Montenegro's prime minister seeks lifting citizenship for Kosovo businessman

Montenegro's Prime Minister, Milliko Spajic, has asked Interior Affairs Minister Danilo Sharanovic to urgently initiate the procedure for lifting citizenship for Kosovo businessman Naser Ramaj, accused of tax evasion.

This news has been confirmed for Radio Free Europe by the Montenegrin government.

The government of the former prime minister, Dritan Abazovic, had granted Ramaj honourary citizenship in 2023, with the argument that he was one of the investors of the “port Budva” worth 80m euros.

The prosecution accuses him and Valentina Grubovich that, as responsible at the “Alart Center Budva”, they have not reported the proceeds from selling residential and business spaces right in this complex.

The prosecution announced three days ago that the Constitutional Court in Kotor had confirmed the indictment.

The grant of citizenship to a person who is under investigation for tax evasion and financial fraud could damage Montenegro's international reputation, especially in the eyes of partners from the European Union, which could negatively affect future investments and the negotiating position in the European integration process”, Spajjic stressed in a letter sent to the police minister.

For two months to citizenship

The integrity of honour in Montenegro is granted exclusively on the basis of the proposal of top state officials.

In Ramaj's case, the proposal had come in 2023 from then Prime Minister Dritan Abazovic.

The Montenegrin citizenship law envisions that one can gain it if accepting it has particular importance for state, scientific, economic, cultural, sports and other interests of Montenegro”.

For Ramaj, the reason was that his investments would contribute to the opening of new jobs and would affect Montenegro's <x0); economic, financial and industrial development “.

The decision was accompanied by a positive opinion from the Ministry of Finance.

The entire procedure was completed within two months.

However, the current prime minister has voiced serious “changes to the legality of gaining honorary citizenship, stressing that the finance ministry's positive opinion was not accompanied by analysis of his business activity in Montenegro.

“I consider that the Naser Ramaj case could harm Montenegro's vital interests on certain levels, especially if it is confirmed that the citizenship of the honour has been granted without adequate verification or on the basis of incorrect information”, Spajic wrote.

Reviewing All Citizenships

Prime Minister Spajic also warned that in the coming days he will promote reviewing all honorary citizenship granted, to verify whether they have contributed to job creation, promotion of Montenegro's production and promotion.

If it turns out that honorary citizenships have been given as personal services or without clear criteria, it undermines citizens' trust in rule of law and paves the way for clientilism and political corruption”, he stressed.

In Montenegro, according to data from the Centre for Citizen Education, by the end of November 2022, over a thousand honourary citizenship had been granted.

Montenegro at the end of the same year under pressure from the European Commission officially removed the programme of granting economic citizenship. Authorities later continued to process hundreds of remaining applications.

The European Commission found that this scheme posed a risk related to security, money laundering, tax evasion, corruption and organised crime, and that it was not in line with European Union laws.

Montenegro plans to close all negotiating chapters with the EU by the end of next year and become a member in 2028.

There are currently fewer than 20 percent of chapters closed. / REL