WORLD NEWS FOR MONTENEGRO DIASPORA
Choose language:
SOURCE: ANTENA M - AUTHOR: M.J. GDNUS
"It is in the final phase, the evidence has been gathered, and I believe the decision can be expected in the near future."
These were the words of Dušan Drakić, the acting director of the Agency for the Prevention of Corruption, confidently announcing a decision regarding the now infamous case of the fabulously expensive watches allegedly owned by Milo Đukanović, during his appearance on TV Adria on March 7.
CREATING A SCANDAL
The so-called "watch scandal" was conceived in early 2019 by businessman Duško Knežević, one of the creators of the political action "Odupri se," aimed at compromising the DPS government and Đukanović himself. In line with Knežević’s idea, on April 3, 2019, the newspaper Dan published a sensationalist article titled "Milo didn’t report watches worth 1.5 million."
Along with the article, three photos of Milo Đukanović were published, each featuring him wearing different watches.
It was clearly a coordinated effort. Just six days later, on April 9, the NGO MANS filed a request with the Agency for the Prevention of Corruption to initiate proceedings against then-president Đukanović for violating the Law on the Prevention of Corruption.
In the letter signed by Dejan Milovac, the key evidence that Đukanović did not report his assets were three photos submitted by Duško Knežević, which Dan had published. Interestingly, without any subsequent verification of the photos' authenticity, MANS immediately ruled before the Agency that the President of Montenegro had hidden assets worth 1,442,752 euros.
The methodology for calculating the value of the watches is unknown, and even less is known about whether Đukanović actually owns the disputed watches.
DRAKIĆ’S "CONSIDERATION"
It turned out that these facts were neither verified by the Agency for the Prevention of Corruption in 2019 nor by today, in April 2025, nearly six years later. However, the current head of ASK, Dušan Drakić, claims that he knows how the value of such watches increases year by year.
"I can’t say this specific data, but the value of such collector's watches increases every year. The value can roughly double or triple over a period of seven or eight years," Drakić speculated, even though he is a political scientist by profession.
Although he frequently talks about Milo Đukanović’s watches in the media, the head of ASK is very careful to conceal a crucial piece of information.
In a letter to the then director of ASK, Jelena Perović, President Đukanović denied ever owning the two most expensive watches. Regarding the third one, whose average value exceeds $20,000, he said it was a gift from a close person in the 1990s.
ĐUKANOVIĆ'S STATEMENT
Since there was neither a conflict of interest law nor the Agency for Prevention back then, Đukanović emphasized in his letter that he did not report the watch.
"The claims about the fabulously valuable watches I supposedly own are an expression of cheap and malicious sensationalism, and a need to scandalize the personality of the President of Montenegro for base and political purposes. As such, they are devoid of factual and legal basis. The watches mentioned in MANS’s initiative – the ‘Patek Philippe Sky Moon Tourbillon’ and the ‘Ulysse Nardin Classic Skeleton Tourbillon’ – I have never owned, while the ‘Breguet Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar 3795 pr/1e/9v6’ has been in my possession since the 1990s," stated Đukanović in his letter to the director of ASK.
WHEN ASK SELECTS DATA
This statement was either not seen or Drakić chose not to read it. Or perhaps, as a government official appointed by the August majority, he simply did not want to listen to Milo Đukanović.
But why did Dušan Drakić refuse to read the report by Balša Savić, the forensic expert for digital evidence?
On February 17, 2025, expert Savić determined and forensically proved that the photos of the two most expensive watches were fabricated. It was a professional – but brutal and vile forgery, clearly aimed at severely discrediting Đukanović.
This happened during the peak of the "Odupri se" protests, which Knežević had logistically supported from his exile in London. It is evident that Knežević followed the motto that the goal – overthrowing Đukanović – justifies any means, including planting false evidence.
From Savić’s report:
"Further visual analysis confirmed that this is a manipulated photograph, where two separate images were combined. It is clear that elements, including the watch and text, were added or combined later to create a specific visual message. The metadata indicates that the photo was likely a frame taken from a video, with several versions saved in Adobe Premiere Pro CC2019. Additionally, visual elements confirm that the image was manipulated, meaning two separate photographs were merged to create a certain effect..."
This is part of expert Savić’s report, which analyzed a photograph of a watch supposedly worth around 1.3 million euros. It turned out to be a setup!
Forensic expert Savić further determined that another photo, in which Đukanović allegedly wears a watch worth $185,858, was another of Knežević's deceptions.
"Analysis of metadata and visual elements shows that the photo was created by merging two separate images. Processing history shows that the photo was created by merging two separate images. The processing history indicates that the photo was saved and modified multiple times, which is documented in the XMP metadata," reads the report that Savić submitted to ASK.
VAGUE ESTIMATES
Adding to these expert analyses and the obvious evidence of the fabricated photographs, it is even more puzzling to see Dušan Drakić’s behavior.
Namely, Marija Đukić, a judicial expert hired by ASK to assess the value of the specific watches, stated in her February report that – quote – "the analysis shows the movement of brands and models of watches, so it cannot be considered an estimate of the value of the specific watch."
Despite all this, the acting director of the Agency for the Prevention of Corruption, Dušan Drakić, demanded in a letter to Milo Đukanović on February 28 this year – based on a request from MANS, believe it or not, six years old – that the former president explain in writing why he did not report owning three expensive watches.
Although neither Drakić nor MANS have proven that Milo Đukanović actually owns the watches for which he has stated in writing that he never possessed two.
How can such bias be interpreted other than as politically motivated targeting of the former president of Montenegro?
(MIS)USE
And this, with the use – or more precisely, the abuse – of the official position of the head of the Agency for the Prevention of Corruption. The question is whether the Special State Prosecutor’s Office will even react after the publication of all this information pointing to illegalities at the top of ASK.
After all, neither the SDT nor any prosecutor’s office has reacted when TV E and ETV Portal uncovered how ASK falsified its own decision in the revolving card case used by Milo Đukanović at Atlas Bank. The alteration of an official record is illegal and a criminal offense.
However, the Montenegrin prosecutor’s office has been silent since February this year. It’s possible they will react similarly now. More precisely – they won’t react.
