Today, the Network for Affirmation of NGO Sector (MANS) filed a criminal complaint against Montenegro’s President Milo Đukanović, president of the Atlas Group Duško Knežević, businessmen Dušan Ban and Željko Mihailović, as well as against the former director of the Administration for the Prevention of Money Laundering Predrag Mitrović, due to reasonable suspicion that they have committed the criminal offense of money laundering in an organized manner. The criminal complaint was filed against companies Capital Invest Podgorica and Comsel Limited Cyprus as well.
The complaint, submitted to the Special Prosecutor for Suppressing of Organized Crime, Corruption, Terrorism and War Crimes, states that the reported persons have joined a criminal organization with the aim of committing serious crimes, in order to obtain unlawful gain and power, for which imprisonment term of more than four years can be imposed.
“In doing so, each of the reported persons had a predetermined task and role, by planning action over a longer period of time or for an unlimited period of time, planning and operating internationally as well, using the economic and business structures, using money laundering and illicit gain and using the influence on the political, legislative and executive power, through the banking and financial business, they concealed the method of obtaining the amount of €1.5 million, which served as a guarantee in the form of cash collateral for Milo Đukanović’s loan, knowing that the money was acquired by the criminal offense” , it is stated in the complaint.
It is reminded that on July 11, 2007, as the owner of Capital Invest Podgorica, Đukanović signed with Pireus Bank SA London a loan agreement of €1.5 million, for which the bank requested an additional guarantee in the form of cash collateral. Đukanović provided the guarantee in agreement with Knežević and enabled it through Knežević’s company Comsel Limited from Cyprus on the same day. Đukanović’s “two friends” Dušan Ban and Željko Mihailović transferred the amount of €1.5 million, that served as a guarantee, to the account of Comstel Limited.
After obtaining a loan from Pireus Bank, on August 3, 2007, through his company Capital Invest, Đukanović bought shares of Prva banka, which is majority owned by his brother, Aco Đukanović. The shares were bought under favorable conditions, for a price of €127 per share.
“Đukanović knew that the amount of €1.5 million that served as a guarantee for obtaining a loan came from a criminal offense, so he concealed the way of obtaining this money and publicly falsely stated that there was no deposit in the form of a guarantee for obtaining a loan. During the Prime Minister’s Hour on November 21, 2013, Đukanović, in his capacity as the Prime Minister in the Montenegrin Parliament, stated that he did not have any deposits for obtaining a loan from Piraeus Bank and that the loan was obtained on the basis of his reputation,” it is stated in the complaint.
The reasonable suspicion that € 1.5 million originate from a criminal offense stems from the fact that the money was not deposited directly to the Capital Invest, which needed a guarantee, or directly to Piraeus Bank, which requested a guarantee. In order to hide the origin of the money, the reported persons paid this amount first to Knežević’s company, and then transferred it from that company’s account in Cyprus to the account of Pireus Bank in London.
“In addition, that the money originated from a criminal offense and that the reported persons were hiding the origin of this money and its purpose, is proved by the fact that Ban and Mihailović concluded a false-simulated legal business i.e. investment contract with Comstel Limited, and the money was used for other purposes – as a guarantee in the form of a cash collateral for the loan of Đukanović,” it is stated in the complaint. For years, all reported persons have been hiding in an organized manner in what way Đukanović received a loan and who gave a guarantee for obtaining a loan and with what type of money.
The complaint draws attention of the State Prosecutor’s Office to the fact that the reported persons Ban and Mihailović led the company Mia from Ub, which is owned by Stanko Subotić, also a friend of Đukanović, and through which the so-called “transit of cigarettes” took place. Zagreb’s Nacional has recently issued a testimony by one of the cigarette business insiders, Srećko Kestner, who publicly announced that Ban and Mihailović were Đukanović’s godfathers, who were collecting a tax in cash, “literally in bags”, that they were taking 15% of the profit this company, while Đukanović himself was taking 10 dollars per cigarette pack.
This further confirms the public statements of Knežević that two friends helped Đukanović in securing money, that they were Đukanović’s friends “from the cigarette transit business” and that, therefore, they could not be presented to Piraeus Bank as credible clients and could not pass the check (international compliance)”, it is stated in the complaint.
Predrag Mitrović, the then director of the Administration for the Prevention of Money Laundering, also concealed the method of obtaining money that served as a guarantee to Đukanović and his company for obtaining the loan, knowing that the money that was given as a guarantee came from a criminal offense.
The Administration publicly announced on August 17, 2007 that the shares Đukanović had in Prva banka served as a guarantee for obtaining a loan from Piraeus Bank, although Đukanović was granted a loan on the basis of a guarantee issued by the company of Duško Knežvić – Comsel Limited.
“Also, in order to hide the method of obtaining €1.5 million, the Administration, whose work was led by Mitrović, rejected the request by MANS for access to documents in the case of obtaining a loan by Đukanović’s company and declared that documentation a secret,” it is stated in the complaint.
Even after a ruling by the Administrative Court which found that such conduct was unlawful, MANS’ request to provide this information was once again rejected with allegations that it was a strictly classified information and indicating that the Administration issued a press release on August 17, 2007 in electronic and print media.
However, it turned out that the then announcement of the Administration contained false allegations that Đukanović had used the shares of Prva Banka as a guarantee for obtaining a loan from Piraeus Bank.
MANS reminds that in other cases, the State Prosecutor’s Office holds Knežević in suspicion of forming a criminal organization for performing of, inter alia, criminal offenses of money laundering, which additionally heightens the suspicion that the money deposited through Knežević’s company, as a guarantee for Đukanović’s loan, originates from a criminal offense.
MANS
