The Prime Minister of Montenegro, Milojko Spajić, has requested the Minister of Internal Affairs, Danilo Šaranović, to urgently initiate the procedure for revoking the citizenship of Kosovar businessman Naser Ramaj, who is accused of tax evasion.
This news was confirmed to Radio Free Europe by the Montenegrin government.
The previous government, under former Prime Minister Dritan Abazović, had granted Ramaj honorary citizenship in 2023, citing his status as a major investor in the “Porto Budva” complex, valued at €80 million.
The prosecution accuses Ramaj and Valentina Grubović, responsible for the company “Alart Centar Budva,” of failing to report revenues from the sale of residential and commercial spaces in this very complex.
Three days ago, the prosecution announced that the Basic Court in Kotor had confirmed the indictment.
“Granting citizenship to a person under investigation for tax evasion and financial fraud could harm Montenegro’s international reputation, particularly in the eyes of European Union partners, which could negatively impact future investments and the country’s negotiation position in the EU integration process,” Spajić stressed in a letter sent to the Minister of Police.
Honorary citizenship in Montenegro is granted exclusively upon the proposal of the highest state officials.
In Ramaj’s case, the proposal came in 2023 from then-Prime Minister Dritan Abazović.
Montenegrin law stipulates that citizenship may be granted if the individual’s acceptance is of “special importance to the state’s interests in areas such as science, economy, culture, sports, or other sectors.”
In Ramaj’s case, the justification was that his investments would create new jobs and contribute to “the economic, financial, and industrial development of Montenegro.”
The decision was accompanied by a positive opinion from the Ministry of Finance.
The entire procedure was completed within two months.
However, the current prime minister has expressed “serious doubts” about the legality of the honorary citizenship grant, emphasizing that the positive opinion from the Ministry of Finance lacked any proper analysis of Ramaj’s business activities in Montenegro.
