(Podgorica, August 14. 2013.) – The so-called preliminary findings of the Directorate for inspection s supervision, which confirmed that the hotel “Montenegro” is not destroyed, but virtually collapsed “by itself” and that the owner and contractor do not have any responsibility, it is the shameful evidence that the demolition of the hotel “Montenegro” was earlier arranged by the top of the Ministry of sustainable development and Directorate for inspection supervision.
In the findings of the inspection are shamelessly excluded the facts that could convince anyone who passed by during the demolition of the hotel, and that is that the hotel did not collapsed by itself, instead the machinery actively worked on it. Additionally, pre-fenced and closed the street of Liberty in full width is also confirmation that Zarko Buric had intended to demolish the hotel, where unfortunately, despite all Montenegrin institutions, and succeeded.
In particular those are the institutions that offered to Buric and logistic support in that purpose, while the inspection with mentioned facts creates an alibi which will shortly after result in a situation in which Buric will not even pay a mandatory penalty for breaking the law.
The fact that a company that is formally owned by Buric’s wife was in charge for the supervision of undertaken works, in the beginning guaranteed bias and lack of objectivity of that work, which did at all bothered Minister of sustainable development, Branimir Gvozdenovic.
His claims that it would be ordered to the investor to return the hotel to its original state is the reflection of arrogance and complete indifference what is against the law and regulations.
Instead of publicly condemnation of Zarko Buric as someone who did de facto broke the law and regulations, urban development and the building permit, the Minister Gvozdenovic promised us even older “Montenegro”.
Unfortunately, the case of “Montenegro” it is not the only case through which we could see how weak are the institutions of the system who do not hesitate to commit criminal acts to satisfy their own profit interests. What also characterize our country is an active abuse of institutions in order to find justification for the shameless violation of the laws and regulations, and finding already mentioned and Gvozdenovic’s behavior are the best example of that.
Finally, the destruction of Montenegro hotels, and many other similar investments throughout Montenegro, are the direct consequence of the fact that the staff as Minister Branimir Gvozdenovic still, instead in Spuz, is on the top in the department of urban planning. No matter how much we penalize irresponsible investors for violations of the law, the fact that Gvozdenovic continue to be the minister to urban planning it gives the opportunity that the cases like these are repeated over and over again.
The way how the hotel is demolished, and active participation of government officials and institutions to cover up traces of the crime, the job of the state prosecutor should examine all relationships between Buric and Gvozdenovic and to determine by which the minister was motivated to allow the demolition of the hotel.
Dejan Milovac
Deputy Executive Director
Investigative Center Director
