Airports of Montenegro claim in their response to "Vijesta" that employees in the financial and commercial sector of the company noticed and immediately reported to the police a disputed payment of over half a million euros, and that Nikola Bulatović was not among them.
Nikola Bulatović, the head of the Service for the Supervision and Control of Operations at Airports, filed a whistleblower protection lawsuit against the management of that state-owned company to the Basic Court in Podgorica today because, as he claims, he reported work irregularities and disputed payment on May 18, and that he later received information that the company wants to systematize the service in which he is assigned.
He asked the court for protection because he has a justified fear that, as he stated in the lawsuit, he will be harmed "due to retaliation against him as a whistleblower".
However, the airports claim that they submitted the report in this case immediately to the competent prosecutor's office and fully cooperate with all relevant state authorities.
"When it comes to money, 509.000 euros were returned to the Airports of Montenegro, while regarding the remaining 42 thousand euros we are in daily negotiations with all the relevant institutions that participated in the transfer of funds. At the same time, we inform you that with regard to specific procurements, all mutual rights between suppliers and ACG as the ordering party regulated by the contract and related annexes", claims ACG.
An inspection of the media archive shows the announcement of the Airport from March 28, in which they confirmed that the internal audit of the ACG, in the report on the circumstances that caused or may cause financial or other damage of a larger scale, noted a number of irregularities in the case of the payment of 551 thousand euros intended for the purchase of the airport equipment, and paid to the wrong account.
ACG stated in their response to "News" that when it comes to the report of employee Nikola Bulatović against former executive director Vladan Drašković and the new convocation of the Board of Directors, they are aware that he submitted it in May 2024, i.e. two months after she did it company.
"That application does not coincide in time with the event, but it coincides with the interval when the management decided not to extend the contract of the spouse of Nikola Bulatović, whom he hired in the service he manages, because the Internal Control officially determined that the other officers did not know that she was their colleague and that they have never seen her at work," they claim in response.
The company added that the head of the Business Supervision and Control Service since the establishment of that organizational unit has not drawn up a general act regulating the way this service acts in terms of business supervision and control, nor has he ever drawn up a work plan.
"At the same time, at the meetings of the Board of Directors, there was never any word on the agenda or any report of the department in question regarding the disputed payment. Specifically, this case, within the company, was dealt with by the competent Internal Audit Unit, which officially made specific recommendations for the system improvement of the work process, including international transactions," claim ACG.
Regarding the systematization, the airports stated that it will be harmonized with domestic legislation and recommended international regulations.
"What the employee Bulatović didn't complain about when the service he manages was formed in 2022, and when some other services, even sectors in earlier cases, were abolished. None of the employees will be fired, but assigned in accordance with their profession, abilities and needs company," the answer reads.
They also replied that during the disciplinary procedure, Bulatović was fined for misusing an official vehicle, and after, as they claim, caused a traffic accident, he tried to hide it from his employer.
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