Former head of state Milo Đukanović violated the Law on the Prevention of Corruption because in 2019 he failed to report the amount of 16.741,24 euros - a debt on a VIP revolving card at Atlas Bank, which was allegedly settled that year by his son Blažo.
"It is established that Milo Đukanović, as a public official, violated Article 25, paragraph 3, indent 2 of the Law on the Prevention of Corruption because in 2019 he failed to submit to the Agency a Report on Income and Assets in the event of changes from the Report relating to an increase in assets, within the legally prescribed deadline, and thus failed to report the amount of 16.741,24 euros that he was obliged to report as an increase in assets," reads the Agency's decision, signed by Acting Director Dušan Drakić.
The initiative to initiate the proceedings was launched almost six years ago by the Network for the Affirmation of the Non-Governmental Sector (MANS), but the Agency's previous leadership rejected the possibility of conducting proceedings against Đukanović.
MANS appealed the decision to the Administrative Court, which ordered the Agency to conduct the procedure. Former Agency Director Jelena Perović, who will soon be tried on suspicion of abuse of position, initiated and then discontinued the procedure, explaining that it would be continued “after the completion of the procedure conducted before the Commercial Court in case P no. 210/21”.
The Administrative Court overturned that decision of the Agency as well.
What does the Agency's decision published today say?
"Acting on the orders of the judgment, on 16.12.2024. the Agency sent a summons to Milo Đukanović to respond to the allegations in the application. Since the named person did not respond, or since it was impossible to deliver the said summons in accordance with the legal provisions, the Agency sent a summons again on 10.01.2025. The named person responded to the said summons in writing on 27.01.2025. and essentially pointed out that a judgment was rendered in his favor before the Basic Court, thus factually and legally confirming his position on the non-existence of debt to 'Atlas Bank' AD Podgorica, and the case is now in the proceedings upon the defendants' appeal before the High Court in Podgorica. It also points out that in another court proceeding a judgment was rendered in his favor, due to violation of personal rights, P no. 1408/19 of 08.03.2024. "He essentially emphasized that there could be no concealment of assets, because he had repeatedly publicly stated all these facts in his media addresses and appearances, as stated in the Agency's act," the Agency's decision states.
It is further noted that the Law that entered into force on June 12th of last year stipulated that only conflicts of interest and whistleblower reports could be resolved under the provisions of the old law.
"Upon reviewing the statement of Milo Đukanović as a public official, which he submitted to the Agency at the request of the NGO MANS initiative, it was essentially determined that the named person did not dispute that his son B. Đ. had settled the amount of 16.741,24 euros based on the debt he had with AD 'Atlas Banka' in Podgorica. The named person stated in his written statement that he had initiated civil court proceedings with a lawsuit, with the aim of determining the merits of the debt, which is in the procedure before the Basic Court in Podgorica, and whose outcome he expects, in order to proceed further with the obligations in question. Considering all the above, as well as the statements from the Administrative Court's judgment, according to which the court's judgment clearly states that: "The fact that a public official submitted a lawsuit to the court against the defendants 'Atlas Banka' AD Podgorica and others, in order to determine the debt, and which lawsuit is not in the case files, does not constitute a prior issue and orders the Agency to eliminate the shortcomings indicated in this and the previous judgment of the Administrative Court, and to adopt a new, lawful solution," the decision states.
Đukanović's allegations do not influence a different decision
It is stated that the Agency also considered some of Đukanović's statements from the written statement dated January 27.01.2025, XNUMX, but found that they did not influence a different decision-making in this administrative matter.
"According to all of the above, the Reports must reflect and present the real state of income and assets, especially for income exceeding 1.000 euros, and bearing in mind that the Law on the Prevention of Corruption (Official Gazette of Montenegro 54/24) clearly stipulates that formal omissions in reporting assets and income up to 1.000 euros can be reported by a special amendment or amendment to the Report, while differences in the reported and acquired values of assets and income exceeding 1.000 euros will be considered a violation of the Law, or as the presentation of incorrect and incomplete data, on the basis of which the decision was made as in the enacting clause of the decision," the Agency's decision concludes.
"Vijesti" and CIN-CG announced back in 2019 that the now-indicted banker Duško Knežević, through Atlas Banka, covered debts from Đukanović's VIP revolving card, and that his debt on that card was classified as "risky loans."
Knežević, or rather his bank, allegedly repaid 2017 euros in February 16.741,24, along with other risky loans that at the time totaled 14 million, and these are privileged individuals.
Bonus video:
