Husband's armchair guarding "Limenka"?

Is the former head of the Podgorica prosecutor's office Ljiljana Klikovac influenced the investigation into the "Limenka" case due to the fact that her husband worked at the company Aca Đukanović, will be determined by the Agency for the Prevention of Corruption, after they reopen the case.

Brother of the long-time first man of the country Milo Đukanović He once bought a state-owned plot of land in a Podgorica settlement, but the state did not move out of the premises of the so-called "Limenka" within the contractual period, which is why he received a little over 10 million euros in court.

The case was investigated for several years due to possible corruption and deliberate actions by the then competent authorities in favor of Đukanović, the Prime Minister's brother, but was ultimately concluded with the dismissal of the criminal charges due to the statute of limitations.

The Agency recently received an order from the Administrative Court for new proceedings based on the initiative of the Network for the Affirmation of the Non-Governmental Sector (MANS) in the case of the now former prosecutor from 2017.

MANS requested eight years ago that the Agency check whether Klikovac had a conflict of interest, because at the time the institution she headed dismissed the charges against Veljović, her husband Milan Klikovac was a member of the Board of Directors and a shareholder of Aco Đukanović's company, which profited from the "Limenka" case to the detriment of the state.

However, the then director refused to check this. Happy Radonjic, and despite the Administrative Court's ruling from 2022, the former head of the Agency did not do this either Jelena Perović, now accused of abuse of office.

MANS therefore filed a new lawsuit against the Agency for failure to implement the Administrative Court's rulings, and that institution recently ordered ASK to act within 30 days as they had already been ordered to do.

"The Agency for the Prevention of Corruption received the verdict in question, acted upon the order and initiated the procedure, which is currently in the phase of collecting the documentation necessary for the decision. As soon as the procedure is completed, we will inform the public about the outcome as soon as possible," the Agency responded to "News".

MANS: THE SYMBOL OF POWER AND CORRUPTION WAS IN THE DRAWERS OF ASK

MANS told "Vijesti" yesterday that "the latest ruling of the Administrative Court, which orders the Agency to finally act on the initiative against prosecutor Ljiljana Klikovac due to a possible conflict of interest in the 'Limenka' case, represents yet another confirmation that the previous management of this institution, led by former director Jelena Perović, performed its work selectively and contrary to the public interest."

"ASK has refused to address this case for years, even though MANS filed an initiative in 2017 pointing out a possible violation of the Law on the Prevention of Corruption, given that the husband of the plaintiff Klikovac was a member of the Board of Directors of the Republic Institute for Urban Planning and Design (RZUP), a company that is majority-owned by the brother of former Prime Minister Milo Đukanović and which was directly involved in the 'Limenka' case," MANS said.

They emphasize that the "Limenka" case, in which the state budget was damaged by more than ten million euros, "has symbolized for decades the connection between power, corruption, and irresponsibility in institutions."

"Precisely for this reason, ASK had a legal obligation to investigate whether Prosecutor Klikovac, as the head of the Basic State Prosecutor's Office in Podgorica, was in a conflict of interest in a case in which the business interests of her husband and members of his administration were clearly connected to the parties to the proceedings. The Administrative Court's ruling now clearly confirms that ASK's actions were unlawful and that the Agency was obliged to fully investigate all the circumstances of this case," MANS emphasized.

They say that the latest court decision "is also a serious warning to the new management of the Agency that it must end the practice of selective application of the law and protection of privileged individuals."

"MANS expects ASK to act on the order of the Administrative Court without any further delay, initiate proceedings on our initiative, and finally begin to resolve numerous cases that have been in drawers for years," MANS concludes.

“CAN” FROM SDT TO ODT

In May 2017, the Podgorica ODT dismissed the criminal charges against the former head of the Police Directorate. Veselin Veljović in the “Limenka” case due to the statute of limitations. The “Limenka” affair cost citizens more than 10 million euros, and during several proceedings, the responsibility of high-ranking police officials was examined. This is a business in which the brother of the former head of state, Milo Đukanović, Aco Đukanović, profited due to the failure of state authorities to comply with the contract. In 2008, he purchased from the Government the land on which the famous “Limenka” building, the building of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MUP) and the Police Directorate (UP), is still located.

In June 2017, MANS asked the Agency to determine whether Klikovac had a conflict of interest, but the then director of the Agency, Sreten Radonjić, rejected the request, claiming that the Agency was not competent for that. Jelena Perović, however, did not act on the Administrative Court's ruling at all, but kept it in a drawer since 2022.

According to the contract, signed by Veljović, the Government, or rather the Ministry of Internal Affairs, was obliged to remove the building by 2010, but this was not done. Đukanović sued the state and received more than 10 million in damages. The verdict in Đukanović’s favor was issued by Judge Natalija Boričić, and this verdict was confirmed by the Higher Court. At the time the contract was signed, and until the deadline for removing “Limenka” expired, Milo Đukanović was the Prime Minister.

No one in charge has been held accountable for the damage that was done since then. The “Limenka” case was during the mandate Milivoj Katnić from the Special State Prosecutor's Office forwarded to the Podgorica ODT.

Ljiljana Klikovac resigned in mid-2021. She had previously run for a position in the Supreme State Prosecutor's Office, but was not elected.

"I have 32 years of prosecutorial experience, or 37 years of working experience. Few people in the prosecutorial organization currently have this much experience. I have always had work and dedication behind me. Everything went smoothly, but by coincidence, the law is like that and I came from a top position to the starting position I held back in 1989. Now I am in the hierarchy at the level of candidates whom I mentor and who will become prosecutors in September. The law demoted me," Klikovac previously stated during an interview for a position in the Supreme State Prosecutor's Office before members of the Prosecutorial Council.