700 Days of Terror, Fear, and Hope

by Radisav Rodic, founder of GLAS JAVNOSTI daily

1) Testimony of Persecution

This text was being written at the time when men like the journalist Slavko Curuvja, Defense Minister, Pavle Bulatovic, Zeljko Raznatovic were killed...

I could never have dreamt that I could be the key witness to the persecution of Serbian media and nightmarish and dangerous events, which took place in GLAS JAVNOSTI and around it. Terror, fear, and hope, which lasted for 700 days and 700 nights in the very center of the Serbian capital, Belgrade, just around the corner from the Federal Government building in 8, Vlajkovic Street in the triangle formed by media houses: RTV of Serbia, POLITIKA and BORBA newspapers, and Radio Belgrade, just down the street.

What I have suffered I wouldn't wish to happen to anyone or anywhere else in Serbia.

There have been days, months, even years that were hard before. As long ago as March of 1968, I started my first private business. I struggled and fought in Serbia, together with my family, for full thirty-three years. Finally, via Italy and Germany, I reached America. I climbed the ladder of success in the true American fashion.

I love my country.

The patriot that I am, I returned to Serbia in 1988, willing to invest the money I have earned far away, in my country's development.

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I returned with great hopes...

And then...

...This is my testimony, not only of the hardships encountered by myself and my family, but by GLAS JAVNOSTI, my associates, and the whole of ABC PRODUKT Business System, which the governing coalition SPS-YL-Radical Party, tried to destroy for the sole reason that we owned a printing company and a daily paper called GLAS JAVNOSTI, which informed the public objectively, under the slogan: "We don't doll up the reality." The ruling coalition believed that I had to hand over to them the printing company and the paper. With that aim, using ABC PRODUKT Business System, the printing company, and GLAS JAVNOSTI newspaper as a lever, they tried to extort, rob, and destroy all that I, and my family have made in more than three decades.

I found myself in a situation I have never been before, not through my own wish, by through a series of equivocal circumstances. My company became the owner of GLAS JAVNOSTI daily. As the owner of ABC PRODUKT and the most promising privately owned printing company, I decided to put down to paper all that has happened to me, as testimony to be presented to all the relevant institutions in Serbia. It was written under great pressure and in fear of being liquidated – myself, or someone from my family, or all of us. Such were the threats that people I was dealing with, made.

It was not ordinary fear, or fear of chaos, or feeling that I was living out a nightmare.

Lives at Stake

The lives of myself, my family and my associates were at stake. ABC PRODUKT, the mother Company, and other daughter companies at the head of which I was, comprising our Business System were at stake. I noted down everything that was happening, with the aim to publish it all one day, despite the concern of what might happen: I wanted it to be a truthful, though incredible document, a testimony of those times, of the ruling elite and the country in which we were living.

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This is a testimony of ourselves as we were.

This text was being written at the time when killings have become an everyday occurrence. This is the time when men like the journalist Slavko Curuvja, Defense Minister, Pavle Bulatovic, and Zeljko Raznatovic were killed...

I kept track of the events, but I could not but marvel at the times in which we were living, wondering what was happening around me, what was the value of my company, of myself as a human being and of my family in that context; what was the price of my life to my persecutors, because I, my printing company and my newspaper GLAS JAVNOSTI stood in their way. It all intimated that we were of great value to them; that is, we presented a great obstacle for them. I pondered over it, but I could not find the answers.

No one, neither I myself, nor my family, nor my associates deserved to be subjected to that kind of persecution. However, it seemed that everyone and everything was against us.

Therefore, using the diary I have kept, I decided to write down all I had been through during 700 days of terror, fear, and hope, but especially the events that followed the demise of my mother, who had died of worry on September 27, 1999, having witnessed my tribulations with my persecutors. I was not allowed to bury my mother properly. At the very time my mother's funeral service was being held, Radmila Visic from Ministry of Information had sent a threatening message through Kacarevic's secretary, while the financial police had stormed the premises of my company on that same day. I was not allowed to mourn properly my mother's death, or to carry out all the customs according to Christian Orthodox Church, but had to be present, together with all the heads of departments, confronting financial and regular police units. I still keep wondering why I was not allowed to hold Memorial Service for my mother's death according to our customs. They prevented that too, and I still don't know why.

Our persecutors had no feeling for human tragedy. I am convinced that they wanted just that: to take advantage of my personal tragedy to break me. Feelings of compassion and sympathy were far away from them. I am

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sure now that they did not have those positive human traits. That is the only possible explanation for their behavior.

YL Brings the Verdict

What was it all about? High state officials, members of the Yugoslav Left Party leadership invited me for talks at which they informed me that they wanted to take over my newspaper GLAS JAVNOSTI.

Knowing what force I was confronting, and bearing in mind what has happened to those who had tried to stand up to them, I gave them the account of all my investments in founding and getting the newspaper GLAS JAVNOSTI to move smoothly. I told them that after I have been paid ifull, I would hand them the newspaper.

After hearing me out they threatened directly and indirectly to liquidate me unless I handed over the newspaper to them immediately, without any financial compensation. Truth be it, they offered me rather vaguely, to take over some of my companies that were bankrupt and to compensate me through some import deals.

I demanded clear and clean, legally binding solution. I was told directly that the verdict has been passed! Unless I handed over the newspaper, I would be liquidated. Although in a stalemate situation, I refused to hand them the newspaper. I was persistently, not knowing what else to do, demanding adequate financial compensation for my investments.

Why didn't I give in? Simply because those people from YL gave out that they were working for the benefit of some higher state interests, but it was apparent that those "higher state interests" were in fact their personal interests and interests of their party. I was told that later, in no uncertain terms. I was told that all power: political, executive, and legislative was in their hands.

Notwithstanding the threats, I tried through constant postponements to hold on to the newspaper. I didn't want them to have their own way. They tried, in the manner of highwaymen and bandits, to rob me, and all of us, of the capital we had worked hard to accumulate. Through the robbery, they tried to obtain political and financial gain, at the expense of my

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People, my public, my children, and the children of my associates, my friends, and relatives.

