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Montenegro indicts ex-ministers, state officials
for abuse of office
Denitsa Koseva in Sofia
Montenegro’s specialised prosecution said on July 4 it has indicted twelve former state employees for abusing their positions, causing harm to the state budget of €2.6mn when providing loans to other officials to buy property.
Among the accused persons are former ministers and MPs of the former ruling Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS), Predrag Boskovic, Dragica Sekulic and Suzana Pribilovic, plus Social Democrat MPs Ivan Brajovic and Damir Sehovic. Among the suspects are also members of a government commission during the government of ex-prime minister Dusko Markovic of the DPS.
The DPS lost power in 2020. After failing to win the 2020 general election, the former three-decade ruling party was also defeated in local elections last autumn, in the presidential vote in April and in the snap general election in June. Over the years, it has been accused of corruption, but until now no members of the party were oficially charged.
Former government officials Budimir
Segrt, Sanja Vlahovic, Suad Numanovic, Osman Nurkovic, Drazen Milickovic, Jelena Radonjic and parliamentary general secretary Aleksandar Jovicevic were also indicted on July 4.
According to the state prosecution, the commission approved 119 loans that were above the legal limit of €15,000,
in the period between 2016 and 2020. The indicted persons have denied any wrongdoing and claim this was political pressure by outgoing Prime Minister Dritan Abazovic on them. Abazovic filed
officials, calling on them to pay for the properties or return them to the state.
Since April 2021, the government has published a list of nearly 600 state officials and employees at the state administration who have been helped by the government to buy apartments. That cost the state more that €25mn over a decade.
The list of people to whom the state has given cheap loans includes former government members, MPs,
Suspects were members of a commission that approved 119 property loans above the legal limit of €15,000.
“According to the state prosecution, the commission approved 119 loans that were above the legal limit of €15,000”
a complaint against the former head of the commission that had granted the loans in October 2022.
Abazovic commented on Twitter on July 4 that the same commission has granted 500 apartments to privileged state
parliamentary officials and employees, judges and prosecutors. Among those who have benefitted were the head of the supreme court, Vesna Medenica, the former head of the commercial court, Blazo Jovanic, and special prosecutor Sasa Cadjenovic.
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