When the state stands up, those who were comfortable with the state kneeling become the loudest, said Aleksa Bečić, Deputy Prime Minister of Montenegro for Security, Defense, Fight against Crime and Internal Policy.
According to him, the various attempts to discredit the public that we have been witnessing for over two years cannot stop the wave of reform nor can they undo the historic results in the fight against all forms of crime.
"In 2025, record results were achieved in the fight against the tobacco and drug mafia, economic and environmental crime, in the seizure of illegal weapons, processing in accordance with the Law on Foreigners and other national priorities. These are measurable advances that can be seen at every step," Bečić emphasized in a statement submitted by the Government of Montenegro.
He said that in 2025 alone, the Special State Prosecutor's Office blocked around two million square meters of various real estate and tens of millions of euros in the bank accounts of persons involved in criminal proceedings.
"When you take money and property from crime, you deprive it of oxygen, and that's why the blows become more severe just when the results become visible and when improvements to regulations are announced to permanently seize property acquired through crime and permanently clean up the system," he said.
Bečić added that in 2024 and 2025, 1138 people were deprived of their liberty on warrants, compared to 610 in 2022 and 2023, which is an increase of almost 100 percent.
"That is the difference between a system that looks the other way and a system that does its job, between a state that justifies itself and a state that acts. Yes, there are challenges. There are deficits. There is a difficult legacy. There are complex decisions. There are also difficult decisions. There are also omissions. Everyone's work is subject to healthy criticism. But one thing is completely clear: the motives for continued hybrid action and constant attacks on Vladimir Novović, Predrag Šuković, Lazar Šćepanović, Danilo Šaranović and those institutions that have reformed are not any concern for the public interest, but fear of an order in which no one will be stronger than the state," he said.
Bečić also said that Montenegro must never again be an outpost of criminal structures.
"Never again must the state be weaker than the individual. Never again must the flag, religion, nation and language be used to hide robbery," he concluded.
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