Following information that the top of the Montenegrin police were gathering in a restaurant in the Podgorica neighborhood of Zagorič, the Vijesti television team found around noon numerous members of the police in civilian clothes and uniforms, arriving in official vehicles.
Soon, the TV News crew was asked to leave the courtyard of the restaurant, which they did, after which the employees locked the entrance gate.
However, even when the Televizija Vijesti team parked in a nearby street, for the person who introduced himself as the owner of the restaurant, it was questionable.
A few minutes after the owner of the restaurant set the limits of movement for the TV crew, they received a call - if we want, we can take a statement from the Director of the Police Administration, Veselin Veljović, who was in the restaurant.
When asked what kind of meeting it was and why it was held in the restaurant, the police director answered:
"I want to inform you that it is not about a meeting, it is about a work-celebration cocktail that we organized on the occasion of Internal Affairs Day, as you know October 2 is Internal Affairs Day. This was an opportunity to celebrate both festively and at work that holiday so that the most responsible elders from all parts of our country are present here today," said Veljović.
Internal Affairs Day is celebrated on October 2, and as a rule, the media is informed about it, but there is no such announcement to date.
Veljović assures that epidemiological measures were respected, but it remains unknown how many guests were in the restaurant.
"I consulted the director of the Institute for Public Health and had a personal conversation with him about this," Veljović said.
He denied speculation that he would resign in the coming days.
"No, neither I nor my colleagues have any intention of resigning, we will do our job until the end. And everything else that will follow in the coming period must take place in accordance with the Constitution and the laws of our country."
Minister of Internal Affairs Mevludin Nuhodžić arrived at the meeting after the communication of the Vijesti Television team with the first policeman, and a few minutes later the Prime Minister Duško Marković, who stayed in the restaurant for about half an hour.
When asked if there were more appropriate state premises to do this, rather than a private space, i.e. a restaurant, Marković answered:
"I didn't think about it, to tell you the truth, I received an invitation from the Minister of the Interior and the Director of the Police Administration to attend a cocktail on the occasion of the Day of the Interior. I assume that this space was chosen for comfort and safety, all epidemiological measures were respected. I am not at all about that was thinking about what you're asking me about," said Marković
As Televizija Vijesti reliably learns from several sources, in a restaurant in Podgorica, the current police director Veselin Veljović asked his loyal staff to remain loyal to the state of Montenegro, regardless of the fact that the government is changing and it is not yet known who will be the future police chief.
"The situation is as it is, all of you here are patriots loyal to the state," Veljović allegedly said.
According to the sources of TV Vijesti, he demanded from the police officers to inform him about everything that happens in that department, even after leaving office.
The interlocutors of Television Vijesti also explain that the meeting was supposed to be held in strict secrecy, which is why they decided to gather in a restaurant owned by Veljović's friend. They weren't expecting the journalists, but when the Vijesti television team was spotted, there was a commotion.
In order to cover up the fact that the gathering was of a similar nature to when Veljović in the Zlatica camp in 2013, in anticipation of local elections in several municipalities, allegedly held a lecture on NATO, the first policeman left the meeting and gave a statement to Vijesti television stating that everything it has to do with MUP Day.
Among those present were, among others, Igor Popović, Goran Banićević, Zoran Lazović, Vesko Damjanović, Nikola Janjušević, Milovan Pavićević and Jovica Rečević.
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