The company "Mia Investments", which brings together Turkish investors, has filed a lawsuit with the Kotor Basic Court against the former Assistant Secretary for Property Protection of Budva. Djordje Zenovic, requesting that they be paid 50 thousand euros in compensation for damage to their reputation and honor.
This is stated in the lawsuit filed by a Podgorica-based company that is building two towers on a plot of land in front of the Adriatic Fair halls, not far from Slovenska Beach.
Company legal representative lawyer Miloš Komnenić asks the Kotor court to accept their claim, and to oblige Zenović to “publish at his own expense the ruling and introduction to the judgment in the first subsequent issue of the electronic portal Vijesti and the daily newspaper 'Dan'”.
Komnenić states in the lawsuit that "Mia Investments" is a company founded in 2018, and that at the end of the chain of ownership structure are the real owners - prominent Turkish businessmen. Habip Arikan, Murat Kader i Ozan Saner behind which stand numerous successfully implemented projects of world renown.
"The aforementioned investors are not, nor have they ever been, involved in any other project in Montenegro, except for the hotel project in Budva. 'Mia investments' entered into a contractual engagement for joint construction with 'Safiro beach resort', as the owner of the plot, for the purpose of building a luxury five-star hotel in Budva, which will operate under a mixed model. The mixed model, within the meaning of Article 96 of the Law on Tourism and Hospitality, implies that a certain number of hotel accommodation units can be alienated to third parties through a purchase and sale agreement. In order to implement the project, 'Mia investments' has obtained all necessary permits and approvals in accordance with all legal regulations," the lawsuit states.
It is recalled that Zenović is a political figure who, until March 2024, held a public office as Assistant Secretary for Property Protection of the Municipality of Budva.
"Over the past few years, Zenović has publicly made untrue claims about 'Mia Investments' and the project on countless occasions. Judging by the number of statements, it can be safely stated that Zenović is obsessed with the project and 'Mia Investments'," the lawsuit states, and the court was provided with numerous texts published in domestic media.
Of particular note is his statement published in November last year on the "Vijesti" portal in the article titled "Zenović: The "Mia Investments" Affair will shake up the political situation in Montenegro."
"The property-legal aspect of the story is one dimension, and the other is the testimony that is Dusko Knezevic shared with the Special Prosecutor's Office and in which he claims that the brothers are behind the company 'Mia Investments' Ban i Stanko Subotic "and that it is obviously money laundering from tobacco smuggling," is part of the quoted controversial statement by Zenović that was published in the media.
The representative of Turkish investors also points out Zenović's statement in the show "Načisto" on Television Vijesti as controversial, where he also said that the Ban brothers were behind the aforementioned company, referring to the statement of Duško Knežević.
"Zenović did not show even the minimum of due diligence, so he did not bother to check the allegations of Mr. Duško Knežević, which he obviously accepts as his own and continues to pass on, and we believe that his status as a public figure, namely a politician, obliges him to act more thoroughly and verify all information and ultimately increase his responsibility towards the public. Considering the time period of events in relation to which Mr. Knežević made his statement, from the 90s to 2008, we assume that he was referring to the company 'Mia' from Ub, which was registered in 1994 with the commercial court as a business unit of the company of the same name from Serbia, and in connection with which there were press reports regarding alleged involvement in cigarette smuggling," the lawsuit states.
"Mia Investments", as it is added, is a business entity whose activities are focused on making a profit, which it generates, among other things, by selling hotel accommodation units.
"It is undeniable that such statements by a person who is a former public official, who made decisions on behalf of the Municipality of Budva and made statements with negative connotations about 'Mia Investments', directly affect the competitiveness of this company and the image that potential buyers gain of the investor. Before purchasing real estate, any conscientious buyer will, among other things, check the person from whom they are purchasing the real estate, and situations when it is also a real estate under construction are under increased scrutiny as a special element of uncertainty, so the reputation of the investor is often a decisive factor when deciding to purchase. 'Mia Investments' has repeatedly encountered interested buyers withdrawing precisely because of the negative image created and media reporting that reported Zenović's statements, and there have also been situations where certain buyers who concluded a purchase agreement expressed concerns regarding the implementation of the project, which is why they considered unilaterally terminating the agreement," the lawsuit concludes.
Zenović: A classic attempt to suppress freedom of expression
Zenović said that this is a classic attempt to silence those who point out topics of public interest.
"The project to build two towers at the fair site has been a topic of public interest even before I started dealing with it as a manager in the Secretariat for Property Protection and a councilor in the local parliament. Numerous controversies have been following this project for ten years, numerous proceedings have been conducted in connection with it, and it is logical that the public is interested and needs to know the reasons for the inaction of state authorities on this, as well as other projects that I have been warning about for years. The public is very interested in everything being established. An attempt to suppress freedom of expression as a fundamental constitutional right is the only thing that can harm the potential business reputation of the plaintiffs. Of course, they will have the obligation and opportunity to prove all their claims in court, but it is important that this attempt at pressure does not sway anyone who is involved in public work from pointing out anything that raises doubts about the legal actions of state and other authorities," said Zenović, who is the leader and councilor of the citizens' group "Movement for the City".
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