DS financing controversy deepens

The Democratic Party (DS) has denied the claims of former Zrenjanin Mayor Goran Knezevic that the party was financed by NIS and the Vojvodina Investment Fund. The mystery of who is financing the parties has still to be resolved even several days after the stories of ties between big business and senior politicians returned to the spotlight. DS financing controversy deepens The public has received information that the Democratic Party’s (DS) backers include predominantly very small companies, some even on the verge of bankruptcy. At the same time, Knezevic says that the DS is financed from undisclosed sources. A day after the Democrats presented a list of 44 companies that had donated to the party last year, Knezevic told the Novi Sad District Court that some of the DS’s biggest backers were the Serbian Oil Industry (NIS) and the Vojvodina Capital Investment Fund. DS official Marko Djurisic denied all the allegations. Daily Danas released a detailed list of companies that the DS claimed had donated money to them. They include mostly small and family companies, even companies that have been operating at a loss recently. The only public company, according to Danas, which had donated to the party was the Kikinda Construction Directorate, with earnings of over EUR 27,000. B92 was prevented by an official of the president’s press service from asking either the DS or President Boris Tadic to explain how such small companies were able to set aside such large amounts of money for the party. Tadic said earlier that his deputy Dusan Petrovic was responsible for those matters, and that he was not currently available for comment. Goran Knezevic (B92, archive) Former mayor: NIS financed DS Ex-Zrenjanin mayor Goran Knezevic says that the Serbian Oil Industry and the Vojovodina Capital Investment Fund are the Democratic Party’s biggest financiers. Daily Blic writes that in a statement before the District Court in Belgrade, Knezevic explained that the party was financed by anonymous cash donations that were not entered into the books and were kept in a safe, and by funds given to the ruling party by public companies and provincial institutions. Knezevic, who was president of the DS’s Vojvodina committee, is accused of abuse of office. He said that the money that the party received from the budget was not enough, so local committees had to look elsewhere for donations from party members and supporters. Knezevic explained that the same principle of financing existed in the DS’s provincial committee in Novi Sad. He added that these funds were used to pay employees, maintenance costs for city and election committees, election candidates, the media, promotions, transport costs, telephone services, stages, sound equipment, television adverts, representation, manual labor and a slew of other expenses. Should Knezevic’s testimony be corroborated, it will be the first solid confirmation of all the warnings and suspicions of independent experts that money from public companies and funds is being diverted to parties thanks to poor laws on the financing of parties and a lack of control over tax payers’ money, Blic concludes.

DS financing controversy deepens

The public has received information that the Democratic Party’s (DS) backers include predominantly very small companies, some even on the verge of bankruptcy.

At the same time, Knežević says that the DS is financed from undisclosed sources.

A day after the Democrats presented a list of 44 companies that had donated to the party last year, Knežević told the Novi Sad District Court that some of the DS’s biggest backers were the Serbian Oil Industry (NIS) and the Vojvodina Capital Investment Fund.

DS official Marko Đurišić denied all the allegations.

Daily Danas released a detailed list of companies that the DS claimed had donated money to them.

They include mostly small and family companies, even companies that have been operating at a loss recently.

The only public company, according to Danas, which had donated to the party was the Kikinda Construction Directorate, with earnings of over EUR 27,000.

B92 was prevented by an official of the president’s press service from asking either the DS or President Boris Tadić to explain how such small companies were able to set aside such large amounts of money for the party.

Tadić said earlier that his deputy Dušan Petrović was responsible for those matters, and that he was not currently available for comment.

Former mayor: NIS financed DS

Ex-Zrenjanin mayor Goran Knežević says that the Serbian Oil Industry and the Vojovodina Capital Investment Fund are the Democratic Party’s biggest financiers.

Daily Blic writes that in a statement before the District Court in Belgrade, Knežević explained that the party was financed by anonymous cash donations that were not entered into the books and were kept in a safe, and by funds given to the ruling party by public companies and provincial institutions.

Knežević, who was president of the DS’s Vojvodina committee, is accused of abuse of office.

He said that the money that the party received from the budget was not enough, so local committees had to look elsewhere for donations from party members and supporters.

Knežević explained that the same principle of financing existed in the DS’s provincial committee in Novi Sad.

He added that these funds were used to pay employees, maintenance costs for city and election committees, election candidates, the media, promotions, transport costs, telephone services, stages, sound equipment, television adverts, representation, manual labor and a slew of other expenses.

Should Knežević’s testimony be corroborated, it will be the first solid confirmation of all the warnings and suspicions of independent experts that money from public companies and funds is being diverted to parties thanks to poor laws on the financing of parties and a lack of control over tax payers’ money, Blic concludes.