Montenegrin Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic said on Thursday that a Croatian consortium led by Konstruktor had lost a tender for the construction of a motorway in Montenegro, denying reports that "the deal of the century" fell through because of the testimony of Montenegrin businessman Ratko Knezevic at the trial for the murder of Croatian journalist Ivo Pukanic before the Zagreb County Court.
"Unfortunately, that story is obviously over," Djukanovic said in an interview with the Croatian commercial television network Nova TV when asked about the outcome of the tender for the construction of a motorway from the coastal city of Bar to Boljare in the north.
Djukanovic said that the Croatian consortium had eight months to collect the necessary documents, while the other bidders did so in six, after which the Montenegrin government extended the deadline for another two months.
The Croatian construction consortium, comprising Konstruktor, IGH and Tehnika, failed to secure bank guarantees for financing the project, worth nearly three billion euros.
Djukanovic said that the deal did not fall through because of Knezevic, whom he described as "a pathological liar, a narcissist, and a clown," adding that Croatian courts and media attached too much importance to him.
Djukanovic confirmed that his government had begun negotiations with a Greek-Israeli consortium and that they could take four weeks, after which a final decision would be made. He said a new tender might be issued if the present one failed.
