The state pharmacy institution "Montefarm" took over the debt of the drugstore "Medicalana" on two occasions last year, in the amount of 130.000 euros, although they had no debts towards that private individual.
Analytical cards submitted to "Vijesti" show that, regardless of the fact that "Montefarm" took over the private debt based on two cession contracts signed 17 days apart, it paid all incoming invoices in a very short period of time. According to sources, this was not the practice in business with other private wholesalers.
"Montefarm", even after nine days, did not answer the questions of "Vijesti" regarding this case.
The State Audit Institution (DRI) found that at the end of 2022, that institution took over the debt of the same wholesaler in the amount of 80.000 euros to a commercial bank, even though it did not owe them anything at that time.
In the report, she stated that the cession agreement was concluded without complete, credible financial documentation, that is, that payment by cession should be preceded by a debtor-creditor relationship. "Montefarm", commenting on this finding, said that they concluded the cession contract with a private wholesaler solely to "preserve the institution's liquidity and distribute the money at their disposal". They claimed that they took over the private debt in order to pay in installments for the goods that were supposed to be delivered in 2023.
"Montefarm" received a positive opinion on the annual financial report, and a negative opinion on the regularity of operations. That is why the audit was submitted to the Higher State Prosecutor's Office, which forwarded the case to colleagues from the Special State Prosecutor's Office.
"Doubtful Legal Business"
Analytical cards submitted to "Vijesti" show that the cession agreement from 2022 was not the only one and that such practice continued during the last year.
"Montefarm" took over the debt of a private individual to a private bank in the amount of 80.000 euros in June 2023, and the new debt of 50.000 euros after twenty days.
The interlocutor of "Vijesti", informed about the operations of "Montefarm", assessed that this institution had been paying the debt that was not due all along, crediting the work of "Medicalana" through cessions, but also through advance payments or payments in the shortest possible time after issuing the invoice throughout 2023 . years.
"Based on the data from the analytical card of the client "Medicalana" doo, it is clearly seen that, regardless of the payments based on cessions, "Montefarm" paid their submitted invoices within a very short period of five to 15 days. It is very symptomatic that during public procurement, each tenderer must sign a statement that payment is made within 90 days from the day of delivery and duly delivered invoice, and here it is all about advance payment and payment in the shortest possible time", according to the "Vijesti" interlocutor. .
The source claims that last year "Montefarm" used various payments and advances to "subscribe" to Medicalana in the amount of up to 130.000 euros. He also points out that most of the invoices issued to "Montefarm" after the signed cession contracts were not "closed" from that amount, but were paid by the state institution as soon as possible.
The interlocutor says that it is very symptomatic that during public procurement, each bidder must sign a statement that payment is made within 90 days from the day of delivery and duly delivered invoice, while "here all the time it is about advances and payment in the shortest terms".
"The reasoning of 'Montefarm' that with the cession contract from 2022 they extended the payment deadline for the goods that should arrive, and thus preserve liquidity, does not hold water. To say the least, it is strange that the liquidity of 'Montefarm', with a turnover of over 100 million euros for 2022 and a net profit of over a million euros, is being protected by a dubious legal business of 80.000", claims the interlocutor.
"Montefarm" is silent about new contracts
Director of "Montefarm" Goran Marinović Even after nine days, he did not answer the "News" about the grounds for signing new cession contracts in 2023. "Vijesti" also asked "Montefarm" why they paid for the goods that were delivered in 2023 from the private wholesaler "Medicalana" in the shortest possible time, while all along there was an advance paid through a cession for the same medical supplies. He did not answer those questions, but also whether they had such a business relationship with other wholesalers...
According to data from the website of the Central Register of Business Entities (CRPS), the private company "Medicalana" was founded in early 2021. She founded the company with one euro of capital Aleksandra Obradović, and the company's activity is wholesale trade in pharmaceutical products.
In the SAI report, it is stated that the condition for implementing a form of payment such as cession is the creation of a debtor-creditor relationship, which means that already due claims and obligations are settled in this way. The audit, however, found that in Article 1 of the Assignment Agreement between "Montefarm", Lovćen Bank and the wholesale drug store "Medicalana" as a supplier that cedes part of its claims from "Montefarm" based on the contract on the public procurement of medicines and medical devices dated 22 of June 2022 and the Agreement on the public procurement of medical devices, infusion solutions and preparations for parenteral and enteral administration dated November 20, 2022 in favor of the bank, in order to collect claims from the loan agreement dated December 27 of the same year concluded in the amount of 80.000 euros.
The loan agreement was to be repaid in equal monthly installments between Medicalan and the bank, while on the day of signing the cession agreement "Montefarm" had no obligations towards that private company. The SAI report says that this can be seen from the analytical cards and open items.
Referring to the findings of the SAI, "Montefarm" recently said that future claims can be the basis of the cession. They said that the basis for signing the cession at the end of 2022 was the public procurement contracts from June and November of that year, and that with the cession they extended the payment term from 90 to 180 days in six equal installments.
They claimed that the cession enabled better liquidity and continuity of deliveries from suppliers in the amount of monthly installments.
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