The privatization of the former military complex in Meljina should be reviewed as soon as possible in order to determine whether the market price was paid for the sale of the valuable location, which opens the way for a return to state ownership, the Association for Social Justice announced.
In that non-governmental organization, they believe that it should be determined whether the market price was paid for the complex, which would open the way for it to return to state ownership, as was done earlier with Solana from Ulcinj.
“Last year, the government returned the valuable location of Solana to state ownership, determining that the buyer did not pay the market price.” In the case of the privatization of the hospital complex in Meljina, it can be assessed that it is a similar model, and it is necessary to take concrete measures in order to protect the public interest in the country and the interest of the Municipality of Herceg Novi, together with the employees”, ASP stated.
They said that the media recently conveyed the information that before the international arbitration of the court in The Hague, before which the compensation claim of the Atlas group of half a billion EUR is pending, the compensation claim of that group for the Meljine hospital is related to the amount of 80 million EUR.
They reminded that this privatization was realized in 2008, when the complex was sold to the buyer for EUR 25.1 million, but by enabling him to pay the price with bonds, which the then government bought at a value of EUR one, while they were on the market those traded at 35 cents.
“According to available public data, the consortium, the backbone of which was Invest and Atlas Bank, owned by Duško Knežević, who was then labeled by the media as close to the then government, essentially paid about ten million for the complex”, the ASP statement states.
They added that a few years later, for the needs of the owner, the value of the location was determined at EUR 56 million, although he never implemented the investment program of EUR 119 million, which he undertook to implement within seven years of the adoption of the new planning document.
“Although the tender called for the development of health tourism, the planning document increased the price of the location several times, as it allowed for the construction of around 90,000 square meters of buildings, two-thirds of which for tourist apartments and a hotel, and one-third for the hospital complex”, said the ASP.
According to them, the government has never publicly announced the precise price paid for the bonds. Also, it is not known what the current market value of the location, which is located right on the sea coast, is.
The company Meljine Complex, which owns the complex, is now in bankruptcy, and in the meantime, the employees are looking for a prompt solution to the problem, local media writes.
