The family of former longtime head of the Montenegrin Police Veselin Veljovic for years owns a luxury BMW X6, worth over 80,000 euros, whose purchase can not be justified by revenues that were declared to the Commission for the Prevention of Conflict of Interest. That prove the documents obtained by the Research Center of the Network for Affirmation of Non-governmental Sector (MANS).
The wife of Veselin Veljovic, Tamara Veljovic (born Rogosic) since 2011 owns and duly registered luxurious SUV BMW X6, that was reported to the Commission only in a report for this year, and only after the Research Center of MANS came to the documentation on an unreported vehicle.
The SUV was purchased in 2011 at the Podgorica dealership of luxury BMW cars “MP auto” and was paid through the account. An invoice for the car worth 80,800 euros was made on the name of Tamara Rogosic, who was unemployed for that year, based on a report that her husband Veselin Veljovic submitted for that year, nor she had any income or savings. Tamara a member of the household of Veselin Veljovic, for the first time was mentioned in the report for the year 2010, when also did not have any income or assets.
According to official data of the Commission for the Prevention of Conflict of Interest prevention, the total official income of family Veljovic in the year when the vehicle was purchased was amounted to 11.760 euros, which he annually received as Director of Police (UP), and served as a head of the UP until the end of 2011. Veljovic family to the Commission did not report any savings, so it is still unclear origin of the money used to buy a luxury BMW worth 80,800 euros for the Tamar Veljovic. Even if the entire registered annual family income of Veljovic was directed to buy this car, missing more than 60,000 euros for his purchase.
As a possible way of purchase of vehicles remains borrowing, but according to data from the Commission, Veselin Veljovic has never been indebted. Also the data from the Real Estate show that none of its property is mortgaged for the loan, so the question is from which funds Veljovic family financed the procurement of a new luxury BMW.
Veselin Veljovic was required to report any change in of his own assets of more than 5000 euros to the Commission for Conflict of Interest, but after buying a BMW that was not done. The only change in assets card for this year which was reported is the sale of land in Podgorica for which Veljovic earned about 107,000 euros. However, that money is not spent for the purchase of luxury vehicle, but to purchase three-bedroom apartment in Podgorica which Veljovic bought at Podgorica’a company “Normal Company”, that MANS also investigated.
On the other hand, luxury BMW was bought at the end of June 2011, a little more than a month before Veselin Veljovic as Director of the Police signed a damaging contract with the owner the company Normal Company, Zarko Buric, in which the state budget is damaged for the multi-million amount, about what Vijesti yesterday wrote. Veljovic did not respond to reporters’ calls or SMS text messages to comment on the purchase of luxury car.
Name of the former Police Director Veselin Veljovic is linked to a number of problematic contracts that were signed on behalf of the Police, which Special Prosecutor’s Office for Organized Crime and further investigate.
According to the information that “Vijesti” earlier announced, Veljovic, without tender procedure in 2007. With the company “Celebic” owned by Tomislav Celebic signed a contract worth 13 million euros. The contract for design, construction and furnishing, the company “Celebic” was committed that for a period of three years to build and fully equip the new premises for the members of the Security Centre Podgorica (CB) and the headquarter of UP. The new facility was opened in early 2011, when it was announced that in the building was invested 15.5 million euros, 2.5 million more than it was agreed. Celebic and Veljovic are bound and by the close family relations evidenced by the presence of Celebic at the wedding of Veselin and Tamara in August 2011.
From the prosecution to the “Vijesti” recently was confirmed that the case of the construction of the Podgorica CB is still at the stage of the investigation, but they did not want to confirm the news headlines that Veljovic was interviewed, and that is planned hearing of Celebic as well.
This text is made with the support of the European Union within the project “Zero tolerance to corruption”. The contents of this article is the sole responsibility of the Network for Affirmation of Non-governmental Sector – MANS, and opinions contained herein shall not in any case be considered positions of the European Union.
The Prime Minister’s man of trust
Former police chief holds as an important man of trust of Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic, and in the last two decades always occupied a senior police or security functions. According to the official biography, from December 1995 to October 2005, he was commander of the Special Anti-Terrorist Unit (SAJ).
From October 2005 until December 2011 he was appointed as Director of the Police, after which he was appointed by the President of Montenegro Filip Vujanovic as the advisor for defense and security. Currently he is at the position in the Council for National Security as a direct subordinate of his wedding godfather, former director of the National Security Agency and the current Deputy Prime Minister Dusko Markovic.
Veljovic was dismissed in late 2011, from a position of Director of Police, after the scandal “Listing”, when the media reported that the accused of smuggling cocaine Darko Saric had a telephone communication with then Prime Minister Igor Luksic and former Foreign Minister Milan Rocen.
Lecture on NATO or agitation for DPS?
In 2014 Veljovic was dismissed from the position of presidential adviser for security and defense. As an official reason was indicated a move to a position in the Council for National Security. However, recall from the office in Vujanovic’s cabinet, was preceded by an affair in which Veljovic again as a main actor.
Internal Controls (UK) of the Police,at the end of the same year, founded that Veljovic on the eve of local elections in Mojkovac gathered a little more than 40 police officers from that city in the camp of the special units in Podgorica, from whom he sought to engage and a greater number of citizens persuade to vote for DPS.
He denied the allegations, arguing that as a member of the Council for NATO Integration he lectured police officers on the benefits of becoming member of the Alliance.
According to claims of the Minister of Interior, Rasko Konjevic presented at a press conference after UK submitted him a report, although some police officers confirmed that it was a “NATO course”, others admitted that he discussed the engagement during elections in Mojkovac .
With the report of the UK from 2014 deals the prosecution as well, although the outcome of the investigation until this day is not known. Minister of Interior, commenting on the control findings, said he would not file a criminal charge against Veljovic, but leaves it to the UK. Although the UK then founded that the current police director Slavko Stojanovic without the knowledge of the Minister gave his consent to the gathering, Minister Konjevic then stated that he will not seek his resignation.
Unsolved murders, drug lords freely across the border
In addition to signing disputable contracts in question and suspicion in illegal political engagement during the mandate of Veljovic in UP, until today happened unsolved murders of Srdjan Vojicic in Podgorica in 2006, Dejan Djukovic in Kotor, 2009, Dragan Dudic in Kotor, 2010, Ivica Scepanovic and Dragan Becirovic in Budva in 2011. Also, at a time when Veselin Veljovic was a leading man in the Montenegrin police occurred and two famous escapes of drug bosses from Montenegro, Darko Saric and Safet Kalic.
Leather, battens of bamboo, the sills of aluminum, reverse camera
BMW X6 that family Veljovic bought is not an usual SUV, confirmed by a long list of accessories that is “decorating” this particular example. In the specification of equipment in the invoice of 80,800 euros, it is stated that Veljovic’s black metallic BMW X6 has leather, heated seats, “Nevada”, decorative strips of bamboo, sills of aluminum, a camera for driving in reverse gear, automatic opening trunk, additional tinted windows , parking sensors, automatic air conditioning control, navigation system and Hi-Fi speaker system. Veljovic’s BMW X6 is powered by a diesel engine volume of 3000 cc, of 306 hp.
Authors:
Dejan Milovac (MANS)
Tina Popovic (Vijesti)
