The building of the Academy of Knowledge cost millions, and still without a use permit

Even after 12 years since it was opened, the futuristic building of the Academy of Knowledge, which is a "combination" of the former city government DPS-SDP with the company "Cijevna komerc" and which is under the scrutiny of investigator Milivoj Katnić, does not have a use permit.

The Secretariat for Urban Planning and Sustainable Development of the Municipality of Budva rejected the request of the Secretariat for Investments to issue a permit.

"The request of the Secretariat for Investments of the Municipality of Budva to issue a use permit for the constructed building of the Academy of Knowledge is rejected as irregular," reads the decision, which "Vijesti" had access to.

This continues the decades-long agony over obtaining a permit for the once largest capital project of the Municipality of Budva, which cost the citizens as much as 6,6 million euros, and which is also another in a series of dubious affairs of the former city government whose leaders were guilty of numerous million-dollar embezzlements that they admitted they committed to the detriment of the citizens.

Although it was announced at the beginning of 2017 with the arrival of the new city administration that the documentation would be completed and the Academy of Knowledge, which houses several faculties, the premises of the City Library and the offices of numerous companies, was not done.

As stated in the decision, the Secretariat for Investments applied for a use permit on October 20. However, the inspection found that the necessary documentation was not submitted, so they were asked to submit a valid building permit, a statement from the contractor, the supervising engineer and the lead designer that the building was built in accordance with the building permit within eight days.

"Given that the Secretariat for Investments did not submit the requested documentation within the set and extended deadline, the request was rejected," says the decision signed by Acting Secretary for Urban Planning Filip Popović.

Both secretariats are headed by members of the Democratic Front led by Mayor Marko Carević.

Data on how much the construction of the Academy of Knowledge cost the citizens of Budva was first disclosed in 2012, when it was announced that the Municipality participated with 12.310 square meters of land in Bečići, which were transferred to the ownership of "Cijevna komerc", businessman Danilo Petrović, as well as an additional 2.754.377 euros in money.

Back in 2017, then-mayor Dragan Krapović (Democrat) assessed that it was a million-dollar embezzlement, announcing to the public at the time that the building of the Budva Academy of Knowledge cost the citizens 6,6 million euros.

Krapović then disclosed that there are two contracts with "Cijevna komerc: one for 2,8 million for construction and another contract for equipment for 3,8 million euros and that "neither contract nor the other contract has been finalized by the supervisory service". Stating that technical reception was attempted twice, in 2010 and 2013, but the reports were negative, Krapović then assessed that everything was done on purpose and that it was a case of fraud.

"The intention was to bring the building to a state of unusability, and then, as was the practice of the DPS authorities, give it to an 'investor' known in advance", he emphasized.

What was the situation in the municipal company of the same name that manages the Academy of Knowledge, the councilors were informed at the end of last year at the session of the local parliament when the work report was adopted.

In 2017, the Knowledge Academy was taken over with a debt in the amount of 145 thousand euros, four personal incomes in the amount of 40.000 euros, fees for the board of directors in the amount of 20.000 euros, and debts for the services of Elektrodistribucija amounted to 30.000 euros. 12.000 euros were owed to the utility company, and 47.000 euros for taxes and contributions. The debt of 30.000 euros related to the services of the water supplier, and 9.000 euros was owed for the services of physical and technical protection. Account blocking, which lasted 2016 days in the period from 2017 to 201. After 2017, with transfers from the Municipality's budget, the Knowledge Academy was literally saved from bankruptcy, and already in mid-March 2017, the regular payment of all employee incomes, as well as the payment of all due obligations included in the reprograms from the aforementioned debts, began. Because of the contrived message, no one ever answered.

The Prosecutor's Office is investigating the work of the Municipality and "Cijevna komerca"

In mid-2018, the Special State Prosecutor's Office opened an investigation into the million-dollar capital investment - the deal between the Municipality of Budva and the Podgorica company "Cijevna Komerc" regarding the construction of the Academy of Knowledge building.

The special state prosecutor Lidija Mitrović then sent a letter to the Municipality of Budva to submit competent documentation on the concluded contracts and annexes to the contract with "Cijevna birkansi".

The Prosecution was particularly interested in the contract on the transfer of real estate rights - land in Bečići and the parliamentary decision from 2007 which approved that this should be done. At that time, the city was governed by the DPS-SDP coalition, and the votes of the councilors gave the green light to the transfer of ownership of the municipal land.

The investigators demanded that the contracts from 2009 concluded by the local administration with "Cijevna komerc" regarding the furnishing of the building be submitted to them, and two additional contracts from August and September 2009 that the Municipality concluded with the company from Podgorica on the performance of final works and elimination of defects were also requested for inspection.