Montenegro Parliament Snubs Fresh Telekom Probe

Ranko Krivokapic, the speaker of parliament, on Wednesday said parliament will not re-open a probe into the controversial privatization of the telecommunications company Montenegrin Telekom.

Krivokapic said parliament had already done its job by "moving the authorities to start to work on this case. Now the prosecution should do its job".

The US embassy in Podgorica called on the authorities last week to conduct a thorough investigation and bring any guilty parties to justice.

The US Commission of Security and Stock Exchange said it had evidence of bribery in the privatization of Montenegrin Telekom, revealed when Magyar Telekom shares were listed on the American Stock Exchange. Magyar Telekom obtained a 76.53 per cent interest in Montenegrin Telekom in 2005 and thus became the majority owner of the company. Deutsche Telekom AG meanwhile holds 59.21 per cent of the Magyar Telekom shares.

US investigating authorities say they have information that three directors of Magyar Telekom bribed several Montenegrin officials as well as the “sister of a senior official who is practicing law”.

In 2012, the Montenegrin parliament launched a probe into alleged corruption in the privatisation of Telekom. But the parliamentary committee finished its work nine months later with no official findings.  

Asked to comment on an alleged reference to the name of Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic in the US regulator's documentation, Krivokapic said he had not seen the documents in question.