I couldn't allow disgracing myself. I wouldn't have been able to look in the eye: my associates, friends, relatives, my children, or my People if I were to take part in that dirty game. They tried through compulsion and extortion to force me to play their game, threatening to liquidate not only my family, but also Kacarevic, the Editor-in-chief of the newspaper, and me, as well.

But the repertoire of their blackmailing seemed to have no limits. They tried to involve me in a very sophisticated, though rather transparent game of deceit and delusion. It was not that they wanted me to hand over the newspaper to them, so that they could be new owners without reimbursing me. In order to cover up their doings, they demanded that I must stay on as a minor shareholder, as some sort of a puppet playing at still being the owner, so that on the outside everything would seem the same, that no change would be apparent. Meanwhile, they would placed their own men at key positions to run the newspaper and the printing company, to decide on the newspaper policy, on editorial staff, Board of Directors, General Manager, and Editor-in-chief.

I Could Not Believe

I had some twenty different meetings with them regarding the matter. The degree of repression and intimidation rose day by day. At the same time, I had the feeling of resistance to pressures, mounting inside me by every passing day. I felt that I must find the way to survive and remain what I was, and what I have always been. I was not prepared to change at the age of fifty-three, with thirty-three years as a private businessman behind me! I managed in my quest with God's help. I couldn't allow myself to loose face at the time when I was approaching my retirement, and to leave to my descendents the feeling of shame. My antecedents buried in Zejtinlik Graveyard in Thessalonica, as well as those who had died for their King and country in 1941 would have never forgiven me, and I could have never slept peacefully after that. Quite possibly, I would have died from bad conscience.

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That is why I couldn't accept their ultimatums, despite all the threats, uttered by an orchestra of negotiators, who all spoke in the same manner.

WHO WE WERE

ABC Business System consisted of: ABC Grafika, Newspaper Printing Company; ABC Etigraf, Printing Company for printing stickers and cartons; ABC Udarnik, Transport Company; ABC Tehno Servis, Building Company; NIP Glas, Newspaper Editing Company; NIP Glas Javnost, Newspaper Editing Company; ABC Stragarit, Factory for Production of cardboard and isolation paper. We printed: GLAS JAVNOSTI, GLAS NEDELJE, SRPSKO NASLEDJE (Serbian Heritage), ZIVOT PASA, and AUTO MOTO MARKET.The Business System employed nearly 1250 workers and associate workers.

CRAZY TIMES

At that time, and it all began with the killing of the Police Minister, Radovan Stojicic Badza, terrible things began happening. Secretary-General of YL, Zoran Todorovic Kundak and many other men, who held the dubious epithet of being "strong men," as well as other "businessmen" of the same provenance, were killed.

TOMORROW: THE HOST DOES NOT GIVE IN EASILY

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2) The Host Does Not Give in Easily

I could never understand, let alone accept that those, who held such important positions in this country, could be involved in violence, extortion, and barefaced robbery. I was faced with racketeering, and I had my house shot at in my native town, Belgrade.

I kept going to new negotiations trying to find out what it was that they wanted. Would they ever comprehend that I had invested in the company several million German marks. Adding the fines I had been paying till December 31 of 1999, according to their Law on Media, the tally rose to 12 million marks.

I tried to acquaint them with the investments I had made, with foreign and domestic bank loans I had to take, I insisted on that, but to no avail. They spoke from the position of power only: reminding me that they were in power; that all levers of power in the country were in their hands. They kept repeating that I must hand over to them all I had, without any reimbursement.

I could never understand, let alone accept that those who held such important positions in this country could be involved in violence, extortion, and barefaced robbery.

I admit that I was afraid. The fear got greater with every passing day. I was aware that those men had great power and authority, but had no feeling of humility or mercy.

All of a sudden, charges started piling up against our Companies, millions of dinars in fines were demanded according to the notorious Law on Information. Financial police fined us for allegedly violating different ordinances. Court Executors began coming to our Company, on the regular bases, taking away our machines and equipment. It was done systematically, with the plan to bleed us dry economically and financially, thus smashing our whole Business System and, thus, destroying the newspaper and the printing company, where several independent papers and editions were printed.

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I realized that the authorities were carrying out their threats, that they were killing my business in a planned, systematic and well organized way. They warned me, at every meeting, what power they had. They did everything to frighten me out of my wits. It was all crystal clear to me, yet I couldn't and wouldn't, the man that I am, and as a Serb, to give in. That's why I am still around, with all my employees, worried what would happen next, not only to my family, but to my Companies, as well. The new Government has not yet taken over all levers of power into their hands, but I have not lost the hope that the wrong done to me would be righted.

This wrong was done to all the Companies of ABC PRODUKT Business System. ABC PRODUKT Business System was brought to the verge of bankruptcy by their illegal machinations. Newspaper GLAS JAVNOSTI and the Printing Company ABC GRAFIKA were fined more than a hundred times. For printing the bulletin CHANGES, the printing company ABC GRAFIKA was proclaimed bankrupt, illegally.

They Wanted Their Own Reality The leaders of the former regime, through their lackeys, but above all, through the former president of Commercial Court in Belgrade, managed to illegally proclaim our Company bankrupt.

I don't want to bore our readers by explaining to them that I am made up mostly of defiance, audacity, and insubordination. I could never stand dirty games, fraud, or injustice of any kind. The methods of drastic extortion employed by the few, who held all levers of power in Serbia have especially been abhorrent to me. At the same time, we were left absolutely unprotected. We could not demand protection from the authorities, the way conscientious, loyal and enterprising citizens anywhere in the world can.

At the time of real communism, as a businessman with private property, I had paid a high price for my attitude to life. But at that time I knew what I was dealing with and whom I had against me.

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Then, I had been the "class enemy." Now, it seemed to me, the very air had conspired against me, serving the ruthless regime which, in order to satisfy their personal interests, ground to dust everything before them.

I owe thanks: to the readers of GLAS JAVNOSTI, who called us constantly during those hard times, giving us their moral support; to political parties, that through their announcements defended us, but also used our misfortunes for their own political promotion; to some newspapers, agencies and TV stations, that informed the public about our problems, about everything we have been put through and everything that had happened to us.

