Prime Minister Dritan Abazović, "with a positive opinion from the Ministry of Finance, without an analysis of business in Montenegro."
Additionally worrying, says Spajić, is "the fact that this department has not submitted an analysis from the aspect of compliance with tax and customs regulations, which is within its jurisdiction," since the legal entity of which Ramaj is the owner and executive director operates in Montenegro.
"The provision of Article 24, paragraph 1, item 2 of the Law on Montenegrin Citizenship ('Official Gazette of Montenegro', no. 13/2008, 40/2010, 28/2011, 46/2011, 20/2014 - decision of the Constitutional Court, 54/2016 and 73/2019) stipulates that: An adult Montenegrin citizen who also holds the citizenship of another state shall, by force of law, lose Montenegrin citizenship, among other things, if it is determined that the decision on admission to Montenegrin citizenship was made on the basis of a false statement or intentional concealment of facts or circumstances relevant to the decision, unless the person who acquired Montenegrin citizenship would be left stateless or if his or her behavior seriously harms the vital interests of Montenegro," the Prime Minister points out.
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He said that based on the above, he expresses "serious doubts" regarding the legality of Naser Ramaj's acquisition of honorary Montenegrin citizenship.
"I request that, pursuant to Article 24 of the Law on Montenegrin Citizenship, the procedure for revoking Montenegrin citizenship be initiated urgently, because it was acquired on the basis of false information and by deceiving the competent authorities regarding his tax obligations, which he consciously and deliberately tried to avoid. I believe that the case of Naser Ramaj may harm the vital interests of Montenegro on multiple levels, especially if it is confirmed that honorary citizenship was granted without adequate verification or based on incorrect information," Spajić wrote.
He said that granting citizenship to a person under investigation for tax evasion and financial fraud could damage Montenegro's international reputation, especially in the eyes of partners from the European Union and other countries, which "could negatively affect future investments and negotiating position in European integration."
"If it turns out that honorary citizenships were awarded as 'personal services' or without clear criteria, this undermines citizens' faith in the rule of law and opens up space for clientelism and political corruption. In this regard, in the coming days, I will initiate reviews of 'honorary' citizenships because they have not contributed to the development of the economy through innovation, the creation of new jobs or the stimulation of production and the promotion of Montenegro in science, culture, sports or other areas for which they were proposed for the acquisition of Montenegrin citizenship of special interest to Montenegro. Accordingly, as the competent authority for the implementation of the initiation and revocation of Montenegrin citizenship, due to the need to preserve the integrity and trust of citizens in institutions and state decisions, I am submitting a request for the urgent initiation of the procedure for the revocation of Montenegrin citizenship to Naser Ramaj, the outcome of which I would like you to inform me about," concluded Spajić.
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