Podgorica (23 February 2011) – Vice President and former Privatization Council president, Vujica Lazović, continues to openly deceive the public, trying to demagogically justify his involvement in the Valdanos affair.
It’s totally untrue that Cubus Lux had 3 years of positive financial results. MANS has already released all the relevant documentation that disproves this, all of which was drawn from the company’s own financial statements. All of this information seems to be publicly accessible to everyone but Vujica Lazović. Cubus Lux’s losses in 2005 were 497,000 GBP, in
2006 they were 130,000 GBP, in 2007 the company registered a profit of 4.7-million GBP, while in 2008 they again recorded 2-million GBP in losses.
Why has Lazović chosen to lend more credence to Cubus Lux than his own eyes?
This is something that the Chief State Prosecutor should establish in the investigative procedure initiated on the basis of the criminal charges we initiated against him.
Particularly worrying is the fact that Lazović doesn’t seem bothered that Cubus Lux continues to record losses, while in 2009 and 2010 they even had to put a halt on some investments according to the company’s own spokespeople. Lazović also doesn’t seem to have a problem with the fact that this company has had difficulties with similar types of investments in Croatia, nor with its difficulties in paying back its multi-million dollar loans with Hypo Alpe Adria Bank and Erste Bank.
None of this is a problem for Lazović who continues to believe that this company, with such a dubious track record, is a good partner in Valdanos’
development. One must question Lazović’s personal motives in continuing to insist that the Valdanos lease be granted to a company that failed to meet most of the tender requirements.
The only condition for signing an eventual agreement with Cubus Lux was that the company win the tender. Guaranteed coverage of the investment program was one of the criteria in judging Cubus Lux’s offer during the tender, so Lazović could perhaps explain to the public why the Privatization Council accepted the investment plan without guarantees.
Therefore, the presentation of banking guarantees as the only remaining condition for the conclusion of a deal with Cubus Lux is the height of hypocrisy and a clear attempt to portray to the public the preceding tender procedure as having been carried out in accordance with the law.
As to the allegedly negative campaign that is being conducted against investors coming to Montenegro, we apologize to Lazović for wanting to respect the laws of this country. We’re certain that if the laws of this country were respected the privatization process would have been much more transparent and Montenegro would have been known for something other than money laundering.
Even though he’d already announced that he wouldn’t enter into polemics around Valdanos, we would suggest to Vice President Vujica Lazović that the next time he decides to make a statement he be ready with concrete facts as to how Cubus Lux won the tender. We call on Lazović to come out with actual numbers regarding Cubus Lux’s offer and release all the relevant tender documentation. All that he is currently doing is deceiving the public.
