Miodrag Laković announced tonight in the Parliament that he is resigning from the position of Chairman of the Committee on Security and Defense and other memberships when it comes to parliamentary committees, as well as his membership in the Europe Now Movement (PES) parliamentary club.
Laković resigned after the adoption of amendments to the Law on Internal Affairs, and will retain his mandate and continue his engagement as an independent MP.
The Parliament adopted amendments to the Law on Internal Affairs and the Law on the National Security Agency (ANSA).
The last item is "elections and appointments", and the deputies elected the president, deputy president and five members of the Inquiry Committee on the conduct of state bodies in the case of granting a concession for the "Možura" Wind Power Plant (WP). Dritan Abazović (URA) was elected as president, Dejan Đurović (NSD) as deputy, and Vasilije Čarapić (PES), Slađana Kaluđerović (SNP), Nikola Camaj (Albanian Forum) and Radinka Ćinćur (independent deputy) as members.
Europe Now (PES) MP Miodrag Laković said that he was resigning from the position of chairman of the Security and Defense Committee and other positions in the Assembly when it comes to committees, as well as from his membership in the PES parliamentary club, and that he had seen that his PES colleagues were "trying to take his word for it".
"I saw in the media that some colleagues from my club were giving signals to stop my presentation. This is another indicator of uncollegiality," said Laković.
Assembly President Andrija Mandić thanked Laković for his leadership of the committee so far.
Social Democrat (SD) MP Nikola Zirojević said that "Mirjana Pajković is now being questioned because she is allegedly on the recording with Nikola Drecun, who is being sought."
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"The government denies that there are cameras in the government... when I walk past that building I don't know if it's the government or the porn industry," he said.
None of the four SD amendments were adopted.
Explaining his amendments, Laković said that "today, MPs will adopt a very problematic solution from the perspective of the Constitution and the presumption of innocence."
"I proposed that the commission dealing with security disruptions have external members - that we have representatives of the Bar Association and the Ombudsman. I also proposed that the opinion of the National Security Agency be taken into account for security disruptions. Such a norm would restore trust in institutions. Also, this amendment stipulates that the employee is notified if there is a disruption, unless it threatens state security. In the second amendment, I proposed that the employee be notified of the disruption and that he has the right to comment. The third and fourth relate to the initiation of disciplinary proceedings. Under the new law, they become grounds for termination of employment by force of law. I proposed that this article be deleted and that security threats be returned to the scope of disciplinary offenses," said Zirojević.
As he added, he proposed deleting the provision that employment is terminated by force of law, and that the Fifth Amendment apply to retroactivity, and that the proceedings be terminated and new laws be applied.
The amendments of Europe Now Movement (PES) MP Miodrag Laković also did not have a majority.
Social Democrat MP Nikola Zirojević said that "the law protects those who do not have access to secret data."
He added that "Amendment 5 is unnecessary because the presumption of innocence is a constitutional category," and that "Amendment 6 is already being implemented in practice."
He also said that the Government has abandoned the amendments that concern operations and give ANB officers certain powers.
Oskar Huter (DPS) said that "threats to Abdić are a threat to every citizen."
He pointed out that this law was removed from the agenda last year, because it needed to be further communicated with the public and international partners.
"The main message from the European Commission is that lies have short legs... What's the trouble and why the rush to pass the law last week?" he said.
"Now all the protectors of OKG and DPS are mercenaries. So much madness that schizophrenic individuals convince that only they are right, and everything around them is a conspiracy theory. Now everyone, besides the opposition, are protectors of Kavčani and Škaljari - the Action for Human Rights, the Civic Alliance, activists, even this president of the state who is from their ranks, even some from their ranks who are most invited to talk about this," the DPS MP announced.
Huter referred to Miloš Medenica's statement that he was a person of interest in the country's security, and called on the minister to confirm or deny.
Minister without portfolio Milutin Butorović said that many suggestions from the civil sector had been adopted.
Parliament Speaker Andrija Mandić responded that "the minister should line up the police officers, and Bogdanović should give a speech."
Democratic People's Party (DNP) MP Milan Knežević said that "if Ceausescu and Enver Hoxha were alive, Butorović would receive the medal."
"Since there is no Sekuritatea and Sugurimi, you will be left without medals, but this Law on the National Security Agency will remain as a revolutionary solution that neither these two nor Savo Joksimović would be ashamed of... I think it would be most fair for the prosecution, which has been conducting proceedings against Dejan Peruničić for several years, to drop the indictment tonight. Everything that Peruničić is being tried for, and there we are the injured parties, Mr. Mandić, you and I, will be regulated by this law. And the same Peruničić announced at the trial that my colleague Mandić and I have been on permanent restraining orders with my colleague Mandić since 2015," he said.
