Serb politicians wanted in Kosovo suspected of killing Oliver Ivanovic are paving streets in Belgrade

Gazeta Express

19/08/2020 23:48

Serbia’s KRIK network for investigating crime and corruption reported on Wednesday that a company partially owned by two Kosovo Serbs, Zvonko Veselinovic and Milan Radoicic, has been awarded by authorities in Serbia to pave several streets in the centre of Belgrade.

The two controversial figures widely seen as the real power holders in northern Kosovo controlled by Serbia, are wanted in Kosovo suspected of being involved in killing of a rival Kosovo Serb politician, Oliver Ivanovic, who was gunned down in front of his party’s office in Mitrovica North in January 2018. Before his death, he said he considered Radoicic to be the key figure in what he alleged was an intimidatory system of power in Serb-majority northern Kosovo. KRIK reports that the material for paving several streets in the centre of Belgrade was obtained from the company “Granit-pescar”, partly owned by Veselinovic and Milan Radoicic.

Radoicic is also senior member of the Srpska List, a political entity representing Serbs in Kosovo institutions, which is under direct control of Serbian president Aleksandar Vucic. Kosovo authorities have issued a warrant against him and he is seeking refuge in Belgrade and even was seen attending meetings with Serbian president Vucic.

KRIK reports that the company is one of the largest tax debtors in the country, KRIK says, adding that at the end of 2019, it owed more than five million Euro, being the sixth company on the debtors’ list. KRIK’s reporters saw pallets of slabs, curbs and paving blocks along several central Belgrade streets produced by the company based in Serbia’s western town of Ljiig.

Businessmen from northern Kosovo, mostly populated by the local Serbs, Zvonko Veselinovic and Milan Radoicic, control 25 percent of the shares in the company through the ‘Inkop’ firm from Cuprija, a central Serbia’s town. KRIK recalled that Pristina suspected Veselinovic and Radoicic of taking part in the assassination of a Serb opposition politician in Kosovo Oliver Ivanovic in January 2018. In Serbia, they were tried but acquitted for illegal excavation of gravel and theft of leased lorries, KRIK said. It added it is not clear who hired ‘Granit pescar,’ to take part in the works.

Serbia’s ‘Energoprojekt niskogradnja’ and a French ‘Colas Rail,’ rail freight company, formerly known as Seco Rail and a subsidiary of Bouygues, were chosen at the public call for the reconstruction of the mentioned Belgrade streets, KRIK said. ‘Colas Rail’ websitesays its branch in Serbia was established in March 2017 in Belgrade and is specialised in construction, reconstruction and maintenance of tracks, electrification and signalling.

“The branch was founded after winning the project of reconstruction of Slavija Square, Bulevar Oslobođenja and Ruzveltova street. It was first 5.5 km of tramway tracks ‘Colas Rail’ did in Serbia. Since then, the branch has been an active contractor on railway and tramway projects in Serbia,” the company’s website said.