Whose currency is Do Kwon?

The members of the National Security Council said yesterday that they expect the Special State Prosecutor's Office (SDT) to clarify what kind of business relationship they had with the leader of the Europe Now Movement (PES). Milojko Spajic and the arrested "cryptocurrency king" To Kwon, but it doesn't advertise it yet. In the meantime, PES says that the affair was ordered by the Government, while "Vijesti" interlocutors accuse the officials of the executive power of pre-election abuse of institutions.

Holding the session Council four days before the election represents the instrumentalization of institutions against political opponents and aims to raise tensions. It is an abuse of the levers of power and an extremely undemocratic move that serves to "suffocate" political competitors.

In those words, she is a civic activist Dina Bajramspahić commented for "Vijesti" the convening of yesterday's extraordinary session of the Council, where the members of that body discussed the case of the alleged relationship between Do Kvon and Spajić.

That affair was opened on Monday, just a few days before the parliamentary elections and after the arrested South Korean citizen wrote to the addresses of several officials and functionaries about alleged arrangements with Spajić, including the financing of the party. While PES claim that the case is fabricated and that there is nothing to it, their political competition calls on SDT to investigate the connections between Do Kvon and Spajić.

Bajramspahić, who has followed the security sector for a long time, tells "Vijesti" that the convening of the Council session also represents open political pressure by the executive power on the SDT to prosecute the "biggest political opponent of the clique around the current government", which lost confidence in the parliament ten months ago.

It is not, she says, about whether Spajić is "guilty" or not - a credible answer to that, she emphasizes, can only be given by the judiciary, but about the fact that, according to her, there is a political motivation for the head of PES to be " removed" from the political scene, "in order to improve the chances of those who will not do well in the elections".

"It is an illegitimate goal for the institutions to act. The executive branch should not subordinate itself to the interests of any party and work against others. But, of course, we already knew that the institutions were not depoliticized and professionalized", emphasizes Bajramspahić.

And the Center for Monitoring and Research (CeMI), which monitors the campaign, believes that convening the session is an abuse of state resources, institutions and public powers, and that the goal is to deal with political competitors.

It is, they say, a dangerous and worrisome phenomenon that the state has been facing for a long time, but which has received the most direct expression in this election cycle.

Several members of the Council announced after the session that they do not consider that they are abusing the institution for (pre)election purposes, saying that the truth must be established about the alleged connections between Spajić and the South Korean citizen, who was accused in Montenegro of falsifying documents, while the USA and South Korea are wanted on suspicion of a $40 billion cryptocurrency fraud.

They claim that Spajić and Do Kwon were in business and friendly relations, and that there is evidence that the "crypto king" financed the election campaigns of PES.

Minister of Interior Affairs Filip Adzic stated that based on the South Korean's letter and operational data, they have information that Do Kwon and Spajić have been friends since 2018, that they met "even in a family atmosphere" and after the Interpol warrant was issued for the "crypto king".

"We also have a street in Belgrade where they met. They worked together... If we have information that someone from the crypto world, who has billions at his disposal, is interfering in the election process of Montenegro, we must react... Inside (Do Kwon's) laptop there is evidence of campaign financing (PES). I would not talk about the figure, but it is not negligible," he announced at the press conference.

Prime Minister and Chairman of the Council Dritan Abazovic he said that it arouses suspicion that "a third party is trying to finance something in order to gain a benefit", adding that Spajić "was warning about some things in good faith".

"I neither know who the South Korean is, nor have I ever met him in my life, like him (Spajić), nor did I ask him to send me a letter... Probably the truth lies in the devices that were taken from Do Kwon during his arrest... The Prosecution shared some information, now they will have more material to take some actions", he stated, adding that the letter was sent to him, the Minister of Justice Marko Kovač and the Chief Special Prosecutor (GST) Vladimir Novović. He believes that national security is not threatened.

President of the Parliamentary Committee for Security and Defense Milan Knezevic (DNP), said that Do Kwon's activity was "regional and white-world", and that it depends on the GST whether there will be further actions in this case.

"After the election, I would listen to Do Kvon and Spajić. I would not sooner... National security is quite threatened, not only in the context of Spajić and Do Kwon", he added.

