Montenegro Government Officials Resign Amid Explosive Sex Tape Scandal
A major political scandal has erupted in Montenegro following the alleged leak of an explicit sex tape featuring two high-ranking government officials, leading to the dramatic resignation of both individuals from their positions. The controversy has sent shockwaves through the nation's political establishment and raised serious questions about conduct within the corridors of power.
Resignations and Accusations Rock Administration
According to reports from Montenegrin newspaper Pobjeda, Mirjana Pajković, who served as the director general for the promotion and protection of human rights at the Ministry of Human and Minority Rights, officially announced her resignation on Friday. Her departure follows the online circulation of compromising video material that allegedly shows her engaged in sexual activity with Dejan Vukšić, a married former national security agency director who previously served as an adviser to President Jakov Milatović.
In a detailed statement, Pajković framed her resignation as being prompted by personal reasons, but she simultaneously launched serious allegations against Vukšić. She claimed that her former superior had threatened her with compromising material to ensure her silence on certain matters. "When I myself was exposed to the extreme violence that I posted on social networks, where the first person next to the president of the country, the first former person of the National Security Agency, very persistently and at length during the entire conversation told me that there would be no place for me and no life in Montenegro," Pajković stated, suggesting that President Milatović had failed to intervene appropriately in the unfolding scandal.
Allegations of Blackmail and Threats Emerge
The situation has evolved into a complex web of accusations and counter-accusations between the two former officials. Pajković asserted that Vukšić had directly threatened her, saying, "That my boss would see something that compromised me, where he clearly and directly threatened me that he had compromising material for me, why did I keep quiet at that moment?" She explained that this confrontation occurred after she refused to comply with his demands regarding her professional conduct.
Pajković further elaborated on the dynamics of the alleged blackmail, noting, "For example, when someone is blackmailing you. Someone more powerful will ask you for a favor, some behavior that you do not want at that moment, and if you refuse to do it, you will be handed over to someone who is the embodiment of the highest state authority." She emphasized that while physical violence might not be involved in such modern power struggles, the intent to destroy someone's life and reputation remains equally devastating.
Criminal Complaints and Counterclaims
Dejan Vukšić had already resigned from his position in late December, also citing personal reasons as the official explanation for his departure. This resignation came after Pajković filed multiple police complaints against him following the appearance of explicit content online. In his defense, Vukšić categorically rejected all allegations, stating, "I reject all inaccurate, incomplete, and tendentious allegations by which, without evidence, responsibility is being attributed to me for the violation of Pajković's privacy and the distribution of the disputed recordings." He maintained that he first became aware of the controversial material only when it began circulating illegally on various social media platforms.
Vukšić countered with his own accusations, claiming that Pajković had violated his privacy by allegedly misappropriating a phone that recorded him making a threat against her during a phone conversation. This call reportedly took place on a landline within President Milatović's office, adding another layer of intrigue to the already complicated situation. "The words I addressed to Pajković on that occasion, which were selectively published with a time delay of one year and three months, were an immediate reaction to the theft and abuse of my phone," Vukšić explained in his statement.
Further Complications and Ongoing Investigations
The scandal has continued to develop with additional revelations. According to reports from the Serbian Times, Vukšić alleged that in March he received a phone call attempting to blackmail him into withdrawing a judge's candidacy from the constitutional court, with the threat that audio recordings would be published if he refused. He directly accused Pajković of being involved with the group that made this threatening call.
Vukšić also revealed that he had submitted a police report against Pajković for attempted extortion, theft, and abuse of a phone, leading to her being questioned by authorities. He further claimed that Pajković had used the recording of the alleged threat in one of her criminal complaints filed in January, attempting to present it as a recent development despite the passage of significant time.
Throughout this extended controversy, both Pajković and Vukšić have consistently denied each other's claims while filing multiple criminal complaints against one another. The exact timing of when the suspected sex tape was created remains unclear, adding to the mystery surrounding this explosive political scandal that has captivated Montenegro and drawn international attention to the nation's governance challenges.
