Dejan Perunicic

Montenegrin Deputy PM Dritan Abazovic and former head of National Security Agency Dejan Perunicic (right). Photo: Government of Montenegro

Special State Prosecutor Milivoje Katnic said Perunicic is suspected of abuse of office, after conforming that an illegal surveillance bug was found in his office.

National Security Agency boss Dejan Vuksic, meeting with Montenegrin Deputy PM Dritan Abazovic. Photo:Photo: Government of Montenegro

"There is evidence … that part of the documentation was destroyed - files on secret data collection made without a previous decision in accordance with the law," Vuksic told the daily newspaper Vijesti.

New Prime Minister Zdravko Krivokapic (L) and former PM Dusko Markovic (D) at a meeting in Podgorica. Photo: Government of Montenegro

The Montenegrin parliament's security committee will hold extraordinary session on Tuesday to examine whether police used excessive force at opposition rallies over the weekend.

The Montenegrin cabinet on Thursday namd the new director of the National Security Agency as Dejan Perunicic.

The move was made as Montenegro faces a deadline from Brussels to make progress in carrying out security reforms before receiving an invitation to join NATO.