PES repeated yesterday that the affair was fabricated, stating that it was "ordered" by Abazović, and that Do Kwon's letter was written by "him and the lawyer of the Kotor clans". Branko Andjelic and Inspector General of ANB Artan Kurti. The head of PES said that he is ready to answer if it is proven that he did anything illegal.

According to him, others are trying to disqualify PES at a time when, as he says, the movement is making projects and raising pensions and wages.

Dina Bajramspahić says that it is interesting that the Council session was not scheduled for that body to deal with all the circumstances surrounding the criminal offenses for which the former director of the Revenue and Customs Administration (UPC) is charged. Milosevic works or the president of the Municipality of Budva Milo Bozovic, nor that the Government subpoena the Prosecutor's Office to prosecute other related persons in the criminal acts for which the aforementioned are suspected.

"Although the existence of such persons is imposed as a logical conclusion. Of course, this is not surprising, but it exposes the selectivity and political motivation behind scheduling the session. It seems to me that these actions will be counterproductive and lead to mobilization and consolidation of ranks among the PES electorate. Behind everything will remain the bitter taste of the damaged integrity of the elections and the legitimization of illegal means in the inter-party struggle", underlines Bajrampahić.

PES leader Spajić announced yesterday that he feels "even better" when he sees who is his enemy. "I am convinced that the citizens have seen through all the bad intentions and that they have seen how much evil has conspired against PES," he wrote on Twitter.

After the Council session, PES retaliated with counter-accusations. Member of the Presidency Andrej Milović he invited Abazović to provide the SDT with a "recorded conversation" between Rado Milošević and Minister Filip Adžić, which, he claims, represents "key evidence of who is involved in cigar smuggling, who knew everything about that business and which party was financed that way." .

The Prime Minister's office reacted by saying that Milović was using untruths, and calling on SDT to speak out.

Milović's colleague from the PES Presidency Vasilije Carapić he invited Adžić to publish the "evidence for operational data" that he presented to the press, and to say what kind of business he had with Milošević.

Do Kwon was arrested at the end of March at the Podgorica airport, after which he was accused of falsifying documents. He and his business partner Hong Chan Yun were waiting at the airport for a plane of the private company "Alliance Jet", ready to fly to Dubai, but Do Kwon did not go beyond passport control. The two remain in custody until the decision on the appeal of the Basic Prosecutor's Office in Podgorica, which appealed against the repeated decision of the Basic Court to let the two defend themselves on bail.

Laptops at Mugoša

The laptops and phones, taken from Do Kwon, are with the judge of the High Court in Podgorica, Suzana Mugoša, who is leading the extradition proceedings against the two South Koreans - "VIjesti" confirmed.

Previously, Milan Knežević, at the press after the Council, said that the laptops and phones that were in the Podgorica Security Center are now with Mugoša, which, he said, is the address for further action for what Do Kwon allegedly claims in the letter.

When asked if the laptops are with Mugoša, the independent advisor for public relations of the High Court, Marija Raković, told "Vijesti:" Regarding your question, we inform you that extradition proceedings against CKH and KD H are being conducted before the High Court in Podgorica, and at the request of the USA and South Korea". In the answer, it is stated that the court cannot declare what evidence was collected in these proceedings, as well as their content, until the extradition proceedings have been legally concluded.

Do Kwon entered Montenegro on March 10 or 11

Only the wives and the lawyers who represent them visited the arrested South Korean citizens Do Kwon and Hong Chan Yun in the Pre-trial Prison - the Directorate for the Execution of Criminal Sanctions (UIKS) told "News", answering the question of whether anyone had spoken with those detainees.

"Regarding the question you submitted to us, which refers to the visit to detained persons, South Korean citizens DK and H. Č. J, we inform you that during their stay in the UIKS, the named detainees were visited by their wives and representing lawyers, with the approval of the investigating judge," the answer states.

According to unofficial information from "Vijesti", Do Kwon and Hong Chan Yun entered Montenegro on March 10 or 11.

The sources could not specify whether they entered the country through official crossings but with falsified documents, or completely illegally.

The Government previously said that they did not know when Do Kwon entered Montenegro.

Minister Adžić said yesterday that the person who allowed the arrested "cryptocurrency king" to enter the country could not have known that it was a person on the warrant, because that South Korean citizen did not use his documents, but had several forged ones. The Government said yesterday that they do not know where Do Kwon was staying in Montenegro.