I realized that we were left to fend for ourselves, without anyone's support, confronted by incredible power personified in the regime, which threatened to liquidate us.

Thanks to Journalists and Media

In May of 2000, faithful disciples of the ruling regime consisting of three coalition parties, unanimously "gave honor where it was due" - to the journalists and media. That is another confirmation of the truthfulness of my writings.

I believe that both my company and I have always been very correct, almost thankful towards media, newspapers, and journalists. Throughout my career as a private businessman, journalists have always been very correct when reporting about the problems I was faced with.

Thanks to journalists and media, after years of exile, I decided to return from abroad. I had been forced to leave my country because of an unjust sentence passed by the communist authorities. The sentence was:

"According to the Public Prosecutor's findings, Radisav Rodic is sentenced for working as a manager, in such a way that he was able to obtain financial gain to such an amount, which is not in accordance with either the effort invested or his level education."

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That had happened in Serbia, on May 28, 1979.

Thanks to media, which reported very objectively about my case, I returned to Serbia. I was faced with racketeering, and I had my house shot at, in my native town of Belgrade, as long ago as 1992. I turned to media, newspapers and journalists. They helped me. I am thankful to them. I shall always feel thankful.

I decided then and there to organize every year on St. Sava's Day, "St. Sava's Day Gathering of Journalists" in honour of journalists. It is a pleasant party where all prominent journalists, Editors-in-chief, and Directors of all Serbian and Yugoslav media houses get together. We have been organizing it for nine years now; it has become a tradition. More than 200 journalists from all media houses, gather at this gala every year.

Going into Publishing

Despite close and friendly relations with many journalists and the fact that ever since 1991 we had owned a printing company with rotation printing presses for printing newspapers, I was not willing to go into publishing, especially not publishing of daily newspaper. I believed it to be too huge a financial risk for our Company.

Our Publishing Company GLAS began publishing two monthlies: SRPSKO NASLEDJE (Serbian Heritage), dealing with Serbian culture and history, where members of the Serbian Academy, historians and researchers presented new findings about cultural and historical heritage of Serbia. The second monthly, called ZIVOT PASA (Life of Dogs) was for all those who loved or had dogs as household pets. We also published a magazine called AUTO MOTO MARKET, which contained advertisements about cars, spare parts and the like.

I avoided newspapers for the simple reason that it was not my metier. I was aware that someone who wants to dabble in politics must have a newspaper, but I did not have that ambition.

I became a newspaper publisher, against my will. I have always been of the opinion that it was a business, like any other, and not means of entering

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into politics, and I still hold the same opinion. For holding that opinion, I am quite sure, I had paid dearly. I am still paying...

But let us begin my testimony from the beginning.

This is how it all started...

FEAR OF FREEDOM OF SPEECH

From the very beginning, at the time when the pressuring of the regime began, I was aware of the problem they had: they wanted to put under their control ABC GRAFIKA Printing Company and GLAS JAVNOSTI daily. I realised that, in fact, we were the only newspaper and the only printing company in the country, not under their perfidious system of control.

Therefore, it was necessary to snuff out the last possibility of freedom of speech in Serbia. However, at the heading of our newspaper it says: "we don't doll up the reality." They wanted to be the ones to model the future according to their needs, to create the truth according to their wishes, and not according to the rules of objective reporting; they didn't want to allow the existence of difference in opinions.

I KNOW NOTHING ABOUT POLITICS

When, through a series of freak circumstances, I finally became the owner of the company, which published a daily newspaper, I realized what social and political connotations were attached to that position. I know nothing about politics. It has never come within a sphere of my personal interest. I am not a member of any political party, despite pressures exercised by prominent members of all political parties in Serbia, whom I had the opportunity to meet and become friends with.

TOMORROW: DEAL STRUCK IN "RUBIN," GLAS JAVNOSTI BECOMES A REALITY

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3) Deal Struck in "Rubin," GLAS JAVNOSTI Becomes a Reality

When the first number of NOVI BLIC appeared on April 20, 1998, the second day after Easter, the troubles started. POLITIKA daily published a dozen articles against ABC PRODUKT and Manojlo Vukotic

On April 11, 1998, the leading journalists of SRPSKO MASLEDJE, people from NIP GLAS (Publishing Company) and our business friends gathered in our restaurant in the weekend retreat of Tresnja, near the Avala Mountain. At about 10 pm my mobile telephone rang. I moved with Slavoljub Kacarevic to the next room to be able to hear my caller. The Director of KOMERCIJALNA BANK, Ljuba Mihajlovic, our banker, was on the line. He informed me briefly that the Editor-in-chief of BLIC daily, Manijlo Vukotic would call me. He told me: "Okay everything Mr. Vukotic asks for. Don't pose any questions. I am backing the whole thing. I'll explain everything in detail when we see each other. Come to "Rubin" restaurant in Kosutnjak, tomorrow night, at 8 pm."

I had no choice but to comply. I have known Ljuba Mihajlovic for years. I was aware of his standing and influence, as the head of a commercial bank with which I had business dealings from the very beginning. I trusted him implicitly. For that reason, I accepted without demure to print a new daily called NOVI BLIC, aware of the fact that I was using up the capacity of ABC GRAFIKA printing company to the full. The daily BLIC, with which we had signed in April a five-year contract for printing their paper, had left us for BORBA printing company, in revolt at the appearance of NOVI BLIC. We had lost the biggest printing deal in Yugoslavia at that moment.

That evening in "Rubin" restaurant, Manojlo Vukotic demanded from me that my technical team provide for electronic network, subscription, links with REUTERS, TANJUG, and BETA agencies, and everything else necessary for normal functioning of the press room and Editorial office.

The deal was that our company would not finance anything; KOMERCIJALNA BANK would do the financing. I got assurance that Manojlo Vukotic would need financial backing for only two months. I was told that after that period of time, he would be financially solvent and

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would be able to continue on his own, and that he would not need further financial backing.

After our meeting in "Rubin," I immediately called up, that very night, a meeting of the Board of Directors for 10 pm. I explained everything about the new project. I refrained from telling them that night, who would be financing NOVI BLIC. I shared that information with the Director of ABC GRAFIKA, Slavoljub Kacarevic, only.

