Kovačević: I am the formal owner of Bemax, the informal owner is Ubović

Stijović stated that the illegal exploitation of gravel endangers all citizens of Montenegro.

"Especially the coast and the entire tourism. It threatens everyone who lives from it. I have nothing against your company, but our goal is to protect the national interest. This destruction is far from protecting the national interest..." said Stijović, showing the photos the bed of the Morača river destroyed by the exploitation of gravel.

"As far as donations are concerned, we acted as a socially responsible company. No one directed us. I responsibly claim that Bemax respected the concession agreements. None of Bemax's machines worked on the devastation of this area outside the Morača riverbed," Kovačević said.

Kovačević replied to Stijović "that you should pay more attention to whether you will stay where you are, than whether I will stay where I am after the show".

"Because of all the strange things that are happening with gravel, both Montenegro petrol and Cijevna komerc are working in the Morača bed, there are other companies. We have sent them to review and visit all companies and look at business books and data in order to have accurate information about what is happening with gravel. with a stone...", said Stijović.

He stated that Bemax is a serious company and that it is not clear to him that large companies "behave irresponsibly and endanger 200.000 households with water for 200 euros".

"Some things are in the process, everything is known," Stijović said.

Stijović stated that one of the "strange things for him was that Kovačević also bought plots in the water".

"The Water Act does not allow that. I also hope that you will not be fired from your company after this show," said Stijović.

Kovačević replied that the initial jobs they performed were subcontracted to renowned companies.

"After that, we regularly applied for tenders with the state. That reputation that someone gave us a job - no one gave it to us, we legally and legitimately competed with the state on public tenders where the primary condition in the tender was the lowest price. And under those conditions we received tenders and worked. No one gave them to us, we received them," Kovačević said.

Milovac said that "it is unbelievable that in 10 years Bemax will receive half a billion euros from the citizens".

Kovačević repeated that besides him, the informal owner of Bemax is Ranko Ubović.

He did not want to comment on the speculation that Milan Roćen is also behind the company.

"Ranko Ubović's role is the organizational part, related to the organization of the execution of works and help with the organization of mechanization, in which he is skilled and knows well. He works without a salary, he did not take a euro from the company, which can be seen through an insight into the cash flows," he said. Kovačević.

Milovac read a quote from Naser Keljmendi who referred to Ubović "as a good friend"...

"In 2008, you already had a double-digit million revenue. In 2009, you only owed 12 million euros to suppliers. In 2010, you have over 40 million revenue. We are talking about a company that has no past, that has some of your experience, and in three years gets jobs worth 41 million euros in revenue. From 2007 to 2021, Bemax received over 250 million euros from the budget alone, won contracts, without the highway," said Milovac. 

"I worked for 15 years at the Faculty of Civil Engineering, and I carried out and completed the most projects. I ran the largest investment company, owned by Duško Knežević. The initial capital I achieved is the capital I had. During that period, I had an offer from Ubović that if I need some money, because in his youth he was engaged in construction and had a construction company, to help me in the founding role," said Kovačević. 

"When you say that Ubović is the unofficial owner of Bemax, if something happens tomorrow, in what way does Ubović benefit from Bemax. Does he have monthly, annual payments. Is his support valued at the very start. Is he behind these 300.000 euros? Where did you get the 300.000 euros for the establishment of Bemax... I would like it if we opened that story after a decade or so that you finally admitted that he has some stake in Bemax. Where did you get the money to start this," Milovac asked.

Kovačević said that he is the formal owner of the company.

"In 2007, Ranko Ubović persuaded me to open a company. I have been a friend and godfather with him for over 40 years. Besides me, he is also the informal owner of the Bemax company and does not interfere in the work in the professional, technical or any other part," he said. is Kovačević

"I completely disagree with the devastation outside the Morača river bed and I can claim that Bemax did not participate in that devastation," Kovačević said. 

"As far as the devastation of the space is concerned, I do not consider myself obliged to report these problems," said Kovačević.

Milovac said that it would be "ridiculous if the little ones dug from the Kovačević estate and sold it to Bemax".

"That would be devastating. I can't believe that you left 120.00 square meters of land in Podgorica and you don't know what it is about," Milovac said.

"It's your problem that you don't understand," answered Kovačević.

Kovačević said that later he was not interested in that land because they did not have a concession in that part.

"From 2008 to 2012, Bemax built 3.600 meters of coastal fortifications at the Botuna site and 2.200 meters at the Grbavca site. Bemax worked on over a million cubic meters of material on that part. At the Botuna site, it paved more than two kilometers of roads," he said. is Kovačević.

Milovac stated "that we had a brutal seizure of gravel from Morača and from the plots of Kovačević.

"Whether it was Bemax or someone else, that's something we need to get an answer to," Milovac said.

Kovačević confirmed that he personally bought the land in that locality, and that the reason for the purchase was to build a concrete base in that locality.

"We applied for a tender and behind the then Crnagoraput we got land where we paid 32.000 euros per month in rent and built a concrete mixer. After that we went to the location where we are now. And that is the reason why we gave up on that location and why we did not commit ourselves further that location. Bemax was no longer at that site and that land is still standing there. And why should I continue to look at that land," Kovačević said.

Milovac stated that "gravel was illegally taken from the plots on the bank of Morača, which are owned by Veselin Kovačević, as a natural person, after the introduction of the moratorium in December 2016".

"Not Bemaxa, not Montenegro. We are talking about some 105.000 square meters in Botun and another location and there are still about 37.000 square meters in the Cijevna cadastral plot. If you didn't care what was happening with the state plots, did you care what was being done with your plots," Milovac said.

"These videos show that someone stole gravel from your property. Did you report it to the police, did you notice that land is disappearing from your private plots. This is according to the land category of fields and meadows. There could have been agricultural production, and not the exploitation of gravel. Have you noticed that something is happening on your plots," Milovac asked.

Kovačević responded by saying that Stijović had read the annex to the contract, "but not the key thing, which is that it was signed and that its deadline was extended due to the impossibility of carrying out the works".

"This is the sole fault of the Ministry and the Water Administration",

Kovačević claims that the company took as much gravel from that area as they paid for.

He also stated that Bemax had no obligation to report the rental of machinery from the company Genex.

"Genex is not a subcontractor, but we have a long-term lease of equipment and machinery with them. So the work was done by Bemax, and we only rented the machinery. That's why we were not obliged to report that company, it is done on all jobs," Kovačević said.

The show showed footage from the Morača riverbed, which Stijović said was taken this morning.

"All the work is being carried out on the left bank, and we had to go to the right. Eight Bemax trucks are standing, one is coming and two are full... and what is interesting in the videos are Genex machines. Bemax is not contractually allowed to hire subcontractors and the question is what Genex's machines are doing in the trough. That is also one of the questions and why it was not reported. Services will also be sent to them..." said Stijović.