“Tobacco mafia behind Pukanić murder”

The Montenegrin tobacco mafia is behind the murder of Croat journalist and publisher Ivo Pukanic, Montenegrin businessman Ratko Knezevic said. He was testifying at the murder trial in Zagreb on Thursday, saying that Stanko Subotic, aka Cane, and Montenegrin Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic were behind the crime. “Tobacco mafia behind Pukanic murder” “The tobacco mafia started threatening Pukanic right after he published the first articles on Montenegro's state-sanctioned cigarette smuggling in the discontinued daily Rebulika,” Knezevic said in his testimony before the Zagreb District Court. He added that the threats continued with Pukanic's writings in the weekly Nacional, and that the first assassination plans were foiled by secret services of several countries in 2002. Knezevic also claims that Pukanic told him he was offered money to stop covering the topic - first two, and then five million euros. “That is the mafia way - first they threaten, then bribe, then kill,” the witness said, stating that he was threatened not only by those close to Subotic, but also by Subotic himself on two occasions over the phone, and that the threats were at first veiled and later direct. “Based on Pukanic's discoveries, European investigators identified Montenegrin Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic, who used cigarette smuggling to fill a parallel state budget which was under his direct control and intended for buying election votes at EUR 50 to 100 per vote,” Knezevic said. Knezevic is a former close ally of Djukanovic, and was for a period of time in the 1990s posted in Washington, as head of Montenegro's trade mission there. Pukanic died, along with another victim, when a car bomb exploded in Zagreb in the fall of 2008. Knezevic testifies in Zagreb today (Beta)

“Tobacco mafia behind Pukanić murder”

“The tobacco mafia started threatening Pukanić right after he published the first articles on Montenegro's state-sanctioned cigarette smuggling in the discontinued daily Rebulika,” Knežević said in his testimony before the Zagreb District Court.

He added that the threats continued with Pukanić's writings in the weekly Nacional, and that the first assassination plans were foiled by secret services of several countries in 2002.

Knežević also claims that Pukanić told him he was offered money to stop covering the topic - first two, and then five million euros.

“That is the mafia way - first they threaten, then bribe, then kill,” the witness said, stating that he was threatened not only by those close to Subotić, but also by Subotić himself on two occasions over the phone, and that the threats were at first veiled and later direct.

“Based on Pukanić's discoveries, European investigators identified Montenegrin Prime Minister Milo Đukanović, who used cigarette smuggling to fill a parallel state budget which was under his direct control and intended for buying election votes at EUR 50 to 100 per vote,” Knežević said.

Knežević is a former close ally of Đukanović, and was for a period of time in the 1990s posted in Washington, as head of Montenegro's trade mission there.

Pukanić died, along with another victim, when a car bomb exploded in Zagreb in the fall of 2008.