Assistant Director of the Police Directorate for Criminal Police Sector, Enis Baković, bought an apartment of 56 m2 for only €6,000, thanks to a decision by the Government of Montenegro. The Housing Commission stated that “there was no possibility to solve the housing issue of this police officer in a different way”, as stated in the decision to allocate the apartment obtained by the MANS Investigative Centre.
Enis Baković, Assistant Director of the Police Directorate
At the beginning of March last year, the Housing Commission made a decision to rent an apartment to Baković for an indefinite period of time, with the possibility of buying it under favourable terms. The document signed by the President of the Commission and the current Minister of Defence, Predrag Bošković, stated that this authority found Baković’s request justified bearing in mind “his housing and other circumstances”.
The decision to allocate the apartment to Baković was made after the adoption of the Conclusion of the Government of Montenegro from February 14 last year. The Property Administration and the Ministry of Finance were then appointed to implement the Commission’s decision.
Baković immediately opted for buying an apartment, thus, the Property Administration at the end of March last year concluded a Contract on the purchase of the real estate, by which he became an owner of the apartment in Podgorica’s settlement Stari aerodrom of 56m2 and basement of 4 m2. The price at which Baković bought the apartment is € 6,079, according to payslip of the Property Administration.
It is interesting to note that the Property Administration also states in the contract the market price of the apartment of € 35,760 i.e. € 600/m2. Baković’s new apartment is located in a part of the settlement behind the Voli supermarket, in buildings where it is impossible to buy an apartment for less than €1,000/m2, so it is not clear why the Administration determined such low price of his apartment.
When the market price of an apartment in that part of the city (€1000/m2) is taken into account, it can be concluded that the apartment that was sold to Baković was worth at least €56,000, i.e. that the Government gave him the entire €50,000.
Commenting on the Government’s housing policy, Prime Minister Duško Marković said last year that his Government would address housing issues “not as a privilege, but as a result of a need.”
On the other hand, it is not quite clear what were the criteria of the Government Commission when it decided to allow Enis Baković to solve the housing issue for only €6,000.
The documents on the basis of which the decisions are made were declared classified several years ago, and even in this particular case, Montenegrin citizens do not know what Enis Baković stated in his request for solving the housing issue he sent to the Commission.
A document obtained by the MANS Investigative Centre states that the Commission took into account housing and other circumstances of this police officer, but it is unclear whether this relates to the purchase of an expensive Rolex watch and the purchase of a cottage in Žabljak.
Dejan Milovac
He did not mention his wife in a special report
In the purchase contract with the Property Administration, Baković stated that he was married, but there was no information in the property file about his wife and her income and assets. After buying the apartment under privileged conditions, Baković submitted a special report to the Agency for Prevention of Corruption (APC), but did not mention an increase in his household in that report.
Millions from the budget for apartments of the privileged officials
Mid-2019, following the pressure from domestic and international public, the Government of Montenegro published a list of 96 public officials who were granted purchase of apartments or housing loans under favourable conditions. It refers to a period during the term of Duško Marković’s Government, while the Housing Commission continues to refuse to make public information about who got apartments before 2016.
Thus, during Prime Minister Marković’s term of office, a total of € 2.6 million of housing loans have been granted under favourable conditions so far, and this price does not include 13 apartments given to privileged public officials.
The list also includes President of the Commercial Court Blažo Jovanić, Director of the Agency for Prevention of Corruption Sreten Radonjić, Director-General for European Integration at the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare Ljiljana Simović, who is also wife of the Deputy Prime Minister Milutin Simović. Also on the list are Supreme Court President Vesna Medenica, Head of the Department for Military Intelligence Miljan Perović, Secretary General of the Government Nataša Pešić, and many others.
