The Agency for the Prevention of Corruption initiated proceedings against the former Assistant Minister of Sustainable Development and Tourism Marko Canovic due to the suspicion that he violated the Law on Prevention of Corruption by representing the company Blaž Đukanović, the son of the president of the state Milo Đukanović. It has been confirmed Center for Investigative Journalism of Montenegro (CIN-CG) from the Agency.
With the change of government, the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism was transformed into the Ministry of Ecology, Spatial Planning and Urbanism.
The law prescribes two-year limitations upon the termination of public office, which, among other things, include the establishment of a working relationship with a legal entity that benefits from the decisions of the authority in which the public official held office.
Čanović's two-year restrictions set by the Law expire only in April.
Vlada Zdravka Krivokapića at the session on April 8, 2021, it made a decision to terminate the mandate of Čanović as director of the Directorate for Housing Development in the then Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism.
A year later, in April 2022, Čanović was appointed director and authorized representative of "BB Invest group", whose co-owners are Blažo Đukanović and his partner Ivan Burzanović. The appointment in April was also confirmed by CIN-CG from the Revenue and Customs Administration.
"BB Invest group" was registered in January 2022, and its activity is listed as the construction of residential and non-residential buildings. This company started the construction of a 15 million euro complex with a condo hotel "Wolf Condominium" in Kolašin this summer.
The executive director of "BB Invest Group" Marko Čanović said in July that the goal of the project is to create a peaceful mountain place for vacation and investment, and Kolašin an additional stimulus for economic prosperity.
"With this project, we become an integral part of an important community and our responsibility as investors is to support it and, through communication with the locals, continuously participate in enriching the tourist offer of Kolašin, and this is an obligation that we take seriously as a company. Not least, the development of this complex will provide significant employment opportunities for the population from these regions, bearing in mind that, when the condo hotel is opened, the entire complex will employ almost 100 people through various models and frameworks, which is a great chance for the development of the local economy. ", Čanović said on that occasion.
Only two months after its establishment, "BB Invest group" submits to the Ministry of Ecology, Spatial Planning and Urbanism a request for the consent of the chief state architect for the project in Kolašin. The request is signed by "Tijana B". Tijana Babic was the executive director and authorized representative of the company before Čanović.
Chief State Architect Marko Žižić on April 6, he gave his consent to the project, and just two days later, an application was submitted to the tax authorities to register Čanović as the new director of the company. On July 21, the Ministry received an application for the construction of the facility from this company. In the application for the start of construction, the personal data of the person in charge of the company, who is represented by Čanović at the time, was not filled out.
Čanović did not answer the questions and messages of CIN-CG as to whether he had consulted the Agency before assuming the position of director in the company owned by the son of the head of state, nor whether he had previously participated in the preparation of planning documents for the territory of the municipality of Kolašin.
CIN-CG also sent questions to the Ministry about whether Čanović participated in the preparation of planning documents for Kolašin as a long-time assistant to the Minister of Sustainable Development and Tourism, whose portfolio also includes the preparation of planning documents. The Ministry said that he did not participate in the creation of any planning document for the Kolašin area.
Neither Đukanović Jr. nor Burzanović answered the questions about the engagement of Čanović and the provisions of the Law on Prevention of Corruption.
Čanović is a member of the Main Board of the Democratic Party of Socialists, headed by Milo Đukanović.
The biography states that since 2011, Čanović was an assistant minister in charge of housing. In the period before moving to Đukanović Jr., he was involved in the provision of consulting services, as can be seen on his Linkedin page.
Sales through a business associate
By the way, a square meter in the "Wolf Condominium" complex is about 2.500 euros, and hotel rooms are about 4.000 euros each, can be seen on the website of the real estate agency "Patrimonium".
The owner and authorized representative of the agency is Stefan Karadzic, and the executive director Valentina Karadžić.
This company was registered in September 2022, i.e. after the construction of the complex in Kolašin started.
Both "Patrimonium" and "BB Invest group" are registered at the same address in Podgorica, on Revolucije Boulevard.