The tasks were given. It was decided that by 10 am next morning, complete plans for organizing the work would be prepared, provided that advance payment from the bank in the form of a loan to either NIP GLAS or ABC GRAFIKA, arrived.

Thing Suddenly Get Complicated

Manojlo Vukotic filed immediately a request for registering a company called NOVI BLIC. The stand-in partner for KOMERCIJALNA BANK was to be the lawyer, Slobodan Lukovic, for ABC PRODUKT, ABC PRODUKT and for Manojlo Vukotic, his wife Visnja Vukotic.

Lawyers did their work quickly and the new company was registered within two days in the Court Register under the name of NOVI BLIC. However, four days before the first number of NOVI BLIC was to appear, Manojlo Vukotic violated our agreement and appeared at a press conference, announcing his decision to leave BLIC. Things suddenly started to get complicated.

What was it all about?

Belgrade Commercial Court demanded that the document verifying that Company NOVI BLIC Ltd. had been registered in the Court Register, and which had already been signed and delivered, be returned to the Court for annulment. The Registering Judge, who called us, said that unless we returned the document, he would loose his job. We returned the document so that the judge would not loose the job.

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A media battle over Vukotic's premature announcement, which blew the lid off our agreement of April 12 in "Rubin" restaurant, began. The document, registering NOVI BLIC as a publishing company, was annulled.

Our lawyers came to the realization that Manojlo Vukotic was an impatient man. On my suggestion, they registered a new company, called ALPET. This company had three newspapers registered with Serbian Ministry for Information: NOVI BLIC, BLIC DANA, and NAS BLIC. We managed to overcome the problem of Vukotic's hastiness.

On Sunday, April 19, on Easter of 1998, Manojlo Vukotic entered the premises of the new daily, NOVI BLIC. In only three days, a team from ABC PRODUCT had managed to furnish and equip the premises in 8, Vlajkovic St. with financial aid of KOMERCIJALNA BANK.

The newspaper NOVI BLIC was on the news stands on Monday, April 20. Thereby, our company had fulfilled our part of the deal. We have completely furnished the premises, installed equipment, the network, links and everything else necessary for functioning of a newspaper offices. Our men had to work both on Good Friday and on Easter Day, just to fulfil the promise given to Vukotic that newspaper, NOVI BLIC, would be on news stands on Monday, the day after Easter.

Court in Session in GLAS JAVNOSTI

As soon as the first edition of NOVI BLIC appeared on April 20 1998, the day after Easter, trouble started. In those first few days ABC GRAFIKA Printing Company printed both dailies: BLIC and NOVI BLIC.

However, a few days later, BLIC PRESS Company filed charges against us and in the next days, every evening between 8 pm and 10 pm Commercial Court was in session in the office of the Director of ABC GRAFIKA, Slavoljub Kacarevic. The president of Court Council of Belgrade Commercial Court was judge Milenko Ristivojevic. They issued every day a new temporary measure forbidding the printing of NOVI BLIC.

POLITIKA daily published a dozen articles against ABC PRODUCT and Manojlo Vukotic, in support of banning the new paper. (For refusing, on ethical and professional grounds, to write lies about this case, as requested

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by the Editor-in-chief of POLITIKA, hajji Dragan Antic, the journalist who was writing for the Court section in POLITIKA, lost his job. That was a precedent in a hundred years long history of this paper).

In vain did ABC PRODUKT's team of lawyers fight every day, finding new solutions to the problem, trying to keep NOVI BLIC running. They managed to do that for five whole days. In the meantime, BLIC daily broke the contract with our printing company and went to BORBA. I was faced with the fact that our printing company, ABC GRAFIKA, was left without work. The only solution for the paper and printing company, after all the banns, was to print the paper as the edition of NIP GLAS Company, registered with Ministry of Information under the name of GLAS JAVNOSTI.

On April 25, 1998, GLAS JAVNOSTI paper was created ad hoc, and managed to survive to this day due to great financial support of ABC PRODUKT Business System and myself.

Founding and publishing a newspaper, it is a well-known fact, demands large investments, especially at the beginning. Daily expenditure is enormous.

When publishing a newspaper, until income catches up with expenditure, constant financial investments are necessary. Although Manojlo Vukotic had promised ABC GRAFIKA and NIP GLAS Management that he would obtain financial backing from the Montenegrin Government, being in daily contact with Milo Djukanovic, nothing happened. He maintained that he was also in contact with the former Yugoslav Prime Minister and the owner of ICN GALENIKA Pharmaceutical Company, Milan Panic, who had promised him financial support, as well.

It was, therefore, necessary that ABC PRODUKT Business System provide backing during the next few months. However, as time went by, no money came. ABC PTODUKT Business System and I had more and more debts as investors of GLAS JAVNOSTI. In the meantime, besides printing the newspaper daily, we had to cover the cost of salaries, honorariums, travel expenses and everything else Mr. Vukotic asked for. At the same time, Manojlo Vukotic refused to allow ABC PRODUKT Management and myself, insight into his dealings and into Editorial policy of the paper, although we were the only investors.

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Vukotic Promises...

Among ABC PRODUKT Business System Companies, ABC GRAFIKA Printing Company suffered greatest loses. They had lost their best customer, BLIC daily. They decided to stop printing their newspaper in our printing company, because of NOVI BLIC.

Printing of GLAS JAVNOSTI soon produced huge debts for ABC PRODUKT Business System, GLAS JAVNOSTI Editorial Staff and ABC GRAFIKA Printing Company. Vukotic kept promising financial backing, explaining that negotiations were underway, accusing in turn Djukanovic and Panic of stalling.

The expenses piled up. ABC PRODUKT Business System covered them, myself, and another daughter Company, partly from the loan obtained from KOMERCIJALNA BANK, but mostly from the capital of our Business System. Finally, ABC PRODUKT, as founder of the newspaper passed a decision that on January 1, 1999, Manojlo Vukotic be replaced. In eight months, he had cost us several million German marks, and he still refused ABC PRODUKT Management insight into his business dealings.