He added that once the law is passed, everyone will be under permanent surveillance.
"Just imagine the spectrum of abuses... Ivica Janović will be able to acquire wiretapping equipment, beyond public procurement. I attended a conversation where he said he expected support to enable him to acquire wiretapping equipment from Israel? So why does everyone want to wiretap? What does it matter who is in love with whom, who is beaten with a ladle by a woman, who is homosexual?" he added.
He explained that "this law introduces the institute of spies."
"Now citizens will independently report to spy. Anyone can spy on anyone and get health insurance," he said.
Knežević pointed out that "Miloš Medenica showed up half an hour ago and called Šćepanović to take a polygraph."
"Please, colleagues from DPS, don't give up now. The black hordes are moving towards us, oh Brussels, my dear city, I will never betray you... That's what you should all be singing in DPS and I don't want to hear despondency and anxiety. I will carry you to Brussels as much as I can. I am like that little boy in the center of Brussels who is doing some natural things," he said.
He asked (Minister without Portfolio) Milutin Butorović to withdraw the law.
Democratic Party MP Boris Bogdanović said that "Montenegro is trying to break with its dark past for the umpteenth time."
He pointed out that former Prime Minister of Montenegro Duško Marković, while he was head of the State Security Service, "trained more criminals than the Škaljarski and Kavački clans."
"Instead of being punished for the murder of Duško Jovanović, he is rewarded with the position of head of the ANB. When the ANB turned into a criminal outpost of several clans, he is rewarded with a ministerial position. When he found Vesna Medenica, the 'mother of justice', from that position, who sold court verdicts for the needs of the criminal underworld and was sentenced to prison for it, and when he met the president of the Commercial Court who gave away state-owned companies to thieves and tycoons, he is rewarded with the position of deputy prime minister," he said.
As he stated, they found a country that was a haven for world criminals such as Thaksin Shinawatra, Van Sen Puji, Muhamed Dahlan, Veljko Belivuk, Marko Miljković, the sons of Nasser Keljmendi...
He thanked them for their solidarity, adding that "I can't hit as hard as they can endure."
Europe Now Movement (PES) MP Dane Marković said that, unlike the army and police present on the ground, secret services are based on skill and information.
"The essence of this law is not only in granting authority to the ANB, but in establishing clear frameworks and control mechanisms," he said, adding that there is parliamentary and judicial control, as well as a controller appointed by the Government.
Jevto Eraković (DPS) said that "Montenegro has become a state of informers" where people "declare themselves friends of criminals."
"We live in times when the police or prosecutor's office distribute the most intimate messages that have nothing to do with the ongoing processes. And that's not a small thing, but it's someone's idea to make a retroactive judgment," he said.
He added that he would like to congratulate PES MP Miodrag Laković "on a stance befitting him, where he defended professional honor and integrity."
The President of the Parliament of Montenegro, Andrija Mandić, said that the debate was over, and that he would make a statement about it after the second item - the debate on the Law on the National Security Agency.
Democratic Montenegro MP Momčilo Leković said that these laws are "a response to the harsh reality that Montenegro has been in for decades." "Where was the responsibility when the clans were created? Where was the responsibility after the massacre in Medovina? And today they are hypocritically seeking responsibility and trying to justify the crimes. We have to separate the wheat from the chaff... It was not Tito, basketball players Jordan or Ronaldo who were kept in security centers, but Milo's. And then they attack Lazar Šćepanović for creating a party police," he said.
Interior Minister Danilo Šaranović said that citizens today had "a demonstration of commitment to Montenegro's European path, but also to something else."
"We had a demonstration of who the people are who are ready to step out of their comfort zone... I was accused of wanting to create a party police force, and from that I heard that Montenegro had only had such a police force for 30 years," he said.
Šaranović said that today they received answers to the question "who is not ready to lend a hand to those who are in favor of building institutions."
"One of the MPs who accused me of creating a party police force should talk to some of his party colleagues who told me and the director of the Police Administration that 'political differences aside, you have full support for building the capacities of the Police Department and the Ministry of Internal Affairs'. From your parliamentary group, and you conduct the vetting," he said.
He said that "they will see what is their job through to the end."
After the break, Assembly Speaker Andrija Mandić said that there were two more discussants on the topic of the Law on Internal Affairs, while for the Law on the National Security Agency "it would be correct for each club to have one discussant."
Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) MP Andrija Nikolić said that when there are no results, the fear of DPS returning to power grows.
