The state has yet to assess, and then decide, what to do with millions of square meters of land, several apartments, houses, auxiliary buildings, vehicles..., which were seized based on final court decisions that they were acquired through criminal activities.
Among these properties is a luxurious 193 square meter penthouse in Budva, which was once owned by Miloš Marović.
384 apartments, 201 commercial premises, 169 family residential buildings, two hotels, 94 garages, one hospital, as well as land with an area of 3.110.246 square meters, are currently on the Administration's list as blocked assets while prosecutorial and court proceedings are ongoing.
"The State Property Administration has taken over the following real estate, which after court decisions became the property of the state of Montenegro: three apartments, 10 family houses, six auxiliary buildings and land with an area of 2.295.908 square meters, located in several locations. The procedures for assessing the value of the real estate in question are underway, after which a valorization plan will be prepared," the Administration, headed by Koča Đurišić, responded to "Vijesti" from the Administration.
Regarding the Marović apartment, they point out that the assessment of the value of the property is underway, after which the Administration will propose a way to value the property near the Bus Station in Budva.
"We note that, in this specific case, it has not been possible to proceed so far because enforcement proceedings were initiated by the mortgage creditor, as well as mortgage lawsuits by the state of Montenegro, which were ultimately concluded in favor of the state at the end of last year," they specified.
When it comes to state-owned cars, they emphasize that "the Administration is currently in possession of seven passenger, three freight and three trailer vehicles which, following final judgments, have become state property."
The administration also takes care of temporarily seized or blocked assets during proceedings suspected of having been obtained through criminal activity.
"In accordance with the decisions of the High Court, the State Property Administration has carried out the procedure of temporarily blocking the following property: 384 apartments, 201 business premises, 169 family residential buildings, two hotels, 94 garages, one hospital, as well as land with an area of 3.110.246 square meters," the Administration said.
The Administration specified that this is the Meljine Hospital, whose ownership is the subject of disputes between the state and the consortium of the accused businessman Duško Knežević.
They did not answer which hotels they were talking about, nor whether anyone lives in the blocked housing units.
When it comes to vehicles, the Administration states that, in accordance with court decisions on the temporary seizure of movable property - vehicles, they currently operate 28 passenger vehicles, five freight vehicles and one trailer, as well as four motorcycles and three boats.
"We note that, in addition to these vehicles, the Administration also takes into custody vehicles that the Police Administration temporarily seizes on various grounds (Interpol search, forged documents, smuggling, traffic accidents, etc.), and we are currently guarding around 700 vehicles from such procedures," they emphasized.
They did not specify the makes of vehicles that are owned by the state or that they care for.
Chief Special Prosecutor Vladimir Novović said in a recent interview for "Vijesti" that, since he was elected to that position, he has been "particularly [...] dedicated to ensuring that the Special State Prosecutor's Office, in addition to criminal proceedings, also initiates proceedings for the confiscation of property gains acquired through criminal activity."
"... Because I am aware that the permanent confiscation of these proceeds affects perpetrators of the most serious crimes much more severely than the criminal sanction itself, but also that in this way the damage caused to the state by the commission of criminal offenses is compensated to the greatest extent. Special and knowledgeable state prosecutors have, in these criminal cases, proposed the seizure of movable and immovable property of enormous value, which includes passenger vehicles, vessels, money, expensive watches, weapons, securities, valuables and other movable property of greater value, as well as buildings, houses, apartments, business premises, garages, land and other immovable property," Novović said at the time.
He tried to challenge the state registration with a loan.
The Higher Court in Podgorica permanently confiscated the apartment from convicted Miloš Marović, for which the Special State Prosecutor's Office accepted evidence that he had acquired it through crime.
The 193-square-meter attic is part of a 400-square-meter duplex in which Miloš Marović's parents - Svetozar and Đorđina - lived until the end of 2015. The apartment on the fifth floor of 287 square meters, registered to the construction company MF invest in which Miloš has five percent of the founding capital, is connected to the disputed attic of 193 square meters and they form one unit.
Mlađi Marović has been free since September 17, 2020, because the prison sentence imposed by the Podgorica High Court expired the day before, and he was supposed to serve 11 months in prison, which the court verdict obliged him to do.
On the orders of the Special Prosecutor's Office, Miloš Marović was arrested on December 3, 2015, on suspicion of fraud involving millions of euros in the sale of land in the Jaz industrial zone. In early January 2017, he entered into a plea agreement and left his cell, admitting that he was part of a criminal group that participated in fraud related to the sale of 27 square meters of municipal land in Jaz, which caused the municipal treasury to lose 1,4 million euros. He was sentenced to one year in prison and a fine of 385 euros, which he paid...
Miloš Marović tried to challenge the state's registration of the luxury penthouse, but in mid-last year the High Court rejected the appeals of the younger Marović and his business partner Petar Miloš against the ruling of the Kotor Basic Court, which had previously annulled their mutual loan agreement for 236.000 euros. Based on that loan agreement, Petar Miloš tried to challenge the state's registration of the 193-square-meter attic in Budva.
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