NOVI BLIC

At the appointed time, I met with Manojlo Vukotic and Ljuba Mihajlovic in "Rubin" restaurant. As soon as I set down, they informed me that Manojlo Vukotic had decided to found a new paper called NOVI BLIC. Ljuba Mihajlovic said: "I will give financial backing for the whole project, you have to supply all the rest for the publishing of the paper." They both told me that I needed to supply the premises, 12 telephone lines, necessary computer equipment, furnishings and all the rest needed for the functioning of the press room of a newspaper called NOVI BLIC, as well as paper for the printing and printing itself. Manojlo insisted that the paper be called NOVI BLIC.

TOMORROW: TALK WITH POLICE GENERAL

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4) Ratko Krsmanovic's Warnings and Threats

One of the leaders of YL explained to me that they, as a political party, want to take over control of GLAS JAVNOSTI

Talk with Police General

I was asked to come to a meeting with the Commissioner of Serbian State Security Bureau, General Rade Markovic. The meeting was scheduled for December 12, 1998 at 9.30 am in Kneza Milosa Street, in the old building, on the second floor, if I remember correctly. His secretary offered me coffee and asked me to wait because the General was running a little late. Since it was my first visit to that office, I had brought with me a complete edition of Serbian Heritage and the book "Orations," containing some of the most beautiful discourses from different historical periods, written in this country.

When the General arrived, he invited me to his office. We began conversation. At the very beginning, he informed me that he did not like my paper, because it was run by a man who was, according to him, an advocate of Djukanovic's policy. He informed me that he knew about me, from the time my house was shot at by racketeers.

We continued our conversation and I told him how GLAS JAVNOSTI was founded and the way it was being financed. He said that he would like to know about that matter in more detail.

I told him then, the whole story from the very beginning, but stipulated that he did not ask for the name of the man who had insisted that I enter into the business deal with Manojlo Vukotic.

He replied angrily that I was in no position to talk to him in that way. He warned me: "Are you aware where you are and who you are talking to? I can do all I want, I can have you cemented, I can liquidate you and bury you so that no one ever finds you, I can expel you from the country! Don't push your luck and don't play games with me. Bear in mind my words whenever you talk with me. I don't intend to remind you again."

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So I told him my story, starting with April 12, 1998 and ending with December 1998. When I had finished, he asked me to go across the street to the "Glass Building," Serbian Ministry of Interior Building, and call on Danilo Pantovic. I was informed that in future that man would direct me, tell me what to do and who to talk with. Markovic called Pantovic, then and there, and informed him of my arrival. He repeated once again that all further contacts would be through Pantovic.

Pantovic received me rather reservedly. He immediately asked for General Dragan Ilic to come and to see what it was that we had to talk about. I could not understand why he had to call General Ilic. But it was clear to me that Pantovic was just what General Markovic had told me about him – he was the key man in control of media in Serbian Ministry of Interior.

During our conversation, Pantovic told me that it was necessary that I made contacts with politicians from his party, YL, as soon as possible. We parted with the understanding that we would remain in contact, in order to continue our conversation, if and when the need arose.

We have never met again. However, a new negotiator, representing Yugoslav Left Party appeared, it was the Secretary-General of the party, Ratko Krsmanovic.

Pressuring from YL

My talks with YL representatives began at the beginning of 1999. Through Milan Rodic, the general manager of "Srbijasume" Company, who was known to me, and who had the reputation of a good businessman, I was invited to come to Head Office of YL in 31, Djure Djakovic Street to meet with Secretary-General of YL Head Office, Ratko Krsmanovic. Right at the start of our conversation, he told me: "Yugoslavia, as a country, and its citizens are facing serious problems in the coming period. That is why we need to establish some kind of cooperation. That is the purpose of this meeting. Superior state interests are at stake."

I knew nothing about that, but I accepted what he was saying. He told me that for that reason he had wanted to get acquainted with me. He pointed out to me, that according to his party, I, as representative of the capital

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invested, owner of the Company, and founder and publisher of GLAS JAVNOSTI newspaper, must take more care of the paper's editorial policy.

I replied: " The paper is what it is. Through a series of circumstances I became its owner. I know nothing about editing a newspaper."

Krsmanovic then told me that they, as a political party, wanted to take complete control over GLAS JAVNOSTI newspaper and to place their own people in key positions. According to him, I would stay on as a minor shareholder. From the outside, everything would remain the same. They would change nothing, only the fact that they would become majority shareholder in GLAS JAVNOSTI newspaper.

He specially stressed the fact that their party had men at all levels of governing hierarchy – political, executive and legislative. He advised, and warned me to keep that in mind, because many who had forgotten that had perished.

What I told Krsmanovic He concluded that I had no choice but to hand over GLAS JAVNOSTI paper to them, compensations remained to be discussed at some future date. He told me that unless I complied with their request, every member of YL, no matter where he was, would become my enemy. Of course, with all the consequences that implied.

He said that he could not understand from where ABC PRODUKT got the capital they had. He said that it must have been one of those get-rich-quickly schemes. I replied to him:

"I have been in private business since March 3, 1968, for more than thirty-two years. ABC PRODUKT is the first large investment of the foreign capital in Serbia ever since the times of Ante Markovic. Mostly private foreign capital was invested in the company, together with private domestic capital, as long ago as 1990. ABC PRODUKT was the first capital-society registered in Belgrade Commercial Court under the new Law on Capital Affairs, and perhaps the first in the former SFRY. ABC PRODUKT was the first private foreign investment into a Yugoslav company and the contract was, with great difficulty accepted by the

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Federal Ministry of Foreign Trade, because the capital was being invested in Belgrade and not somewhere else in Yugoslavia. Therefore, ABC PRODUKT had legally obtained foreign capital. Everything we have today was realized before the dissolution of the old SFRY, before wars in Yugoslavia began in 1991. I must add that the greatest part of the money, ABC PRODUKT earned during the evil times for Serbian people; during the war, we donated large sums of money to Serbian people in the war zones. We have received many Plaques from Children's Institutions, civic organizations, Ministries and other Serbian institutions and organizations."

