The Independent Trade Union of Airports of Montenegro (ACG) has lodged a criminal complaint with the Special State Prosecutor’s Office against individuals responsible within the organization.

According to the union president, Biljana Knežević, the complaint was based on “reasonable grounds for suspicion” that they had committed offenses including unscrupulous business practices, providing false testimony, public deception, and abuse of their official positions.

“Specifically, on August 17, 2024, a criminal complaint was submitted to the Special State Prosecutor’s Office against ACG’s Executive Director Roko Tolić and Tivat Airport’s Director Ivan Rakočević for multiple abuses of their official roles. The immediate trigger was the unlawful assignment of employee Jovanović Ljubomir to the shift manager role in the Reception and Dispatch Service at Tivat Airport, despite lacking the required licenses and training. This decision puts air traffic safety at serious risk and violates the Air Traffic Act as well as international aviation safety standards (ICAO, EASA regulations). Even after the Board of Directors was officially notified of the complaint, the management publicly asserted that they were ‘not informed of any reports.’ This statement is a deliberate falsehood aimed at misleading the public, supported by documentation sent to the Board of Directors on August [insert date], which we have included,” states the application to the SDT, as noted by Knežević.

“Moreover, attempting to justify the unauthorized deployment of an unlicensed employee by citing his previous ‘aspiration for advancement’ and the volume of passengers served during the season is sheer manipulation and an evasion of the real issues. The amount of flights and passengers handled, along with the commendable work of our colleagues in difficult conditions at Tivat Airport, cannot supplant the legally mandated procedures and licensing requirements. Ultimately, denying the existence of the application in the management’s official statement constitutes a falsehood and misleads the public, therefore harming the reputation of a key company for Montenegro and jeopardizing our national aviation obligations,” the report adds.

The ACG management is accused by the Independent Union of misrepresenting the facts regarding employee Jovanović’s past expressions of interest in the shift manager position for professional advancement.

“However, several months were available for completing the required training and licensing per the Air Traffic Act and international standards (ICAO, EASA). Instead, the employee was placed in a role that entails authority and responsibilities in security-sensitive areas of the airport during the busy summer season, lacking any training or certification. The assertion that a shift manager in the Reception and Departure Service does not require licenses, and that he would operate ‘only in the public area,’ signals a blatant ignorance or willful disregard for the governing regulations. These claims are supported by evidence,” the complaint states.

The actions described suggest that the reported individuals committed multiple criminal offenses:

“1. Criminal offense – Unscrupulous business practices under Article 272 of the Criminal Code of Montenegro, as they acted contrary to professional rules and regulations, jeopardizing the safety and operations of the airline; 2. Criminal offense – Giving false testimony under Article 387 of the Criminal Code of Montenegro, as they made untrue statements regarding their knowledge of the complaint; 3. Criminal offense – Abuse of official position under Articles 416 and 417 of the Criminal Code of Montenegro, as they knowingly assigned an unlicensed employee, posing a serious risk to air traffic safety; 4. Offense – Deceiving the public, as they made false claims to obscure their accountability and mislead the public about the actual situation.”

The union requests that the SDT conduct an investigation and hold the individuals accountable, initiating the necessary criminal proceedings.

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