Taxi driver Dalibor Simonović filed a criminal complaint with the Budva Security Department against Nikola Kralj, an official of the New Serbian Democracy (NSD) board there, and activists of that party, who he claims tried to condition the extension of the license for his taxi vehicles with the support of his family to Mladen Mikijelj's list in the upcoming local elections.
This is written in the criminal complaint against Simonović, submitted to the editorial office of "Vijesti".
Kralj told "Vijesta" that he was not aware that a criminal complaint had been filed against him, and rejected allegations that he tried to "buy" votes by promising to issue a taxi license. He is employed in the Tourist Organization of Budva and is a candidate for the representative of the coalition "For the future of Budva - Budva open city", which is led by Mikijelj in the elections scheduled for May 26.
As he stated to the police, Simonović is an entrepreneur and owns two vehicles for providing taxi services.
"I had a license to perform this activity from 2019 until April 14 of this year, when it expired. I submitted a request for license extension to the Secretariat for Economy of the Municipality of Budva sometime in February of this year, which refused to extend the license in a decision dated April 9," said Simonović, who submitted the explanation of the municipal secretariat to the police.
He said that on April 8, the day before he received the decision on the rejection of the request, he was contacted by phone by the VA taxi driver, who told him that they should talk about extending the license.
"I know VA because he's a taxi driver, like me, and since I've been having problems with the Secretariat for the Economy for a long time, with whom I'm conducting procedures regarding the issuance of a license, I agreed to meet with him. On the same day, he called me and said that he had organized a meeting at the offices of the New Serbian Democracy in the Mediterranean Sports Center (MSC). The meeting was attended by Nikola Kralj, who introduced himself as an NSD official, and whom I know as a member of the local parliament, as well as Ž. Z., who is employed by MSC and whom I was told is a member of the Movement for Change," Simonović stated in his statement to the police.
At the meeting, as he emphasized, he was told that they expect support from him and his family in the upcoming local elections.
"I was informed that I and my family members are voting for the list led by Mikijelj. Nikola Kralj told me that he is familiar with my problem regarding the issuance of a license and that it will all be over for me when their man takes the position of President of the Municipality. On that occasion, he told me some negative words about Nikola Jovanović, that he would not honor his word, that he was not a man of his word. King and Z. Z. took the identity card that I gave them, and they gave me to fill out a form on which I had to write my name and surname, and the ID number. They were also interested in the identity cards of my wife and daughter, to which I told them that I will not vote for them and their man and that it is my right to vote for whom I and my family will vote. That day we had a normal conversation, without threats and insults, but I declared for my right to vote, not accepting their offer. The king was writing something in his notebook all the time, but I am not familiar with the contents. After that, we parted normally," the criminal complaint states.
Simonović said that the following day he received a decision from the Secretariat for Economy, which rejected his request for license extension.
"I believe that the license was not extended because I did not accept their offer," concluded Simonović in the application.
Jelena Savić, who is a member of the temporary board of the NSD, which is not recognized by the faction led by Jovanović, who recently left the party, is at the head of the Secretariat for the Economy of the Municipality of Budva.
As things currently stand, seven lists, parties, coalitions and groups of citizens will fight for the 33 councilor mandates of the Budva parliament in the upcoming elections.
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