I explained to Krsmanovic that ABC PRODUKT Board of Directors had made a decision that, during the war, the profit earned by the Company would not be invested in new projects. It was decided that we should share it with the people who needed it most, because the standing of ABC PRODUKT Management, with the consent of our foreign partners was that we should not profit from someone else's hardship. I, personally, was strongly opposed to the very idea of profiting from the misfortunes of my own people.

Krsmanovic replied that he doubted my story and that he was convinced that ABC PRODUKT must have violated the law somehow. I countered his attack by saying that as the head of the company, my conscience was clear and invited them to come to the Company and verify that for themselves. I drew his attention to all capital losses we had suffered in Yugoslavia, starting with the village of Stragari, near Kragujevac and ending with PROSVETA Printing Company, situated down the road from where we were sitting. Such examples were numerous. I suggested that their experts came and verified that.

"Don't Push Your Luck"

He began repeating all over again that he and his party had men at all levels of governing hierarchy – political, executive and legislative that could check that, but he advised me instead:

"Don't push your luck. We would check whatever we want and whenever we want."

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I had an instant recollection of my conversation with General Rade Markovic, a little over a month before, and when Krsmanovic mentioned his name, I could do nothing but accept his demands as reality. On this note our first meeting ended. He intimated that a new meeting would be held soon, adding:

"Think about the debt of Democratic Party. You should find the way to file criminal charges against Democratic Party leader, Zoran Djindjic who had signed the contract and order of acceptance. He is legally responsible, and we shall start proceedings against him, as soon as you give us the necessary documents. At this moment it would be of great political advantage to our party."

I replied: "I want to collect as many debts as I can, but we don't want to proceed with criminal charges against anyone. We cannot profit from criminal charges. We are only looking for ways to collect our debts."

He reminded me that his party would give me different, more favourable status, if I were to comply with his demands. I replied that they could, if we made a deal, buy the debts owed to us, through cession; then he could do whatever he liked. He ended the conversation by saying that we would meet soon.

I could not believe that it was happening to me. In fact, I thought that it must have been some colossal misunderstanding. It was clear to me that they wanted to take over the printing company and the newspaper, but I could not imagine what methods they would implement to achieve their goal. Most of what was said was still unclear, but I believed that the next meeting would clarify that. Nevertheless, it all seemed to me like an undisguised threat, especially the remainder that their people were at all levels of governing hierarchy in Serbia.

Thinking about everything that was said, I was very disturbed. The worst in my situation was that I had no one to whom I could turn for advice. At that time I still could not believe that I would be faced with barefaced violence and criminal behaviour of the state, that is to say, of people who thought they were the state.

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MACHINATIONS FOR TAKING OVER GLAS JAVNOSTI

The second meeting with Ratko Krsmanovic, at his request, was at the beginning of March in 1999. Milovan Djurovic, YL financial expert, who at that time was the Director of GLOBUS Insurance Company (their seat was in 26, Dositejeva Street), attended the meeting. The conversation was centred on ways in which they could financially back the newspaper, with a proviso that the newspaper helped them at the right moment. I asked what had happened to the idea to buy the newspaper from me. The reply I got was that they were still considering different options, and that we would eventually see what would come out of it.

This new conversation did not clarify much; it only served to increase my uneasiness. I realised that I had to be patient and collected. I decided to let them show their hand first, then I would see what I could do.

UNEXPECTED FINANCIAL DIFFICULTIES

Some twenty days after GLAS JAVNOSTI appeared, we approached KOMERCIJALNA BANK for promised financial backing. We got an unexpected reply – they did not have enough means for that purpose, so they directed us to the Director of Post Office Savings Bank, Moma Jancic for help. Only after we managed to obtain a loan from Post Office Savings Bank, KOMERCIJALNA BANK transferred part of the money to NIP GLAS as a loan.

It is a well-known fact that Post Office Savings Bank helps keep solvent half the banks in Serbia.

TOMORROW: NEW DEMANDS FOR CHARGES AGAINST DJINDJIC

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5) New Demands For Charges Against Djindjic

All further contacts I had were with Ratko Krsmanovic, himself. At those meetings he informed me who among their party members was holding which prominent position in the Republic of Serbia and in the state administration

We met again at the beginning of March of 1999. Milovan Djurovic, YL financial expert, who was at that time the director of GLOBUS Insurance Company (their seat was in 26, Dositejeva Street), joined the meeting. The conversation was centred on ways in which they could financially back the newspaper, with a proviso, that the newspaper helped them at the right moment. I asked what had happened to the idea to buy the newspaper from me. The reply I got was that they were still considering different options, and that we would eventually see what would come out of it.

This new conversation did not clarify much; it only served to increase my uneasiness. I realised that I had to be patient and collected. I decided to let them show their hand first; then I would see what I could do.

All further contacts I had were with Ratko Krsmanovic, himself. At those meetings he informed me who among their party members was holding which prominent position in the Republic of Serbia and in the state administration.

He told me, for example, that Radmila Visnjic was their mainstay in Ministry of Information and that her role was to help them whenever necessary; he then mentioned that their reliable member was the president of Belgrade Commercial Court, Milena Arezina. He said that she would do anything when asked. "She is very reliable and dependable."

He then went on to tell me who were their key men in the Police. He mentioned Minister Smiljkovic, and Pantovic and then the rest of the Serbian police top echelon.

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All in the Interest of the Party and its President

He mentioned the Prosecution – Federal, Republican, District, and Municipal in Belgrade – they were all their faithful members. He spoke in the same way about the Ministers: from Justice Minister to Education Minister, emphasising that those people were all reliable members of the party, loyal to him and the party, and that through them, everything could be done quickly and efficiently, without delay. They were a team working in the interest of the party and its president, Mirjana Markovic.

At the end of our conversation he repeated it all and asked me whether I was aware of the power they had and of the fact that his party held all key political, executive and legislative positions in Serbia.

He asked me again whether I could help them to bring charges against the leader of Democratic Party, Zoran Djindjic, he was aware of their outstanding debt to us. I told him that it was not in my interest to file criminal charges against anyone. If he and his party were interested they could buy out Democratic Party's debts, and then do whatever they wanted. There was no profit for us in filing charges against anyone.

