Combat against corruption “must not stop”

BELGRADE Serbia’s First Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic has stated that combat against corruption and crime is a fight for Serbia’s future. He added that neither the government nor any institution must give up on combat against corruption. Combat against corruption “must not stop” Vucic said that the authorities were closing in on runway drug lord Darko Saric’s gang. “We are closing in on Saric’s drug gang in a criminal-legal sense,” he told Radio Television of Serbia (RTS) and added that he would soon meet with heads of the most important security services in the world. “We expect certain progress, we already have certain information and I hope that we will make people in Serbia happy by mid-2013 with results in combat against corruption and crime,” the deputy PM said and stressed that it “does not pay to be involved in crime and corruption”. He added that prosecutors were doing their job and interviewing witnesses in a case against Delta Holding owner Miroslav Miskovic, adding that he assumed that once the interviews were over, there would be no more reason to keep him in custody. Vucic stressed that he expected a quick and efficient trial. “When I say quick, I do not mean it should be rushed but that it should be efficient and to avoid putting the file in a drawer for a year, two, three thanks to various tricks,” he said, stressing that people wanted to see results. “Combat against corruption and crime is a fight for Serbia’s future. This is a fight for citizens’ better standard of living, better economy, essentially to establish a legal order and neither the government nor any institution must give up on it,” Vucic told RTS. He underscored that the progress was being made, that people in charge of the combat were doing their job and thanked everybody who took part in it, “It is not easy to discover those who cover up the real intention with ten accounts. A lead is always possible but not easy to find,” the deputy PM said. He pointed out that one thing had significantly changed – that combat against corruption was led by institutions that were now free. “It is important to establish institutions, so they can work and continue that work and so people have faith in the legal system,” Vucic explained. “A perception of people in Serbia today is much different than six months or a year ago and I think they are satisfied because they have realized that there are no protected ones and that Serbia wants to modernize itself, and there can be none of that without combat against crime and corruption,” he noted. The first deputy PM said that it was important to improve the work of the Administration for the Prevention of Money Laundering, adding that 27 verdicts had so far been delivered. Aleksandar Vucic (Beta, file) “Three businessmen run campaign against UAE investments” Vucic stated that a campaign against investments worth EUR 100mn in agriculture coming from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) had been launched, and added that three businessmen “who think they can do whatever they like are behind this”. "You will come to realize that business and interests of three powerful businessmen, three greats of the Serbian business who think they can sell everything for peanuts, destroy the Serbian village and hire whatever association they like whenever they want are behind this," he explained. "We have found the most powerful investor in the world, the Swiss admire us and ask how we managed to bring them to Serbia, this was the best thing it happened to the country in the past 20 years, we are selling the companies for EUR 100mn but yet you can see that all media are running a campaign against us," Vucic said. He added that certain business circles that fear competition were afraid of these investments. “I am asking, and I expect that you will also ask the people from the Democratic Party (DS) what they have against these investments in agriculture,” the deputy prime minister noted. He also said that seven agricultural companies were privatized when the DS was in power and that in the meantime all seven of them had failed and now had debts amounting to EUR 30mn, adding that the workers had been fired or were working without pay, while the government was not collecting taxes. Commenting on probes into abuses in other companies, he said that an investigation in the case of Galenika pharmaceutical company was almost over and that he expected results in cases of Capital Investment Fund and Development Bank of Vojvodina, “because the state organs have finally entered those institutions”. When asked about Agrobanka, he said that it was not easy to find crucial evidence as to who was the mastermind of the whole “project”. “I expect it to be done in the next month,” Vucic concluded. Tanjug

Combat against corruption “must not stop”

Vučić said that the authorities were closing in on runway drug lord Darko Šarić’s gang.

“We are closing in on Šarić’s drug gang in a criminal-legal sense,” he told Radio Television of Serbia (RTS) and added that he would soon meet with heads of the most important security services in the world.

“We expect certain progress, we already have certain information and I hope that we will make people in Serbia happy by mid-2013 with results in combat against corruption and crime,” the deputy PM said and stressed that it “does not pay to be involved in crime and corruption”.

He added that prosecutors were doing their job and interviewing witnesses in a case against Delta Holding owner Miroslav Mišković, adding that he assumed that once the interviews were over, there would be no more reason to keep him in custody.

Vučić stressed that he expected a quick and efficient trial.

“When I say quick, I do not mean it should be rushed but that it should be efficient and to avoid putting the file in a drawer for a year, two, three thanks to various tricks,” he said, stressing that people wanted to see results.

“Combat against corruption and crime is a fight for Serbia’s future. This is a fight for citizens’ better standard of living, better economy, essentially to establish a legal order and neither the government nor any institution must give up on it,” Vučić told RTS.

He underscored that the progress was being made, that people in charge of the combat were doing their job and thanked everybody who took part in it,

“It is not easy to discover those who cover up the real intention with ten accounts. A lead is always possible but not easy to find,” the deputy PM said.

He pointed out that one thing had significantly changed – that combat against corruption was led by institutions that were now free.

“It is important to establish institutions, so they can work and continue that work and so people have faith in the legal system,” Vučić explained.

“A perception of people in Serbia today is much different than six months or a year ago and I think they are satisfied because they have realized that there are no protected ones and that Serbia wants to modernize itself, and there can be none of that without combat against crime and corruption,” he noted.

The first deputy PM said that it was important to improve the work of the Administration for the Prevention of Money Laundering, adding that 27 verdicts had so far been delivered.

“Three businessmen run campaign against UAE investments”

Vučić stated that a campaign against investments worth EUR 100mn in agriculture coming from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) had been launched, and added that three businessmen “who think they can do whatever they like are behind this”.

"You will come to realize that business and interests of three powerful businessmen, three greats of the Serbian business who think they can sell everything for peanuts, destroy the Serbian village and hire whatever association they like whenever they want are behind this," he explained.

"We have found the most powerful investor in the world, the Swiss admire us and ask how we managed to bring them to Serbia, this was the best thing it happened to the country in the past 20 years, we are selling the companies for EUR 100mn but yet you can see that all media are running a campaign against us," Vučić said.

He added that certain business circles that fear competition were afraid of these investments.

“I am asking, and I expect that you will also ask the people from the Democratic Party (DS) what they have against these investments in agriculture,” the deputy prime minister noted.

He also said that seven agricultural companies were privatized when the DS was in power and that in the meantime all seven of them had failed and now had debts amounting to EUR 30mn, adding that the workers had been fired or were working without pay, while the government was not collecting taxes.

Commenting on probes into abuses in other companies, he said that an investigation in the case of Galenika pharmaceutical company was almost over and that he expected results in cases of Capital Investment Fund and Development Bank of Vojvodina, “because the state organs have finally entered those institutions”.

When asked about Agrobanka, he said that it was not easy to find crucial evidence as to who was the mastermind of the whole “project”.

“I expect it to be done in the next month,” Vučić concluded.