Farmakom owner "was forced" to buy media company

BELGRADE Presidents of two journalist associations have reacted to Aleksandar Vucic's claim that the owner of Farmakom was forced to buy a controlling stake in Politika. Independent Association of Journalists of Serbia (NUNS) President Vukasic Obradovic says the statement made by the first deputy PM late on Monday for the public broadcaster RTS "resembled political folklore", because the acquisition of Politika and the Agrobanka case "require a far more serious approach, especially toward the public": Farmakom owner "was forced" to buy media company "I must say that Vucic's commentary doesn't seem very serious to me, because the story that Miroslav Bogicevic, that is, Farmakom, were forced to buy Politika represents something that does not cause even a minimum interest of the public in the whole case, as does not the story that it is not being mentioned who owns Novosti." Obradovic further said that he "expected some new findings from Vucic's statement". "However, Mr. Vucic did not bring forward anything that sheds new light on this case, because everyone knew that a Farmakom company in Moscow was behind the acquisition of the stake in Politika owned by WAZ," he noted, and added that "some sort of agreement has obviously been made between Mr. Bogicevic and the new authorities", and that "the story about coercion obviously came from that". Vucic on Monday evening told the prime time news broadcast by RTS that Farmakom was forced to take part in the Politika acquisition via its daughter companies, and that the whole operation was masterminded by "the now biggest opposition party" - i.e., the Democratic Party (DS). Farmakom owner Miroslav Bogicevic himself said in July that he "did not buy Politika, nor was in any way involved in the transaction". "I cannot think how anybody got the idea to raise so much dust using my name. Those who are planting this information have no right to harass neither myself nor my family," Bogicevic was quoted as saying at the time. Association of Journalists of Serbia (UNS) President Ljiljana Smajlovic commented on the latest controversy by saying that Vucic's statement "seems to be absolving" the German media group WAZ of any wrongdoing. "The problem with hiding the sale of Politika is that the people who were entrusted with the state's stake in the daily, above all the Politika Managing Board, betrayed the trust invested in them and at the very least managed state property in a negligent manner," she told B92 on Tuesday. Asked what she learned from Vucic's statement, Smajlovic said she "learned that Miroslav Bogicevic lied when he said he did not buy Politika". Furthermore, the DS lied when they said they "had no idea who did": "And so, we are now finding out that the reason for the lack of any success in our struggle to make media ownership transparent, and to have the state withdraw from the media - is really because the state is fighting against us, and the state is precisely the side that is setting up acquisitions and hidden ownerships - and that the state's tycoons and politicians are even buying media outlets simply to leave them to the political authorities." Smajlovic also believes that "it is obvious" that Bogicevic talked to the authorities and was being investigated - "or likely questioned". "I understand that the authorities feel the need to preserve those companies that employ workers. But, Bogicevic was not the one who should have been protecting the state property in Politika. So it seems to me that when Bogicevic's companies are talked about in this benevolent manner, I recognize in that the intention to turn the debt of Farmakom and Mr. Bogicevic - the debt owned to state banks such as Privredna and Agrobanka - into ownership of Politika," Smajlovic concluded. B92

Farmakom owner "was forced" to buy media company

"I must say that Vučić's commentary doesn't seem very serious to me, because the story that Miroslav Bogićević, that is, Farmakom, were forced to buy Politika represents something that does not cause even a minimum interest of the public in the whole case, as does not the story that it is not being mentioned who owns Novosti."

Obradović further said that he "expected some new findings from Vučić's statement".

"However, Mr. Vučić did not bring forward anything that sheds new light on this case, because everyone knew that a Farmakom company in Moscow was behind the acquisition of the stake in Politika owned by WAZ," he noted, and added that "some sort of agreement has obviously been made between Mr. Bogićević and the new authorities", and that "the story about coercion obviously came from that".

Vučić on Monday evening told the prime time news broadcast by RTS that Farmakom was forced to take part in the Politika acquisition via its daughter companies, and that the whole operation was masterminded by "the now biggest opposition party" - i.e., the Democratic Party (DS).

Farmakom owner Miroslav Bogićević himself said in July that he "did not buy Politika, nor was in any way involved in the transaction".

"I cannot think how anybody got the idea to raise so much dust using my name. Those who are planting this information have no right to harass neither myself nor my family," Bogićević was quoted as saying at the time.

Association of Journalists of Serbia (UNS) President Ljiljana Smajlović commented on the latest controversy by saying that Vučić's statement "seems to be absolving" the German media group WAZ of any wrongdoing.

"The problem with hiding the sale of Politika is that the people who were entrusted with the state's stake in the daily, above all the Politika Managing Board, betrayed the trust invested in them and at the very least managed state property in a negligent manner," she told B92 on Tuesday.

Asked what she learned from Vučić's statement, Smajlović said she "learned that Miroslav Bogićević lied when he said he did not buy Politika".

Furthermore, the DS lied when they said they "had no idea who did":

"And so, we are now finding out that the reason for the lack of any success in our struggle to make media ownership transparent, and to have the state withdraw from the media - is really because the state is fighting against us, and the state is precisely the side that is setting up acquisitions and hidden ownerships - and that the state's tycoons and politicians are even buying media outlets simply to leave them to the political authorities."

Smajlović also believes that "it is obvious" that Bogićević talked to the authorities and was being investigated - "or likely questioned".

"I understand that the authorities feel the need to preserve those companies that employ workers. But, Bogićević was not the one who should have been protecting the state property in Politika. So it seems to me that when Bogićević's companies are talked about in this benevolent manner, I recognize in that the intention to turn the debt of Farmakom and Mr. Bogićević - the debt owned to state banks such as Privredna and Agrobanka - into ownership of Politika," Smajlović concluded.