Four years after the investigation into fraud concerning the procurement of electronic border surveillance equipment—resulting in the arrest of several Ministry of Interior officials in March 2021—no further progress has been made. The identity of the individual who paid 1.1 million euros for devices that were five times less expensive than expected, along with the affixing of false labels, remains unknown.

The Basic State Prosecutor’s Office in Podgorica replied to Vijesti, stating that all legally prescribed measures are being taken and that international legal assistance has been requested in this matter.

“We wish to inform you that the current state prosecutor is pursuing all legal measures and actions related to this case. This includes the request for international legal assistance. The case is under active investigation, and detailed information cannot be disclosed at this time to protect the integrity of the proceedings,” stated the prosecutor’s office under the leadership of Dusko Milanović.

The office did not respond to inquiries about whether they are facing pressure regarding this case.

Among those arrested on March 3, 2021, were members of the tender committee involved in the public procurement of border monitoring equipment, including Tatjana Drobnjak, Vojin Rondović, and Zoran Milić, as well as members of the contract monitoring commission, Bojana Lucic, Ivan Glomazic, Jurica Žarković, and Zoran Lasica.

That day, due to health issues, handcuffs were not placed on Visnji Djurovic, a responsible individual from the company “For Light,” which participated in the tender but sells carpets instead; however, she was also questioned.

Additionally, the police issued a warrant for Branislav Krekić, an authorized representative of “Makina sekjuriti” from Belgrade, though the public was never informed about his arrest status.

This group is under suspicion for the abuse of official authority, negligence in duty, and accepting bribes…

Following the arrests, a press conference was held, asserting that no actions within the Ministry of the Interior could have occurred without the knowledge of former minister Mevludin Nuhodžić, nor the procurement of the border monitoring equipment that led to the arrests of eight individuals.

Responding to remarks from former State Secretary of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Rada Milosevic, Nuhodžić stated in March 2021 that he anticipated thorough investigations, reiterating that he had previously ordered the submission of all relevant documentation based on an anonymous report.

Shortly after the high-profile press conference, the Podgorica Basic State Prosecutor’s Office lifted the detention of the arrested individuals, citing that all witnesses had been interviewed.

Since then, the “Border” case has remained under investigation.

The procurement for border surveillance equipment amounted to 1,144,850 euros.

The fraudulent activities were uncovered in 2021 by an Interdepartmental Commission, established by then-Minister of Internal Affairs Sergej Sekulovic.

It was clarified after the arrests that the funds involved were part of EU financial support under the Schengen Action Plan.

During a press conference four years ago, Milošević revealed that two members of the interdepartmental commission appointed by Minister Sekulović, Žarković and Lasica, were among those detained.

Both face charges related to negligent duty execution, abuse of power, and Lasica faces an additional charge for accepting a bribe.

The whole group is suspected of misusing their official positions and engaging in unethical practices while in service.

At the conference, where then-Deputy Prime Minister Dritan Abazovic, alongside Milošević, former chief prosecutors Nikola Boricic and Vukas Radonjic, as well as a now-suspended police officer Dalibor Medojevic, spoke, the previous leadership of the Ministry of Internal Affairs was accused of facilitating unauthorized access to surveillance footage to a third party.

Milošević claimed that a foreign entity could remotely access video monitoring of border crossings in Montenegro.

However, it was also noted that the equipment itself was non-functional.

Arrests Subsequently Followed

One year after the aforementioned press conference, Dalibor Medojević was arrested by order of the Special State Prosecutor’s Office for alleged connections with the deceased leaders of the Skaljari criminal clan, Igor Dedović and Jovan Vukotić.

The SDT accuses him of using the encrypted Sky application to relay the names of investigating inspectors and the status of ongoing murder investigations involving members of the Skaljari crime group.

In front of the prosecutor and law enforcement, he denied using the alias Radonja to exchange numerous incriminating messages with the Skaljari leaders.

Europol documentation indicates he had nine contacts via the Sky application, three related to the murder victim clan leader Jovan Vukotić, one to his brother Igor Vukotić, and one to the deceased Igor Dedović. The rest remain unidentified.

Europol’s findings suggest a connection between a conference where Medojević discussed the Border case and a message he received on that day from Jovan Vukotić, expressing a desire to see him with “brother Abaz” (note: Dritan Abazović). This is the only mention of Abazović in their exchanges.

He was detained by order of the now-arrested special prosecutor Saša Čađenović, accused of collaborating with a rival crime faction, the Kavački clan.

Medojević’s custody was subsequently lifted after Vukotić’s murder in Turkey in September 2022.

One and a half years after the press conference, another speaker, Rade Milošević, was also arrested.

Milošević was apprehended by members of the Special Police Department on orders from the SDT, suspected of being part of a criminal syndicate involved in stealing and smuggling cigarettes confiscated from state warehouses at the Free Customs Zone in the Port of Bar that summer.

He and several other officials from the Revenue and Customs Administration are currently under investigation for forming a criminal organization, abusing their official roles, and smuggling tobacco.

An indictment has yet to be filed in this matter.

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