Montenegro Probes Controversial Saudi Arms Sales

Montenegro's special prosecution for organised crime and corruption is probing the exports of the Montenegro Defence Industry's, MDI, the country's main arms trader deals since 2011, including alleged trading with Libya, Ukraine and Saudi Arabia, BIRN has learned.

The prosecution is checking the credibility of the end-user certificates, the documents that are designed to prove that equipment or arms have reached the designated purchaser, not another country or entity, especially one that is under an international arms embargo.

The MDI's director, Zoran Damjanovic, denied any wrongdog in the arms export deals.

"We did not do anything illegal and I'm not aware of any investigation. No one has contacted us so far," Damjanovic said.

Montenegro Still Selling Arms to Saudi Arabia

According to the UN Comtrade database, which BIRN has obtained, Montenegro continued to export weapons to Saudi Arabia in 2016.

The data showed that Montenegro sold 1,040,986 US dollars' worth of arms and ammunition to Saudi Arabia last year. The data said that the total amount of the sold weapons was 132 tonnes.

Overall 2016 exports to Saudi Arabia were down compared to 2015. Montenegro sold more than four million dollars worth of weapons to the Saudis that year.

Between August 2015 and May 2016, Montenegro sold Saudi Arabia 32 tonnes of anti-tank weapons and 250 tonnes of ammunition, including mortar shells and bullets for anti-aircraft guns.

The shipment included 10,000 Yugoslav-era Zolja anti-tank rocket launchers, 56 mortars and nearly 500,000 mortar shells and other ammunition.

He said that MDI would continue to export weapons to Saudi Arabia, pointing also to billions of euros worth of arms exports to the Gulf...