The Special Prosecutor’s Office (SDT) launched an inquiry into legality of financing election campaigns of certain Democratic Front’s (DF) constituents on suspicion of laundering a large amount of money from abroad through numerous personal contributions and donations from activists of that political group, Pobjeda learns.
According to the newspaper, in early 2017 Montenegrin investigators in cooperation with foreign financial experts began the detailed control of suspicious financial transactions.
SDT suspects that significant amounts of money were being transferred from accounts of foreign off-shore companies, through companies registered in Macedonia, Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina, to the accounts of a number of small and medium enterprises in Montenegro. From there, as the Office suspects, the money found its way to hundreds of DF’s activists.
The role of Niksic businessman Miodrag Daka Davidovic had also been examined for some time. He is considered to be the main coordinator of substantial financial support to opposition parties.
For this purpose, SDT is checking operations of certain offshore companies in Panama and Liechtenstein that have “economic cooperation” with Davidovic’s companies in Macedonia and Serbia, as well as several companies in neighbouring countries.
The origin of the money is unknown but it is assumed to come from a couple of Russian tycoons, who were allegedly more than generous in supporting some parties in Montenegro, as well as certain anti-NATO activists and their associations.
Larger financial transactions were then carried out through the accounts of companies in the Zapad Banka and the Hipotekarna Banka in Podgorica. The transfer of money was done in compliance with all procedures, but SDT is examining the money trail, ie how the cash was taken from those accounts.
On suspicion of being part of a money laundering scheme, Nikola Bajcetic, the president of the Movement for Changes (PzP) youth and they party’s presidency member, Goran Scepanovic and Zeljko Scepanovic yesterday gave statements in SDT. Bajcetic said that this was nothing but political prosecution.
According to unofficial information obtained by Pobjeda, the hearings of DF activists, who “donated” for the political alliance’s campaign, should be continued today.
According to Pobjeda, the Scepanovic family made particularly generous donations to PzP. Namely, 17 family members paid tens of thousands of euros grants to Nebojsa Medojevic’s party just in one day. Therefore SDT suspected there was money laundering.
The Office suspects that €15m had been intended for financing the campaign of pro-Russian parties which were distinguished by harsh anti-NATO rhetoric. Out of that sum €5m was allegedly brought to Montenegro, partially through certain companies’ accounts in Montenegrin banks and partially as cash.