He did not agree with my reasoning. He began all over again reminding me of the power their party had. He kept stressing the fact that as owner of the newspaper it must be clear to me. I must not have any doubts. He specially insisted on the fact that I must never forget that.

To me, those were just veiled threats, serving to remind me what awaited me unless I accepted their demands to take over GLAS JAVNOSTI newspaper and ABC GRAFIKA Printing Company. I thought about what they might have in store for me. I realised that I had nobody's support, that I must continue going to those meetings, that I must negotiate, buy time and stall for as long as possible, in order to be able to keep GLAS JAVNOSTI, Printing Company, and ABC PRODUKT Business System alive.

During those talks we always returned to the basic theme: the sale of GLAS JAVNOSTI newspaper. However, always before concluding the meeting, Krsmanovic managed to postpone everything we had agreed upon for the next meeting. I could not understand his behaviour. I presumed that

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he was buying time, just as I was, in order to find new methods of pressuring me, and my Company.

Aggressive Behaviour of "Honest" Milena Arezina

During one of our conversations, Mr. Krsmanovic especially stressed honesty, reliability and faithfulness of the president of Belgrade Commercial Court, Milena Arezina. He said: "She is capable of fulfilling every task set before her, she has proven that many times!" He mentioned that in passing, but said that I should keep that in mind.

At the time I didn't realise why Krsmanovic insisted on telling me about "Milena Arezina, who is their honest, reliable and faithful member in Belgrade Commercial Court." But, very soon I realised why. Soon after one of our sessions, the question about the bankrupt, formerly public company UDARNIK, which had been taken over by ABC PRODUKT ten years previously, came into the public eye. All of a sudden, the case was "legally exempted" by a group of allegedly "legally employed workers" with whom Milena Arezina as the president of Belgrade Commercial Court sided.

That was just the beginning of our drama. Illegal and unconstitutional proceedings initiated by "honest and faithful party member," the president of Commercial Court, Milena Arezina began. She tried to defend by illegal means the rights of alleged management of the company. Fully aware of the facts, she accepted fake seals as legal evidence, although she was warned that they were faked. Remembering all that she had done, I am sure that it was another task given to her, as a faithful member of YL Party, most probably by Ratko Krsmanovic, after his meeting with me.

Manipulating the truth, Milena Arezina tried to destabilise ABC PRODUKT Business System and by creating chaos, force ABC PRODUKT to ask Ratko Krsmanovic and his party for help. In that event, Ratko Krsmanovic would have asked that GLAS JAVNOSTI newspaper be handed over to YL as payment for services rendered – for solving the problem of "Udarnik."

We informed the public about the whole matter in a series of articles published in GLAS JAVNOSTI in July of 1999.

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Now that the drama is over, it is quite clear that Milena Arezina had a party assignment - to destabilise ABC PRODUKT, to make trouble and keep us busy unravelling a tissue of lies, too busy to deal with day-to-day problems. It might be interesting to bring to light some other events from that period.

Although I suspected Ratko Krsmanovic of being directly involved in the rulings of Commercial Court, that is, of Milena Arezina, I nevertheless went to see him, with the idea of asking him to prevent further unconstitutional and illegal proceedings against us. I asked him to help us make Milena Arezina see sense and stop dishonouring Commercial Court and Serbian judiciary.

It Was All Planned in YL Head Office

I was not sure, but I had strong suspicion that it was all part of a plan conceived in YL Head Office by Ratko Krsmanovic and his cronies. He believed that after Arezina's fabrications, concerning "Udarnik," they would manage to involve ABC PRODUKT, as the sole owner of GLAS JAVNOSTI in a notorious suite, and force us to hand over the ownership of the paper to YL as some sort of settlement.

I demanded from him to talk to Mrs. Arezina and ask her to stop with manipulations and illegal actions against us. Several days later, Ratko Krsmanovic called me on the telephone and told me that he had talked with Milena Arezina, but that she had shown him the matter in quite a different light. He was now convinced that everything she had done was in the interest of the workers of "Udarnik."

Once again I went to him, bringing with me the complete file of documents on "Udarnik" and ABC PRODUKT, showing that Mrs. Arezina was in the wrong. He told me that he could not examine the documents because he was not qualified for that, but sent me to their member, the Deputy Justice Minister, Zoran Balinovac, who had offices not in the Ministry, but in "Centrotextil" Building in Knez Mihajlova Street. I went to Zoran Balinovac immediately. He received me courteously. He heard me out and took documentation for examination. After superficial

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examination he told me that he would study the documents and inform Ratko Krsmanovic of his findings. Since he was leaving for Kosovo on the next day, he gave me the number of his mobile phone to call him the following Monday. On parting, he asked whether I too was a member of YL. I replied that I was not, and that was the end of our conversation.

Abuse of Office

In the meantime, Mrs. Arezina, as the president of Commercial Court was busy: she began to complicate matters more and more. Abusing the office of the president of Commercial Court, she began issuing illegal orders for confiscation to Executive Department of Commercial Court, but also to police in Palilula Municipality. She did everything in her power to give authority to illegal workers and illegal manager of "Udarnik."

Thanks to our team of distinguished lawyers, she did not succeed. But Arezina continued with her illegal machinations. I went to Ratko Krsmanovic again to ask him why she was doing that.

I warned him that I would unmask Milena Arezina by publishing in the paper all her illegal actions and thus inform the public about her abuse of office. Ratko Krsmanovic told me not to be hasty, but to wait until he had spoken with her. I agreed to that, provided it took only a couple of days.

After that talk, Krsmanovic began avoiding me, refraining from answering my telephone calls. It lasted for days. In the meantime the number of his mobile phone was changed, and his secretary could not reach him. All our contacts ceased. Meanwhile, NATO activity was intensified.

NEW MEETING WITH MILAN RODIC, THE DIRECTOR OF "SRBIJASUME" AND MEMBER OF HEAD OFFICE OF YL

After a talk with Ratko Krsmanovic which left me disturbed and frightened, I called Milan Rodic, the director of "Srbijasume" and asked him to receive me. I knew Mr. Rodic, who is no relation of mine, from before, as a fellow businessman. He received me immediately.

