Djukanovic Says Smuggling Claim Lacks Proof

Montenegrin Premier Milo Djukanovic says his former ally Ratko Knezevic has no proof to back his accusation that he was involved in cigarette smuggling operations.

In a series of interviews with journalists, held in August, Knezevic said that tobacco smuggling grew once Djukanovic took power in Montenegro in 1997. By 1999-2000 the illicit trade was worth several billion dollars annually, according to EU and US agencies.

Knezevic described the cigarette mafia group as "the most powerful mafia organisation in the Balkans in the past century". Referring to the trade, he explicitly referred to Djukanovic as the "cartel boss."

Djukanovic was reportedly informed of Knezevic's accusations via press clipping. He said that no proof has been presented since local media started reporting on his alleged involvement in mafia tobacco trading in 2001.

"There is no evidence, neither old nor new," he claimed, accusing media outlets of publishing lies in order to gain purported exclusives.

Beta news agency reports that the premier called these accusations the "foolish bullshitting of Balkan unfortunates who have, thus, found a way to grab public attention to their worthless lives”.

"They have entered into these engagements primarily driven by their financial interests, and their interest to continue to deal with the media and other rackets," Djukanovic alleged.

The Montenegrin prime minister reiterated that he plans to file a lawsuit against the state prosecutor of Bari, Italy, Giuseppe Scelsi, due to his "completely unfounded investigation in connection with alleged cigarette smuggling”. He said he is waiting for the right moment to file the lawsuit and, hence, protect his integrity.