The Prime Minister of Montenegro, Milojko Spajić, addressed the Minister of Internal Affairs, Danilo Šaranović, with a request to urgently initiate the procedure of revoking the citizenship of Kosovar businessman Naser Ramaj, accused of participating in the embezzlement of more than 2.2 million euros, reported adria.tv. The government of the previous Prime Minister, Dritan Abazović, granted Ramaj the title of honorary citizen as an investor in the major project "Porto Budva" in Budva, valued at around 80 million euros.
Currently, the country's prosecutor's office accuses the Kosovar businessman of failing to declare income from the sale of residential and commercial premises in this specific complex, as the person responsible for the company Alart Centar Budva.
Honorary citizenship of Montenegro is granted exclusively upon the recommendation of the highest state officials. The Citizenship Law stipulates that a person can receive it if their acceptance "has special significance for the state, scientific, economic, cultural, commercial, sports, and other interests of Montenegro".
Prime Minister Spajić also announced that in the coming days he will initiate a review of the granting of honorary citizenships, specifically, whether the recipients contributed to job creation, production stimulation, and the promotion of Montenegro. "If it turns out that honorary citizenships were granted as "personal services" or without clear criteria, it undermines citizens' faith in the rule of law and opens the door to political corruption," the prime minister stated.
In Montenegro, according to the Center for Civic Education, by the end of November 2022, more than a thousand honorary citizenships had been granted.
In early April, the Anti-Corruption Foundation* found evidence that propagandist Ekaterina Andreeva has honorary citizenship of Montenegro, allowing her to travel worldwide. The Anti-Corruption Foundation appealed to the government of Montenegro to revoke Andreeva's honorary citizenship, and protests supporting this demand are taking place in the country's capital, Podgorica.
* Recognized as an "extremist" organization in Russia.