Zirojević announces to Portal ETV evidence against Olivera Injac: She was moved to Brussels to avoid criminal liability

Member of Parliament of the Social Democrats and representative of the European Alliance, Nikola Zirojević, announced in an interview with Portal ETV that he will present evidence against former Minister of Defence and former Mayor of Podgorica, now Montenegro’s ambassador in Brussels, Olivera Injac.

Zirojević made the statement in response to Portal ETV’s question whether he believes Injac was moved to Brussels in order to avoid potential criminal liability over numerous accusations against her, particularly from the period when she served as Minister of Defence.

- I can freely announce that in the coming days I will present to the public part of the documentation I have obtained, which I believe - while it will be up to the competent state authorities to decide - indicates that Injac should be held accountable and that criminal proceedings should be initiated against her. This concerns a potential abuse of official position - Zirojević said.

He assessed that the circumstances of her appointment to a diplomatic position leave room for suspicion.

- It appears quite certain that the former Minister of Defence and former Mayor of Podgorica was moved to Brussels to avoid responsibility, given that we still seem to be guided by that old and unpleasant practice of sending potentially problematic officials, who could face accountability, on missions abroad. In doing so, on the one hand, you remove them from the public spotlight and they are discussed far less, and on the other hand, the position of diplomat - in this case ambassador - grants her immunity from criminal prosecution - Zirojević told Portal ETV.

He added that he had already raised this issue at a session of the Committee on International Relations and Emigrants.

- I warned about this at the Committee on International Relations and Emigrants, where I listed all the reasons why Olivera Injac should have been held accountable - Zirojević emphasized.

It should be recalled that during Injac’s ministerial mandate, certain media outlets reported numerous suspicions of unlawful conduct while she was a member of the cabinet of the Government of Zdravko Krivokapić, as well as four criminal complaints filed against her.

Back in 2021, the Special State Prosecutor’s Office formed a case against the then minister based on two criminal complaints filed by attorney Mihailo Volkov, over suspicions of unlawful employment and abuse of office. The complaints referred to the engagement of retired warrant officer Miodrag Jokanović in the intelligence service of the Ministry of Defence, as well as the unlawful and unconstitutional appointment of an active officer, Lieutenant Colonel Veljko Mališić, as State Secretary and later Acting Director General of the Logistics Directorate of the Ministry of Defence.

In 2024, the Special State Prosecutor’s Office dismissed two criminal complaints against the former Minister of Defence.

Allegations of abuse of office continued to follow Injac during her term as head of Podgorica. Municipal police officers of the Capital City filed a criminal complaint against then-Mayor Olivera Injac on suspicion of abuse of official position, negligent performance of duties, and the existence of another criminal offense.

In 2024, a criminal complaint was also filed with the Special State Prosecutor’s Office against then-Mayor of Podgorica Olivera Injac, acting commander of the Protection and Rescue Service Zdravko Blečić, responsible persons in the company „Centroslavija“ LLC, as well as two employees of the Protection and Rescue Service of the Capital City.

As stated in that criminal complaint, it was submitted by a supplier of firefighter uniforms on suspicion of forming a criminal group for the purpose of obtaining unlawful financial gain and abuse of official position.

The entire case, as follows from Zirojević’s statements, has once again raised the issue of political accountability, as well as potential criminal responsibility of the former minister and mayor, a matter on which, according to him, the competent state authorities will make the final decision.