Following an investigation into the wealth of Duško Golubović, a controversial former secret service agent, the non-governmental organisation MANS published extensive findings revealing that Golubović and his family had spent over €1 million on luxury assets over the past decade, raising doubts about the legitimacy of the family’s income. Golubović’s extensive career has been marred by allegations of ties to organised crime and unexplained wealth. Although he claims that the acquisitions were made legally, discrepancies in income reports suggest a significant gap between declared earnings and actual expenditures. Thanks to the investigative report, the Special State Prosecutor’s Office has opened an official investigation into the case.

Golubović has long been a controversial figure in Montenegro, with a career that spanned through almost 30 years in the National Security Agency. As a long-time secret service agent, he was frequently linked by media reports to the criminal underworld, raising questions about the source of his wealth. Golubović was later appointed deputy head of the Department for Suppression of Serious Crime within Montenegro's Police Directorate, responsible for fighting organised crime and corruption, before officially retiring in 2023.

The January 2024 MANS report on the properties and assets held by Duško Golubović and his family revealed that over the past decade Golubović's family had spent more than €1 million on luxury vehicles and real estate acquisitions. During the same period, family members also established and managed several private companies. Among the purchased high-end vehicles were a BMW X4, valued at €57,000, and a Porsche Macan, worth €78,000. Notably, in 2013, Luka Golubović, Duško’s elder son, then just a 20-year-old student, signed contracts for the purchase of vehicles and properties totalling nearly €200,000.

The report concluded that, based on publicly available information, the wealth accumulated by Golubović’s family could not be justified by their declared income. In response, Golubović asserted that all his family’s assets were acquired legally with the help of his relatives. He highlighted his wife’s car rental agency and his children’s businesses as legitimate sources of income and further mentioned bitcoin mining as a supplementary source of revenue.

However, income and asset declarations submitted to the Agency for Prevention of Corruption in 2019 paint a different picture. Golubović’s reported monthly salary in the police that year was only €840, while his wife earned approximately €450 per month. Moreover, financial statements from his family’s companies indicated that their operations could not have produced the funds required for the acquisition of luxury vehicles and real estate.

MANS forwarded a comprehensive dossier concerning Golubović’s family’s assets to both the Special State Prosecutor's Office and the Ministry of the Interior. The documents included contracts for real estate purchases, invoices for multiple vehicles and data related to the construction of a high-end residential and commercial building. In response, on 12 February 2024, the Special State Prosecutor’s Office confirmed that it had opened a criminal case and launched an investigation based on the suspicion that Golubović's assets may have been acquired through illicit activities.

In the following months, MANS continued to scrutinise the financial transactions and property dealings of the Golubović family. In July 2024, MANS discovered that, on 9 November 2023, Luka Golubović sold an apartment and garage for a total price €375,000. The sale was made entirely in cash, with Luka Golubović using a portion of the proceeds to repay a bank loan. The initial purchase price for the apartment and garage was €325,000, and the buyer paid an additional €50,000 for furnishings and equipment.

As of March 2025, the investigation into Duško Golubović and his family's financial dealings is still ongoing, with no recent updates available.

This case has increased concerns in Montenegro about the unchecked wealth of officials connected to law enforcement and security services, further damaging the already tarnished reputation of these institutions. A major challenge in the fight against corruption and organised crime remains the ability to properly investigate the origins of property owned by officials and their associates, particularly within the judicial and security sectors.

Nevertheless, this case underscores the critical role of civil society in uncovering potential corruption. The investigative efforts by MANS were able to inform and strengthen the work of prosecutorial institutions. This story highlights the importance of non-governmental organisations in holding power accountable and advancing the prosecution of criminal offenses. Additionally, it emphasises the urgent need for stronger legislation to facilitate better financial investigations and the confiscation of assets obtained through illegal activities.