The name of Karadžić was mentioned earlier as the financial director of another company in the hands of Đukanović - "Capital invest". The president left this company to his son five years ago.
Karadžić from "Patrimonium" did not answer CIN-CG's questions about his involvement.
Karadžić is the owner and director of the company "Stradex commerce", which was founded in 2014, and its activity is non-specialized wholesale trade.
Karadžić and Burzanović are connected by co-ownership of a 207-square-meter office space in the Pod Ljubović neighborhood in Podgorica.
Mlađi Đukanović and Burzanović are also co-owners of the company "BB Hidro", which produces electricity. Đukanović is the director, Burzanović the authorized representative.
"BB Solar", also owned by them, deals with the installation of electrical installations, and Burzanović is the executive director.
Đukanović and "Capital invest" each have a 15,6 percent stake in the company "Medex electric", whose activities are engineering activities and technical consulting. The executive director of this company and the owner of eight percent of the shares is Vladimir Perunović, they have 11,8 each David Koroev and "Five group", 15,6 percent Saša Šćepanović, Dalibor Vujašević 21,6 percent.
"Capital invest" has a 39 percent share in the first-rate company "Kodio", in which Koroev is the director (14,75 percent share), and Perunović is the authorized representative (10 percent). Šćepanović has 14,75, Dragan Knezevic 4,75, and the company "Five group" 14,75 percent.
Koroev is also the director of the company "Information technology systems", which is owned by "AIRTB & CONSULTING LTD", a company linked to an address in Cyprus. Her activity is consulting activities in the field of information technology.
The Canovics own three properties
Marko Čanović submitted the first property certificate in 2011, when he reported that he was the owner of a 67 square meter apartment in Podgorica and a 62 square meter cottage in Žabljak.
During that period, he had 10.000 euros saved.
In 2013, he reported that he bought a plot of land in Žabljak of 553 square meters.
He reported in the report submitted in 2015 that his wife Marijana Čanović has a 44 square meter apartment. An income of 1.600 euros was reported as an annuity, and she had 15.000 euros saved. Čanović's savings did not change during that period, as can be seen from the property records on the website of the Agency for the Prevention of Corruption.
In 2016, Čanović enlarged the apartment from 67 to 118,5 square meters, where the purchase according to the project was stated as the basis. It is not known which project Čanović is referring to, but the Ministry told CIN-CG that it is not the 1.000+ project, which he led.
In that period, the 25.000 euros of joint savings of the spouses are no longer mentioned.
There is no special record of former officials
The Agency for the Prevention of Corruption does not keep separate records of cases of violations of the provisions of the Law relating to former public officials.
"All decisions of the Agency in which violations of the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act were found are publicly available on the institution's website," the institution headed by Jelena Perović told CIN-CG.
Fines range from 500 to 2.000 euros.
Although there are no special records, CIN-CG had access to the document that the Agency brought in November 2022 in the case of a former public official. The agency found that, for example, the former state secretary in the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism, the predecessor of the Ministry of Ecology, Spatial Planning and Urbanism, Danilo Mrdak, could not work on the study for the Velja Goran quarry near Bar.
"The agency is of the opinion that Dr. Danilo Mrdak, as the former state secretary of the Ministry of Ecology, Spatial Planning and Urbanism, contrary to Article 15 of the Law on the Prevention of Corruption, was hired as a coordinator and member of the multidisciplinary team for the preparation of the Elaboration of the Environmental Impact Assessment for the surface mining project, technical- of construction stone from the 'Velja Gorana' deposit in Bar", it is stated in the document signed by director Jelena Perović.
It is added that the provision of the Law clearly stipulates that a public official cannot, within a period of two years after the termination of office, establish a working relationship, i.e. establish business cooperation with a legal entity, which, on the basis of the decisions of the authority in which the public official held office, realizes benefit.
"And especially bearing in mind that the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism, the legal predecessor of the Ministry of Ecology, Spatial Planning and Urbanism in which the appointed person held a public function, concluded a contract with the economic company 'EcoEnergz consulting' Podgorica, the aforementioned limitation arises", it is explained in to that letter from the Agency.
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