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12/01/2024

Pursuant to the Law on Media (OGRM 51/02, 62/02 and OGM 82/20), and with a view to objectively informing the public regarding the claims made by Prelević Law Firm regarding the alleged disappearance of approximately five kilograms of opal stored in the vault of the Central Bank of Montenegro after their confiscation in 2012, and the alleged damage to the stored collection due to poor storage conditions in the vault of the Central Bank, we hereby issue the following 

REACTION

Pursuant to the Law on Managing Seized and Confiscated Property (OGM 49/08) and in accordance with the Procedures for handling bailments, in the night between 14-15 March 2012, the Central Bank of Montenegro received from the Police Administration a closed bailment, taped with police tape and sealed with sealing wax with the stamp of the Police Administration - Forensics.

The content of the bailment was listed in the Certificate of Seized Items specified by the Police Administration - Podgorica Regional Unit. This Certificate is kept by the bailor - the Police Administration, and the Central Bank of Montenegro has not had a direct access to it.

When receiving the bailments from the bailor, in accordance with positive regulations, the Vault of the Central Bank of Montenegro does not check contents of closed bailments and does not know what is contained in them, but receives them sealed with wax and lead seal. In the case in question, the bailment receipt was noted in the minutes.

The Central Bank of Montenegro keeps all bailments sealed, in the same form in which they have been received. They remain in the same form and without any contact with their content, only to be returned to the bailor upon request. Bailments are only physically and securely stored in the vault of the Central Bank, so the Central Bank of Montenegro cannot be held accountable for any potential decrease the content (value) of closed bailments due to the specific conditions necessary for their storage.

We also point out that the Central Bank has contacted the competent institutions on several occasions asking them to remove the bailment in question from the vault of the Central Bank due to the specific nature of its content, and to take adequate measures and actions to store the bailment in question in the appropriate storage designed for this purpose.