President of the Municipality of Budva Milo Bozovic coordinated and directed the work of local government bodies and public services in order to efficiently perform their duties, determined the organization and manner of work of local government bodies, and monitored the execution of Budget Decisions.
This is stated, among other things, in the Report on the Work of the President of the Municipality of Budva for 2023, which "Vijesti" had access to, and which will be on the agenda of the local parliament session on April 2nd.
President of the Municipal Assembly Petar Odžić After consultations with representatives of the parliamentary caucuses, he scheduled the fifth regular session of parliament, which will include as many as 45 decisions, including most of those that the parliament in the previous convocation did not adopt due to political blockade and electoral processes.
One of such decisions is the one about the work of Božović and his administration during 2023, the very year when he was arrested and sent to the Spuž pretrial detention center. Namely, members of the Special Police Department, on the orders of the Special State Prosecutor's Office, arrested Božović on April 13 in his family home, since when he has been in the Spuž cell. Božović led the city for the entire time, a full 22 months, and was officially the mayor until February 6, 2025, when he was elected to his place. Nikola Jovanovic from the list "Budva our city" which he supported.
The work report does not mention anywhere that Božović has been in Spuž since mid-April. The only thing that is obvious is that he has been absent from his workplace, because the report shows that since March 30 of that year, when he had his last meeting in his office with the Metropolitan of Montenegro and the Littoral Hello, he didn't have any more meetings.
"In order to fulfill the normative function, the Mayor of Budva directed the work of the competent local government bodies and participated in the final preparation of acts that were submitted to the Municipal Assembly for adoption. Also, in accordance with the Statute of the Municipality of Budva and the Law on Local Self-Government, he made decisions, as well as other acts necessary for the regular functioning of local government bodies," the report states, noting that numerous projects were implemented and excellent cooperation with the media was achieved in promoting Budva.
It will be interesting to see how the councilors of the new majority, primarily the Democratic Party of Socialists, whose seven councilors are giving so-called "project support" to the coalition consisting of Nikola Jovanović's "Budva Our City" list, the European Alliance led by Petar Odžić, and the Civic Movement URA, will respond, because it will determine whether the document will be adopted at the next session of the local parliament.
The Special State Prosecutor's Office, in several criminal proceedings, charges Božović with being part of organized criminal groups that smuggled cocaine internationally.
"Vijesti" previously reported that Božović received his full salary throughout his time in prison. Thus, the former mayor received 2024 euros in personal income in 18.087. Judging by the time sheets that are the basis for calculating his salary, the former first man of the capital of Montenegrin tourism had a full work output every month - 174 working hours, without exceptions.
Božović cost Budva's coffers 24.812 euros (gross) last year, and his net monthly salary was 1.480 euros. He too felt the benefits of the Europe Now 2 economic program, receiving 1.588 euros in the last three months of last year.
Worksheets show that the former first man of Budva did not use his annual leave, that he was not on sick leave in 2024, nor was he absent from work.
The issue of Božović's status, including his salary, was raised by the Government almost a year ago by adopting the Decision on Warning on March 14, 2024. At that time, in accordance with the Labor Law, it warned the Budva Municipal Council to temporarily remove Božović from work within 10 days due to the imposition of a detention measure during the period of detention.
However, the Budva Municipal Assembly session was not held, so the detained Božović was not "temporarily suspended from work", and the Ministry of Public Administration (MPA) was, as it stated, "concerned" about this.
After submitting his resignation on February 6th, when the local parliament acknowledged it, and then, by the votes of the councilors of the new parliamentary majority, appointed Nikola Jovanović as the president of the Municipality of Budva for a four-year term, Božović is legally entitled to receive his full salary until February 2026.
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