The Special State Prosecutor’s Office (SDT) has initiated an investigation following a criminal complaint lodged by Momo Koprivica, the Deputy Prime Minister for the Political System, Judiciary, and Anti-Corruption, against former Prime Minister Milo Đukanović regarding the concession granted for the Bistrica small hydropower plant to BB Hidro.

The Deputy Prime Minister’s Office reported that Koprivica has submitted original documents, including minutes from Government sessions and their conclusions, as certified copies as requested by the SDT.

“In his complaint, Vice President Koprivica noted that Đukanović, through his actions and by allowing his son Blaž Đukanović to sign a concession agreement with the Government he led, likely breached Article 14 of the Law on the Prevention of Corruption. This article states: ‘A governmental body, in which a public official performs a public function, cannot enter into contracts with any company or legal entity where the public official or a related person holds a private interest,'” the statement indicates.

The statement elaborates that “this legal provision unequivocally implies that the Government of Montenegro, under the leadership of former President Milo Đukanović, was not permitted to enter into the contested concession agreement with ‘BB Hidro’ of Podgorica, where his direct relative has a private stake.”

“A thorough legal evaluation of the claims related to this legal provision can ascertain how the former Prime Minister, fully aware of his actions and their implications, knowingly acted against the provisions of the Law on the Prevention of Corruption, reflecting an abuse of his official capacity regarding public interest. This unauthorized and invalid contract allowed the Bistrica Lipovska small hydropower plant to generate 8,933,070 kWh of electricity up until January 8 and collected €964,339 from the state based on monthly invoices without VAT, showcasing the motive behind the misuse of power and the significant monetary benefits involved,” the announcement stated.

It added that this case represents an opportunity to break “the long-standing tradition of elite impunity that has seen state resources and institutions exploited.”

“No individual is above the law, including those who have made decisions on our behalf for years. Citizens deserve transparency about how lucrative government contracts were awarded to the closest family members of those who signed them. This method of treating the state as a private property must be terminated and penalized decisively. This is not merely one contract; it epitomizes a period of power abuse, during which personal family enterprises of governmental leaders took precedence over the state’s and citizens’ interests.”

The statement further emphasized that this case “has the potential to mark a pivotal moment in dismantling a system where the government existed solely for its own benefit, rather than serving the state and its citizens.”

“The commitment to combat high-level corruption is not merely rhetoric; it represents a determined effort to prosecute those once considered untouchable. In addition to the SDT, Vice President Koprivica has also alerted the Agency for the Prevention of Corruption to investigate the breaches of the Law on the Prevention of Corruption, as well as the Protector of Property and Legal Interests and the Prosecutor’s Office, to ascertain the invalidity of the contract, as the Law on the Prevention of Corruption mandates that the provisions governing contract invalidity apply to agreements executed in violation of Article 14 of the same law,” the statement concluded.

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