The Montenegrin Agency for the Prevention of Corruption (ASK) announced on 25 November that former president Milo Đukanović failed to declare a significant portion of his movable assets — specifically, a high-value collection of luxury wristwatches worth an estimated €200,000.
According to the agency’s findings, officials analyzed photographs published by various Montenegrin media outlets over the years, taken during Đukanović’s public appearances as president or prime minister. The images showed him wearing watches from seven luxury brands, each valued by digital-forensics and economic-finance experts between €8,000 and €59,000.
Experts identified the following models: Franck Muller, Cartier Pasha, Brequet Tourbillon, Roger Dubuis Excalibur, Rolex, Patek Philippe, and Cartier Moonphase.
ASK Confirms the Evidence Is Authentic
The agency stated that the photographic material is “authentic” and that none of the watches were declared in Đukanović’s official annual reports on income and assets — a legal obligation for public officials in Montenegro.
“The photographs depicting former public official Milo Đukanović with these watches are authentic, and these items were never declared as movable property in any of the submitted asset reports,” ASK said in its justification.
Đukanović’s Defense Rejected
In his 2021 response, Đukanović dismissed the allegations as “malicious sensationalism”, claiming that:
- some of the watches never belonged to him,
- and that the Brequet Tourbillon was a gift from the 1990s, before he assumed public office.
ASK rejected this explanation, stating that no evidence was provided to support it.
Furthermore, digital-forensics experts concluded that the model Đukanović claims to own “does not exist”.
A Long Political Career Under Scrutiny
Milo Đukanović, one of the most influential political figures in Montenegro since the early 1990s, served multiple terms as prime minister and president. His Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) governed Montenegro uninterruptedly until 2020, when it lost power to a coalition led by pro-Russian, centrist, and civic parties.
Đukanović completed his final presidential mandate in 2023, losing to current president Jakov Milatović.
Radio Free Europe asked the former president’s office for comment on the agency’s decision, but received no response.
Đukanović has 20 days to launch an administrative procedure challenging ASK’s ruling.
