PODGORICA, Nov 2 (Hina) - Montenegrin President Milo Djukanovic's foreign affairs advisor on Friday said the international community was again accusing Djukanovic of the smuggling of cigarette, as it was not glad to see that
Djukanovic's option for independent Montenegro won the recent elections.
PODGORICA, Nov 2 (Hina) - Montenegrin President Milo Djukanovic's
foreign affairs advisor on Friday said the international community
was again accusing Djukanovic of the smuggling of cigarette, as it
was not glad to see that Djukanovic's option for independent
Montenegro won the recent elections. #L#
The international community was accusing Djukanovic as it was
dissatisfied with the election's results, said the advisor, Milan
Rocen, responding to the news item, released by the Reuters on
Friday, that the European Union is accusing R.J. Reynolds Tobacco
Holdings Inc. -RJR.N- of involvement in money-laundering scams --
some linked to the family of Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein --that
cheated the EU out of excise tax revenue on cigarettes.
According to the news agency, the suit was filed by the EU late
Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New
York. The Union accused the maker of Winston and Camel of selling
cigarettes to crime syndicates that were trying to launder the
proceeds of illegal activities. The complaint cites the
involvement of organised crime in Italy, Switzerland, the United
States, Turkey, Cyprus and Montenegro, according to a source
familiar with the case.
"Throughout the 1990s, huge amounts of money were paid to public
officials in Montenegro and elsewhere to guarantee the security of
the cigarettes and the illicit funds that were passing through the
Balkans," the court deposition reads.
Commenting on the allegations, Rocen said "somebody in the
international circles is again disappointed with the election's
results in Montenegro," and he described the accusations as "a
thinly-disguised political scenario."
"This is a story from the times when fierce pressure used to be
exerted on Djukanovic because of the project of the independent
Montenegro. This is obviously not only for the money laundering but
also as an attempt to ease somebody's conscience in Europe, where
they label the transport of cigarettes though their country as
transit, while through Montenegro they brand it as smuggling," the
advisor said.
He wondered why world power-wielders had not yet responded to
Djukanovic's call to show at least a small peace of evidence to
corroborate their allegations.
He added that Djukanovic had to date refuted all the allegations,
and the best answer to such claims was given by Montenegrin citizens
who expressed support to Djukanovic at the recent parliamentary
polls.
(hina) ms