Facing bankruptcy, Montenegro’s embattled state-owned maritime company liquidated assets worth tens of millions in 2025 for a fraction of their market value, snubbing industry experts and skirting public procurement and state property laws– and raising questions about who ultimately benefited from the deal. Andrea Perišić / Predrag Nikolić In September 2025, Crnogorska Plovidba JSC (CP) […]

Two thousand tons of waste bound for Libya left the Port of Bar in 2024 without proper documentation or inspection by government officials, on a vessel flying under one of the most sanctioned flags in maritime law, according to a CIN-CG investigation. The shipment, which was diverted to Turkey at the port, raises questions about […]

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS Balancing Investment and National Interest Investment Outcomes Since Independence Need for Development-Oriented Investments Limited EU Investment and Structural Challenges Risks from Offshore and Non-Transparent Capital Focus on Investment Quality Over Origin Bilateral Treaties and Investment Soundness Risks from the UAE and Most-Favoured-Nation Clauses Expert Oversight of Treaty Negotiations Modern Clauses for State […]

If Montenegro continues to conclude agreements that circumvent the public procurement system, it risks losing credibility, delaying EU accession, and undermining its own legal framework, thereby directly endangering its position, reputation, and economic security, experts warn. By Đurđa Radulović / Predrag Nikolić The conclusion of bilateral agreements on economic cooperation, such as those in the […]

In this episode of the Istražuj.me podcast, Časlav Pejović, a renowned expert in international law, shares insights drawn from his professional experience in Japan, discusses opportunities for Montenegro, and highlights potential risks associated with recent international agreements signed by the Montenegrin government. Until a few years ago, Pejović was a tenured faculty member at the […]

Kristina Radović/Antonija Janevska "My main motivation for going to study abroad was the desire for change, in the sense that I wanted to experience living somewhere abroad in my twenties," says one of the Montenegrin students currently studying in Slovenia. The emigration of young people is not just a problem for a society in Montenegro, […]

Center for Investigative Journalism of Montenegro (CIN-CG) along with the partners in Reporting Diversity Network have opened the call for project proposals aiming to counter hate speech and improve representation of diversity. The call was opened as part of the Reporting Diversity Network, which was established with the objective of effectively influencing media representation of […]

Investors from Serbia, Russia, and Turkey were the leading contributors to Montenegro's investment landscape last year. However, the profiles of these countries do not align with Montenegro's Euro-Atlantic aspirations. Many foreign investors have expressed dissatisfaction with the investment climate, while the Government lacks a clear strategy to address these concerns. Predrag Nikolić/Đurđa Radulović In the […]

Vedat, a Roma boy from Gjakova, Kosovo, was born in 1994 and was just five years old when the war erupted in his homeland. He was born with a severe infection in his leg, and due to the immense pain he was experiencing, his father, Fadil Behluli, decided to take him to the hospital one […]

Brendon Berisha was only three years old when he came to Montenegro in 1999. He was born in Kosovo, and since then has had the citizenship of Kosovo. The same applies to the woman with whom they gave birth to their daughter, Elemedina, who was born in 2014 in Montenegro. Shortly after her birth, her […]

The number of public administration and state-owned enterprises employees increased by over 5,000 from 2020 to the end of 2023. Meanwhile, between 2017 and 2023, local self-government saw an increase of more than 3,500 employees Kristina Radović In just four years, state-owned enterprises have added thousands of new employees, with some nearly doubling their workforce. […]

The ruling parties have divided the spoils of power and appointed their people to most public companies, where the number of employees is growing at an alarming rate. Even managers who generate losses are handsomely rewarded. Most companies operate without transparency, while the new leadership directs generous donations to the Serbian Orthodox Church. Predrag Nikolić […]

Despite being a protected area, the effectiveness of protection in 'Rijeka Zeta' is undermined by inadequate legal frameworks and poor implementation. Additionally, waste in the region poses a threat to public health. Tijana Lekić Wildlandfills in the "Rijeka Zeta" Nature Park contain various waste—tires, construction debris, dead animals, food scraps, textiles, car parts, and furniture. […]