"And this latest action. Aco Đukanović is a sideline here. We know who the main topic is and why it is being done. And that is clear to everyone after the raid for undeclared weapons due to a report that is not credible. It turned out that the thing for which the permission for the raid was given was not found," said Nikolić. As he added, the spoils were divided so that "PES was given populist-economic topics, NSD identity topics, and the Democrats the security sector."
He said that, after the massacre in Cetinje, no one resigned and took responsibility.
"In serious countries, when a minister comes to parliament and deceives MPs, he has an obligation to resign. You told us on Friday that there will be no closing of Chapter 24 if the Law on Internal Affairs is not adopted, and after that the EC said there was no need for that," he said.
Nikolić pointed out that "everything is being done with the aim of changing the character of the state."
"If you move a party army into the police force that will serve you unconditionally, you are preparing a training ground for a showdown with political dissenters," he pointed out.
Nikolić announced that, if the Law on Internal Affairs is adopted, DPS deputies will resign from their positions as Deputy Speaker of the Parliament, Chairmen of Parliamentary Committees, and in the Committee for Comprehensive Electoral Reform.
Mandić pointed out that "DPS has proven to be a constructive opposition."
"We sat in those benches, we were not ready to vote for anything proposed by the parliamentary majority. We made mistakes, don't make mistakes that you will regret," he said.
Nikolić replied that "the drop was too much".
"We have a greater responsibility towards citizens, even when we are in opposition. The character of Montenegro is changing and it is not being done by chance on the eve of 20 years since the restoration of independence... I know what your idea and plan is. You may need to explain to the public why this man left you (pointing to Milan Knežević). MP Knežević says that this government is bloody, that it is working against Montenegro, that it has blood on its hands in Botun," Nikolić said.
As he added, the end of the government is approaching.
"The attrition has begun. Part of the coalition For the Future of Montenegro has left, there will be more people," he announced.
Mandić said that "Knežević insists on taking DPS to Brussels", and that "DPS is departing from Brussels' postulates".
Europe Now Movement (PES) MP Darko Dragović said that once "95 percent of police employees had to vote for DPS."
"The minimum of political correctness is to trust the coalition partner, that is, to trust Danilo Šaranović and the Ministry of Internal Affairs," he pointed out.
He also addressed the claims of PES MP Miodrag Laković.
"I also listened to my colleague Laković, who expressed his fear that interpersonal relations in the security sector will be disrupted, because everyone will protect themselves, and work against intelligence work. My opinion is that in the case of abuse by the Ministry of the Interior, or the Police Department, this will not happen, but rather the majority or all employees of the Police Department will turn against management," he said, adding that he sees no reason to leave an honorable police officer without a job.
A 15-minute break was given.
Socialist People's Party (SNP) MP Slađana Kaluđerović pointed out that the inspectors had millions in their accounts, and that they were part of criminal groups.
Deputy Speaker of the Parliament, Boris Pejović (PES), said that "the debate is entering its sixth hour, and two were scheduled."
His party colleague, MP Milan Zečević, indicated that he is "for any law that will suppress crime" and confirmed that he will vote for it.
He said that he is in the catering business, and that URE MP Dritan Abazović mentioned that one of the suspects in the drug smuggling case, "General" Vuk Vulević, celebrated his daughter's birthday in his restaurant. Zečević said that he did sit with Vulević, that he did arrange the birthday celebration, and asked if his daughter would have security problems tomorrow if she got a job in the police, if she wanted to.
Police Directorate Director Lazar Šćepanović responded that he (Zečević) does not hold a position in the police and that he can communicate with whoever he wants.
"As for your family, if someone decides to apply for a job in the police, the Police Directorate collects data on all of you... Of course, in a facility like yours - the whole of Berane can be tied to you, but you don't need to worry," he explained.
Social Democrat MP Boris Mugoša asked "why was there tension that it had to be adopted seven days ago to close Chapter 24"?, and today we are receiving a message from the European Commission (EC) that they are not needed to close the chapter.
"Today we are deciding whether Montenegro is a police state or a European state. The NSD is enjoying itself. It is just watching you fry yourself politically. This does not concern them. For you, in a political sense, they are gentlemen. The smaller parties - where are they to defend these solutions? There are none. And then they left you out of the PES. As for the Democrats, this is their campaign for the elections. They will go to the elections with a 'vetting-cleansing'. And that is their policy. Legitimate, but they are using the laws for their campaign. And what is this to you today? And ten people are coming to you to say that they are for this law, and I guarantee that eight of your people are not for this law. You know what the consequences will be - you will be in a deficit for one of your most serious MPs," Mugoša said.
Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) MP Aleksandra Vuković Kuč stated that numerous non-governmental organizations are writing on the Xks website that they are "afraid of these laws, if they are adopted in the form they are proposed", and that this is being pointed out by independent media, MPs...
"Do you think it's normal to celebrate people's deprivation of liberty, to target people like this? Is it normal for you to break into old Montenegrin houses, those of the tribe? Imagine a country where first arrests are made, then evidence is sought. We don't want to live in a state of fear, we support you in the fight against organized crime, what you do is dangerous and I have emphasized that many times. But what you are doing, turning the UP into a party cell, you are wrong. Have you read Kafka's 'The Trial', at least the first sentence. Someone must have slandered Joseph K...", asked Vuković Kuč.
She stated that she was forced to enroll in the Faculty of Law in September to study law.
"Let all police officers know, I will not classify you, because I do not consider myself the supreme moral authority. These people take it upon themselves. There is no one in the UP who is not party-friendly to these people, so they will be able to sleep peacefully," she explained.
Europe Now Movement (PES) MP Jelena Nedović said that earlier and today at the plenum it could be heard that we are the country that gave birth to the two largest clans - the "Kavčani" and the "Škaljarci" who "entertained the Balkans and Europe with misery."
"Someone let the two biggest clans in Europe emerge before 2020," she said.
The PES MP announced that the party would support amendments to the Law on Internal Affairs and the Law on the National Security Agency.
"We have UP and ANB leaders who want to bring justice. We need a clean system," she said, listing the criminal offenses for which numerous UP and ANB officials and officials have been accused after 2020.
Nedović said that it was previously unthinkable in Montenegro to deprive a member of the "first family" of his liberty.
"Do you know what that means, in terms of institutions? What a step forward," Nedović emphasized, adding that previously the security sector "protected one party."
Several questions were asked by Ivan Vuković, a member of parliament from the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS), and the answers were about how the prosecution and some security agencies achieved results with the current laws.
He acknowledged that the challenge in the Police Directorate (PD) is the lack of staff, but that it is not being done in the way that was proposed.
"If the system is as rotten as you say, how are good results achieved? Have you imported a contingent of top police officers? Ask me that logically. The EU is our dream, we have consciously pushed some things under the carpet, because there is no closing of chapters without political stability. And you know how you responded to our 'outstretched hand', you responded to us with a 'clenched fist' and insults, and we heard some of that today," said Vuković.
He said that he would not support anything that someone declares to be in the "public interest".
"You have bad intentions, which you don't even try to hide," he said.
The Director of the Police Administration (UP), Lazar Šćepanović, said that he did not address any MPs and provide them with their contact information, but rather "sent clear messages to UP officers who are involved in drug and cigarette smuggling."
The head of the Democratic Montenegro (Democrats) parliamentary group, Boris Bogdanović, said that he was against this law, as he put it: "the mafia, helpers, creeps and some lawyers."
He asked who was against "the state destroying the mafia, not the mafia destroying the state."
"This lived like a tumor in the system," Bogdanović assessed, emphasizing that "the victims of that system were honest police officers."
He stated that "dirty cops" were deliberately brought into the system.
"We found regional mayors in the system, who accuse each other of working for the Kavački or Škaljar clan. With this law, we proposed normality, and they are hissing because they know very well that this law hits specific schemes and pockets. They know that this is not revenge, but self-defense of the state. They have a problem because this law is a showdown between the state and the mafia and a question of the survival of the state. If you are in favor of the state destroying the mafia, say so," concluded Bogdanović.
After a break, Social Democrat MP Nikola Zirojević stated that if the "ruling dictatorship" adopts these laws today, anyone could easily lose their job, without any process.
He reiterated that it is a notorious untruth that these legal amendments "have the green light of the European Commission (EC)". Zirojević said that they are legally "throwing out the opinion of the National Security Agency (ANB)", explaining that they are doing this because they no longer "stamp such opinions" there.
"This process, which you call vetting, is nothing more than a showdown with dissenters in the system. Because of 20, 30 or 40 'dirty' police officers, we cannot place all Police Directorate officers in these branches. This law will lead to operational mutilation, because UP officers will not be allowed to get close to operational-security personnel. We will bring UP officers to work on actually protecting themselves from others," Zirojević stated.
He asked how to determine a security breach, stating that MPs do not have access to who the BIL person is.
"Every day someone stops me to tell me something. The question is how these people will exercise their rights. The sanction comes into effect immediately, and then you leave him the opportunity to 'drag' through the courts for several years. Numerous provisions are unconstitutional. How could it not occur to you to support the Nezavina union to increase their salaries, because that is how the integrity of the service is preserved," he said.
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