Today, MANS called on the Government of Montenegro and line ministries to inform the public without delay on concrete measures they will take so that the territory of Montenegro would not become a safe zone for hiding the property of Russian oligarchs who are subject of or threatened with international sanctions.
Last week, the Government of Montenegro announced that it would join the sanctions of the European Union against Russia due to the military aggression against Ukraine, but still there is no detailed information on concrete steps that will be taken when it comes to the property of Russian oligarchs.
This is particularly important bearing in mind that Montenegro is still known in international circles as a safe haven for hiding of funds and assets that may be subject to legal proceedings or international sanctions.
This is evidenced by the intention of the Russian oligarch and co-owner of the powerful Russian oil company LUKOIL, Vagit Alekperov, to transfer his expensive yacht from Spain to Montenegro, on which the British Guardian also reported a few days ago.
Thus, today, his 70-meter-long luxury yacht called “Galactica Super Nova” is planned to sail into the Bay of Kotor, which sailed from the port of Barcelona on February 26 and headed to Tivat as its final destination. The value of the yacht is estimated at around 75 million euros and it has its own pool, helipad, accommodation for 12 people in six luxuriously equipped cabins, and is served by as many as 16 crew members.
Vagit Alekperov is the president of LUKOIL company, and his total wealth is estimated by FORBES at close to 20 billion U.S. dollars. The company LUKOIL, in which Alekperov owns 20% of the shares, has already been placed under sanctions from the United States.
The Guardian further states in its article that Russian oligarchs such as Alekperov and Roman Abramovich and others may find themselves under the impact of EU sanctions due to the Russian aggression against Ukraine, and that they may include their property on the territory of the European Union as well.
On the other hand, for years, Montenegro has been a place for safe and unpunished hiding and placement of suspicious money of Russian oligarchs and “winners” of Russian privatization, which we have witnessed in the past three decades of rule of the previous regime.
At that time, Montenegro’s coast in particular was turned into a laundromat of dirty capital acquired through criminal activities, with tacit guarantees from the then government that the origin of that money would not be questioned.
Bearing in mind that recent events suggest that Montenegro is still an acceptable refuge for Russian oligarchs and their property in their quest to avoid international sanctions, at this time, it is very important for the Government of Montenegro to create all legal preconditions that would allow state institutions to act timely and effectively, and when it comes to the situation in Ukraine, to make their commitment to the policies of the European Union concrete.
MANS