Under Đukanović's tenure, Branimir Martinović's company emerged as the leading pharmaceutical distributor. In the decades that followed, it reached a turnover of hundreds of millions, yet it continues to maintain a monopoly, effectively rendering public tenders in this sector meaningless Predrag NIKOLIĆ Currently, 906 branded medicines are listed under the basic, supplementary, and special regime […]

The Environmental Protection Agency approved the Environmental Impact Assessment Report for Tehnoput, which relies on data up to seven years old. Meanwhile, companies actively damaging the Cijevna and Morača rivers continue operations without valid water permits Predrag NIKOLIĆ/Andrea PERIŠIĆ The residents of Donja Cijevna and Mahala are exposed to constant noise and air pollution caused […]

In just six months, the Nikšić businessman earned over a million euros from the sale of the administration building and land of the former mining giant, which was almost handed over to him as a gift by the bankruptcy trustee. Workers filed a criminal complaint, but there is no money to pay the outstanding salaries  […]

The court handling the trials of Medenica, Jovanović, Čađenović, Lazović, heads of drug cartels and other defendants accused of high-level corruption and organized crime is not functioning and rarely renders decisions By Maja Boričić  The Special Division of the High Court in Podgorica, responsible for adjudicating of corruption, organized crime and war crimes, has rendered […]

Following the change of government three years ago, deposits held in the bank of the younger Đukanović began to ‘melt away’. The bank has survived thanks to substantial backing from the government, as well as deposits from state-owned enterprises, institutions, local governments and close businessmen. Auditors warned about the company’s uncertain future, while the Central […]

Jegdić has been on trial for six years already, and yet there is still no first-instance decision. How much longer will the trials of Medenica and Jovanić last? Judging by the initial hearings, the wheels of justice will move slowly, if at all. By Maja Boričić The Judicial Council dismissed two judges over 10 years […]

There is no progress in establishing accountability in the judiciary By Maja Boričić Special Prosecutor Saša Čađenović received a disciplinary sanction 11 years ago for arbitrarily taking away a case assigned to another prosecutor while serving as a prosecutor at the Basic State Prosecutor’s Office in Podgorica. Čađenović is currently in prison on charges that […]

Competent institutions assert that the state will crack down on one of the most lucrative illegal businesses in Montenegro, while shifting the blame for failure onto one another By Maja Boričić and Dražen Đurašković Piles of gravel everywhere, machines operating right by the shore, the riverbed expanded, and landslides on both sides of the riverbed, […]

One of the most significant contracts signed by the mayor of Budva, originally from Spuž, is with the company Carat, led by Dragan Perović—a figure with whom Mayor Božović shares both personal and business connections. In Dubovica, where Carat is engaged in infrastructure development, the two are co-owners of land and residential property Predrag Nikolić […]

Montenegro has over 300 uncontrolled landfills, and most municipalities fail to implement recycling or waste separation practices. Alarmingly, the situation has worsened over the past decade. Every year, millions of euros are wasted, and the environment continues to suffer from increasing pollution. Andrea Perišić "For the past two years, I've been collecting every plastic and […]

Increasing the number of mediators, raising the legal marriage age to 18, and building shelters for victims of arranged marriages and gender-based violence—these are some of the key recommendations that emerged from the conference "The Position of Girls and Women in the Roma and Egyptian Communities," organized by the Center for Investigative Journalism of Montenegro […]

JOVANA (Anonymous interlocutor) The doctor then told me that I must not give birth anymore since my life was in danger. I gave birth to a lot of children and I had a lot of miscarriages. The doctor told me that I must not give birth anymore. ĐURĐA RADULOVIĆ (Journalist of the Center for Investigative […]

The company owned by businessman Dejan Pejović was granted a 600-square-meter space for the Hard Rock Café following a tender process in which the conditions were altered mid-course, contrary to regulations. As a result, bidders who had offered significantly higher lease amounts were disqualified, while the highest-ranked bidder—Pejović's business partner—ultimately withdrew from the project. This […]