In 2011 we continued to bring more transparency to privatization process in Montenegro by investigating concrete cases and reporting irregularities to responsible institutions.
Government decision to award contract leasing over 3.5 millions of square meters of land at Valdanos Bay was questioned due to both significant lack of transparency of the process, and suspicion to corruptive behavior of responsible public officers.
Investigating this case MANS discovered that company that was awarded the lease contract is not meeting majority of tender conditions, and misrepresented their financial capacity to implement planned investment into touristic development.
Gathered information on this case enabled us to submit a criminal appeal against Vice-Prime Minister who was at the time in charge for this privatization process. Tender was eventually declared as unsuccessful as a result of public pressure to Government to disclose all relevant information about this agreement.
At the end of 2011, MANS was dealing with the case of previously privatized Salt factory in Ulcinj and plans of the new owner to sell company property as construction land.
The factory was sold for under 1 million of Euros, without any obligations of the new owner to invest or improve production of salt. Most of the factory property is placed in extremely attractive investment zone at Montenegro coast, but also within protected bird-watching zone.
Currently, the Government is changing the spatial plan to accommodate profit interests of the new owner, who already valued its property at over 250 millions of Euros. We expressed concern that public interest was not properly protected during privatization of this factory, and we send the initiative to Parliament of Montenegro to revise the Spatial Plan enabling this investor to gain enormous profit on account of both public interest and environment protection.
