For over twenty-five years, Duško Golubović, who was detained this morning, worked as a secret service agent and later as an officer of the Police Directorate. Throughout his security career, he was the closest associate of Zoran Lazović, the accused operative and former assistant director of the Police Directorate.

Golubović and Lazović returned to the Police Directorate in 2019, four years after their retirement, following Golubović’s forced departure from the National Security Agency in 2015 amid a reform initiative driven by repeated demands from foreign partners.

This return coincided with the reinstatement of former police chief Veselin Veljović, who appointed Lazović as his assistant in the Organized Crime Sector, while Golubović took on the role of deputy head of the Serious Crimes Suppression Department.

Golubović was brought on board at UP in 2019 without a public advertisement, as the position he held at the then SBPOK was reportedly classified…

He retired in the summer of 2023, after he submitted his resignation, following the formal dissolution of the Department from the UP’s organizational chart in April of that year, as per the decision of SBPOK coordinator and head of the Special Police Department, Predrag Šuković. Prior to this, Golubović had received a deployment decision to the Asylum Seekers Department in Spuž.

The decision to close the Department came after the arrest of former Acting Assistant Director of the Police Administration, Dejan Knežević, on accusations of being part of a criminal organization, which led to the temporary reassignment or investigation of all Department officers…

Golubović’s career at the forefront of the security sector was marred by numerous controversies and media allegations. A recent investigation by the NGO MANS scrutinized the significant value of his assets, which appeared disproportionate to his state sector salary over the years.

A months-long inquiry into Golubović’s financial status revealed that his family spent over a million euros acquiring multiple properties and luxury vehicles over a decade.

In response, Golubović asserted to MANS that all of his assets were legally obtained with the assistance of his family, denying any involvement in criminal activities.

During the MANS anti-corruption conference at the end of 2023, former Acting Director of the Police Administration, Nikola Terzić, mentioned feeling uneasy when he acquired information about colleagues engaging with criminal groups.

“Last night, I received word that one of the former officers bought a vehicle for 300,000 euros, and until yesterday, he was carrying a police badge. This is operational information,” Terzić remarked.

The following day, “Vijesti” reported that UP operatives had information that Duško Golubović had purchased a “Lamborghini” worth at least 300,000 euros, indicating that Terzić was indeed referencing him.

In January of this year, the SDT opened an investigation regarding Golubović’s assets.

Scandals, Bombings…

Duško Golubović, alongside at least 70 operatives, departed the ANB in April 2015 due to legal modifications, as sector reforms were a pivotal NATO requirement for Montenegro’s accession to the alliance.

The lead-up to these reforms was riddled with numerous scandals related to the political-security sector and rival faction conflicts.

The delay in security sector reform in 2014 postponed Montenegro’s NATO accession, after which Hoyt Brian Yee, a top U.S. official for European and Eurasian affairs, asserted that all intelligence services of NATO members and prospective members, including the Montenegrin ANB, “must be immunized against vulnerabilities and external factors attempting to illicitly transfer confidential allied information to third countries”…

Golubović’s name surfaced in the “Listing” affair—the investigation into which commenced in December 2011 following the release of communications between Pljevlja resident Darko Šarić and then-Prime Minister Igor Lukšić, alongside former Foreign Minister Milan Roćen. Subsequently, connections between accused drug lord Naser Keljmendi and Golubović also emerged in media reports.

The investigation concluded it was likely a matter of forgeries, yet the public was never informed of the origins of the affair or the interests behind it…

In November 2015, soon after leaving service, explosives were discovered at the entrance of Golubović’s family residence in Donja Gorica. This followed explosions at the “Grand” cafe in September and the “Machiato” cafe, which was briefly owned by Golubović’s wife, Danijela, in July.

These incidents were perceived within security circles as warnings to the “Grand” team by rival factions, allegedly in response to announcements from then-Chief Special Prosecutor Milivoj Katnić, close to Lazović and Golubović, stating that “justice will knock on everyone’s door.”

Hearing in the Investigation into the Murder of the Editor of Dan

Last summer, retired secret agent Duško Golubović was questioned regarding the murder of “Dan” newspaper editor Duško Jovanović, providing testimony at that time as a citizen.

Duško Jovanović was murdered on May 27, 2004, with only Damir Mandić having been held accountable for the crime thus far; nearly 21 years later, it remains unclear who ordered the hit or who the actual perpetrators were.

Former Prime Minister Dritan Abazović previously noted that “two names consistently appeared in operational intel related to Jovanović’s murder—Zoran Lazović and Duško Golubović.”

“Lazović’s name, along with a few others, was frequently mentioned. My role was not to verify that information but to relay it to the appropriate authorities, demanding that this crime finally be brought to light after two decades of silence and concealment,” he stated, without elaborating on the context of naming those individuals.

In the last year, numerous investigations and cases concerning this crime, overseen by many prosecutors, saw Vesna Medenica, who was the Supreme State Prosecutor at the time of the murder, interviewed as well.

Former UP director Veselin Veljović was also questioned as a witness.

Several years ago, Veljović commented that the murder of Jovanović had been solved operationally; the police were aware of the perpetrators but lacked material evidence.

In mid-September 2019, Veljović remarked that “the inaction of the relevant prosecutor on the night of the incident was why the case regarding the murder of the owner of ‘Dan’ remained unresolved and that it was irretrievably lost.”

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