Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) received unlawful donations from the owners and directors of companies that manage small hydropower plants (SHPPs), according to data of the MANS Investigative Centre.
Igor Masovic
Igor Mašović, Tamara Kokić and Milić Novović are connected with companies that have active concessions for the production of electricity from small hydropower plants, and before this year’s elections they donated a total of € 13 thousand to DPS on the same day – July 20 this year.
The Law on Financing of Political Entities and Election Campaigns stipulates that “legal entities, companies and entrepreneurs and related natural persons which, based on a contract with the competent bodies and in accordance with the Law, performed activities of public interest or concluded a contract through the public procurement procedure, in the period of two years preceding the conclusion of the contract, for the duration of the business relationship, as well as two years after the termination of the business relationship shall not give contributions to the political entities.”
In addition, Article 86 of the Energy Law recognizes the production of electricity as an activity of public interest.
Igor Mašović, brother of the President of the Municipality of Andrijevica, Srđan Mašović, owns 60% of the capital of the company “Hidroenergija Andrijevica”, which received a concession last year and concluded contracts for the construction of small hydro power plants Umska and Štitska. Bearing in mind that the contracts are valid, it is clear that the election law forbade Mašović from donating money to any political entity, which did not prevent DPS from accepting his donation.
In addition, Mašović is the owner of the company “Igma Grand”, which together with its daughter company “Igma Energy” manages the small hydro power plants Bradavec and Piševska rijeka. In the first five months of this year, Mašović earned nearly € 300,000 for the operation of the two power plants.
Mašović’s “Igma Energy” is also the owner of 29% of shares of the company “Nord Energy”, which runs Šeremet Potok power plant together with the company “Veletex” and Radenko Vuletić and Jasmina Vlahović. Its owners were paid close to € 100 thousand in the first five months of this year for the operation of the power plant.
“Igma Energy” is also the owner of 33% of shares of the company “Green Solutions”, which in a consortium with “Popović Elektro Sistem” and the companies “Small Hydro Power Plant Mojanska” and “Small Hydro Power Plant Kutska” runs power plants Mojanska 1, 2 and 3 and Kutska 1 and 2. For these five power plants, the listed companies earned about €450 thousand from January to June this year.
Tamara Kokić is the executive director of the companies “Small Hydro Power Plant Mojanska” and “Small Hydro Power Plant Kutska”. She is also a member of the Municipal Board of DPS from Andrijevica, and the party’s website states that Kokić was also employed as the financial director of Mašović’s company “Igma Grand”.
Finally, Milić Novović is the executive director of the company “Dekar Energy”, which is owned by the company “Dekar”. The two companies are building Crna, Ljubaštica and Crni Potok power plants in the Municipality of Kolašin, which has recently been problematized by locals. Novović is also the director and owner of the company “Igma Product”, which was owned by the company “Igma Grand”.
Lazar Grdinić
Dejan Milovac
No penalty for entities that receive illegal donations
The Law on the Financing of Political Entities and Election Campaigns provides for a fine of 500 to €2,000 for a person who “gives contribution to political entities, and is associated with legal entities, companies and entrepreneurs and related natural persons which, based on a contract with the competent bodies and in accordance with the Law, performed activities of public interest or concluded a contract through the public procurement procedure, in the period of two years preceding the conclusion of the contract, for the duration of the business relationship, as well as two years after the termination of the business relationship.”
On the other hand, the law does not provide a penalty for a political entity that receives an illegal donation from a natural person. DPS has so far raised half a million Euros for the campaign for parliamentary elections to be held on August 30, 2020. The vast majority of contributions were paid by members of municipal boards and party activists, in an organized manner and usually on the same day. Recently, the MANS Investigative Centre revealed that this party, despite modest monthly income, was assisted by firefighters from Danilovgrad, which is a continuation of the practice of collecting money of unknown origin in an organized manner through employees of city companies, which is why MANS filed criminal charges against Milo Đukanović and his DPS due to suspicion of money laundering.
