Journalist Sead Sadiković won the first prize of the "EU Award for Investigative Journalism" contest in Montenegro.

His story "The Trucks of an Old Firefighter" published on television Vijesti, in an original way, reveals the mechanisms of fraud and irregularities in the procurement of expensive fire-fighting vehicles that are not being used for years. As jury explained, the author has selected a very effective way to tell the story, presenting it in the form of a fairy tale, with his distinctive touch of satire, which also marked his award ceremony statement.

"It is so easy to be a journalist in Montenegro. You just need to record what is already obvious and take the money from the European Union", Sadiković said. "The paradox is that, in the opinion of the EU, Montenegro is a positive example in the region, and yet these stories receive awards", he added.

VIDEO statement of Sead Sadiković at EU Award ceremony in Podgorica

Miranda Patrucić and Dejan Milovac won the second prize for the dossier "Dishonorable alliances", which was published in dailies Vijesti and Dan. Through four separate stories, dossier reveals the connection between politics, business and organized crime in Montenegro. Additional value of the dossier is that it was made through cooperation between investigative journalists and researchers of corruption and organized crime from the NGO sector in Montenegro.

"I thank the Government of Montenegro for the abundance of material provided to the media and NGOs," said one of the winners of the second prize, Dejan Milovac, adding, however, that those who dare to talk about it, usually become targets and victims of pressure from the government and criminal organizations.

Third place award went to Milica Bogdanović and Ana Bogavac’s story "Money and Parties" aired on TV Vijesti, which points out to non-transparent spending from the state budget by the political parties in Montenegro.

The awarded stories were selected among 21 competition entries, and selection was made by jury composed of Duško Vuković, Snežana Nikčević, Gordana Borović, Vladan Mićunović and Olivera Nikolić.

The awards were handed to the winners by Patrick Schmelzer, representative of the EU Delegation to Montenegro, on the ceremony held on June 24 2015 in Podgorica.