Brakes failed on Abazović's Mercedes, stopped 50 meters before a steep descent

(Patria) - Authorities are determining why the brakes on a state-owned Mercedes carrying Montenegrin Prime Minister Dritan Abazović suddenly failed while driving.

This was officially announced by the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MUP) of Montenegro to the portal Vijesti.me, according to whose information the braking system on the official vehicle completely stopped working while Abazović was on Obzovica, about fifty meters before a steep descent.

The incident occurred on July 31, and Abazović was on his way to an official visit to Tivat at the time. According to unofficial information, there were no warnings on the dashboard of the car.

After the vehicle stopped on the gravel road beside the road, Abazović transferred to another escort vehicle and has been using a different official vehicle, an Audi, ever since.

The MUP states that current checks indicate the malfunction was due to the age and significant mileage of the vehicle, but also emphasizes that the head of that institution and Abazović's party colleague, Filip Adžić, initiated an extraordinary inspection by the Directorate for Security and Oversight, "to determine the causes and circumstances under which this event occurred".

"From the checks conducted so far, we are convinced that the vehicle malfunction occurred due to its age and significant mileage, and that there were no prior indicators that such a failure could occur in the aforementioned vehicle," the Ministry told Vijesti.

They explain that the average age of official motor vehicles used within the Department for the Protection of Domestic Protected Persons for the purpose of performing security tasks for protected persons is 12 years.

"However, we note that they are regularly technically maintained and serviced through and within the capacities of the Directorate for Maintenance and Operation of Means of Transport and Organization of Food and Accommodation of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

In this regard and in this way, all necessary security standards established in the field of security of protected persons are adequately met," the Ministry of Internal Affairs claims in its responses to Vijesti.

They also emphasize that these official motor vehicles, used for the security of protected persons, are under twenty-four-hour surveillance by police officers.

"For now, there are no indications that the malfunction of the aforementioned vehicle in the given event was caused by human factors.

Given that this is a vehicle used by police officers performing security tasks for the Prime Minister of Montenegro, the Minister of Internal Affairs Filip Adžić has initiated an extraordinary inspection by the Directorate for Security and Oversight to determine the causes and circumstances under which this event occurred," stated the government department headed by Adžić.