Marinović: The contract was not secret, no advance payment was made

Former director of "Montefarma" Goran Marinović reacted to yesterday's article in "Vijesti": "Scandalous secret contract of 'Montefarma' ended in SDT: Private company 85, state 15 percent of profits."

He claims, among other things, that the contract with the private company "Mediamarketing" was not secret, and that no advance payment was made.

We transmit his response in full:

"It is incorrect that the contract was secret, just as it is incorrect that any advance payment was made. The contract is neither scandalous nor secret, and I urge you to publish it in its entirety so that everyone can see where the contract is marked as secret, and where it mentions an advance payment."

"The only thing that is true in the title of the text: 'Scandalous secret contract of Montefarm ended in SDT: Private company 85, state 15 percent of the profit' is that SDT has excluded the documentation. What is scandalous is that by creating the assumptions for the annulment of this contract, Montefarm will lose about a million euros of profit annually, which is the main point of this marketing tool. In professional circles, this form of marketing is called DIGITAL SIGNAGE and in the last 7, 8 years it has experienced an unprecedented boom and is used by the largest global companies in the world such as Google, Tesla, Microsoft, Meta, etc. This is the most modern form of marketing, which allows for an increase in the sale of over-the-counter medicines and parapharmacy by 30 to 40%. In the case of Montefarm, financial indicators indicated that the company's cash sales would increase by those percentages, meaning 3 to 4 million euros per year, and with the existing margins and a fixed part of advertising revenue, the net profit would be the aforementioned million. Obviously, the problem is that this way of doing business would strengthen Montefarma's position at the expense of private wholesalers, and the state would increase its revenues in the pharmaceutical market.

"The fact that my claims are true is evidenced by the fact that the two largest private pharmacy chains in Montenegro installed displays in their pharmacies and started digital advertising of products only after Montefarm introduced this method in its business. So, what is bad business for Montefarm is good business for the private pharmaceutical lobby, and modern business is the exclusive privilege of private individuals? Therefore, it was obviously best for Montefarm to stick to paper flyers, leaflets and light panels in ruined and devastated pharmacies, in which it would advertise the pharmaceutical products of private lobbies for free.

"To simplify, the interest of the private individual who lent Montefarma expensive equipment, whose value at the time of negotiations in Europe was over 300 euros, with the obligation to install LED displays and holograms, maintain the equipment, install special software in that equipment, as well as adapt and design and produce advertiser videos, and synchronized placement of content in real time in all Montefarma pharmacies in Montenegro, and for all this complex work, he received 000% of each advertising package. Let's see what Montefarma's interest is.

"For giving up part of the storefront for display placement, Montefarm received, without any investment, expensive equipment and a complete digital signage system for use, complete video production and adaptation of content to the display format, 15% of each advertising package and an increase in sales of permitted medicines and parapharmacies by up to 40%, which according to financial indicators at the time was one million euros per year. As for private drugstores and their interest in paying for this type of advertising, it is obvious. By increasing their turnover by up to 40%, because Montefarm does not have its own products, their earnings would increase enormously.

"These are the essential reasons for my targeting, because the goal is to shut down a state-owned company. This is even clearer when you see the pressure being exerted on institutions regarding my alleged responsibility, because how else can you interpret attacks on a man who, during his term, paid off Montefarma's millions in debts, made millions in profits, left millions in his account at the time of his dismissal, reconstructed and adapted over 50% of pharmacies, introduced GDP standards in business, completely renovated the vehicle fleet, drastically reduced operating costs, and all this during the largest global COVID-19 epidemic, and all from Montefarma's own funds, effectively laying the foundations of a modern state-owned company. Obviously, the problem is that I sought equal business conditions for a state-owned company, the same as private pharmaceutical companies, for the state to directly influence the drug market and adjust prices on it through its company, which naturally caused great opposition from private lobbies that have been enriching themselves for 30 years at the expense of citizens and in the domain of public health. If we swear that health is the highest public interest of a country, it would be good if someone could explain this situation.

"It is obvious that the entire machinery of pharmaceutical lobbies has been engaged for these reasons, because it is already becoming clear to everyone that the time of rigid monopolies is slowly passing."