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I told him, in short, about my talks with Ratko Krsmanovic, about his blackmail, about threats of Milena Arezina, and asked him whether, as member of YL Head Office, he could influence them to stop persecuting me.

He promised to see what he could do, but was not very encouraging, saying that it was Ratko Krsmanovic's domain and that Milena Arezina was his subordinate. He was astonished by my story and said that he thought that my Company and I did not deserve the treatment we were subjected to and that if YL wanted to buy GLAS JAVNSTI, they should have paid the fair price for it.

TOMORROW: UNUSUAL MEETING IN "UZICE" INN

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6) Unusual Meeting in "Uzice" Inn

After our talk, Ratko Krsmanovic left in the newest model of black Mercedes, Class E, the symbol of "poverty and working classes." The car had registration plate BG 209 ... and sped away

However, the two of us met once again by chance, unintentionally, several days later. We met on July 8, 1999 at 9 pm during an electrical storm in Belgrade.

I had a business meeting with the lawyer, Rajko Danilovic and his wife, in the garden of "Uzice" inn at Autokomanda. Amidst deafening thunders, the door of the inn opened and the member of YL Head Office in charge of all YL Ministers in the Government and the director of "Dedinje" Clinic, Milovan Bojic appeared, escorting out Ratko Krsmanovic.

Theory and Practice at Variance

After they parted, I called Krsmanovic and asked him what was the outcome of his conversation with Milena Arezina, as regards the problems she was causing us. Should I publish that or not? What was the standing of his party concerning the matter at hand? I told him that I could wait no longer. Illegal actions of Mrs. Arezina were beyond human endurance and common sense. It caused great damage to out Company, but also to Serbian and Belgrade judiciary.

Krsmanovic replied that she was loyal to the party and that she had the backing of all: himself, both as a man and as a party official, and of all officials and party members of Yugoslav Left. He went on to remind me that he had warned me to think about my own actions before I started anything, because I might get on the wrong side of her, Krsmanovic, and all the members of YL. He did not advise me to challenge their power.

I replied that the theory of his party was one thing, but practice quite another, and that the two were at great variance.

At that moment I was finally sure that behind the whole case, UDARNIK versus ABC PRODUKT stood Krsmanovic and that Arezina was only an

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instrument, a bludgeon ordered to strike at ABC PRODUCT. I told him that, then and there, adding that all grief that Arezina had caused us was concocted in his kitchen first, and that I had no choice but to defend myself.

He told me not to "bluff" and added that if I were to start writing anything against Mrs. Arezina, I would live to regret it: "Are you aware of what Arezina could do to you and to your Companies in her capacity of Commercial Court president? You will see if you start writing about her." He advised me to think hard before I begin anything against Arezina. I asked whether that was his personal threat, the threat of his party or the threat of the state. He replied: all three, and added that I should not push my luck any further. I would be taking too big a risk if I began writing against Arezina. I asked him again whether I should take it as a threat, but he replied that I could take it anyway I liked and that he had no more time to waste on me. That is how our conversation ended.

I returned to my table and continued with my dinner in company of Rajko Danilovic and his wife, who had witnessed our encounter.

Ratko Krsmanovic walked towards Autokomanda and stood uneasily in front of some shops, turning his head all the time to see whether I was watching him.

They Have No Feeling of Shame

Some ten minutes later Krsmanovic decided to enter the car parked close by. It was the newest model of black Mercedes, Class E, the symbol of "poverty and working classes." The car had registration plate BG 209 ... if I remember correctly.

It was obvious that Krsmanovic was feeling uneasy. He felt uncomfortable that I had seen him in such a car. He couldn't back up, because there was a Reno parked close behind him. After several minutes of manoeuvring he managed to leave.

He sped towards Autokomanda. I thought that he had felt ashamed of my seeing him, the self proclaimed protector of "working classes," especially of "Udarnik" workers, in a car that cost 200 000 German marks, provided

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it had been purchased legally. Now, I know that he was not ashamed, such men don't think about such things. I have never seen Ratko Krsmanovic, the Secretary-General of YL Head Office in charge of ideology, as he introduced himself to me, again.

Of course, I was still afraid of Ratko Krsmanovic's threats.

She Locked Up our Cases

My sense of justice was stronger then their threats. Several days later, in July of 1999, GLAS JAVNOSTI began a series of articles on the abuse of office and illegal activity of the president of Commercial Court, Milena Arezina.

It is only today, more than two years later, that it is quite clear to me that Ratko Krsmanovic, in the name of YL, organised and instigated, through the president of Belgrade Commercial Court, persecution of all Companies that comprised ABC PRODUKT.

It is clear now why all cases of ABC PRODUKT were under embargo in Belgrade Commercial Court. Everything she did was illegal. Even statutory changes we submitted for verification took several moths, instead of several days as proscribed by law. Our buyers accused us of obstruction, in the belief that through our channels, we had managed to hide all the documentation concerning ABC PRODUKT, although those documents should have been accessible to the public. It is still the same today: our documentation is still inaccessible to the public and to other legal subjects. It was done out of personal vendetta and unreasonableness of Milena Arezina who was instructed what to do by individuals from her party and in the interest of that party. She kept all our documentation under lock and key, as though it were treasure until the day in October of 2000, when judges of Commercial Court organised a coup and ousted her.

I was finally able to see how serious the threats of Ratko Krsmanovic were. In practice, different methods and different ways were used, but with a single goal in view: to destabilise ABC PRODUKT and GLAS JAVNOSTI newspaper.

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Milan Rodic, Director of "Srbijasume" Gets Involved Indirectly

I knew the director of "Srbijasume", Milan Rodic, as a good businessman. One of his directors, Slobodan Sarenac had introduced us once. After my last talk with Ratko Krsmanovic, which left me deeply concerned as to what would happen the next day and what Ratko Krsmanovic and his cronies had in store for me, I decided to call on Milan Rodic.

I explained everything that had been happening to me in my dealings with Ratko Krsmanovic. He listened to everything I had to say and since we have the same family name (he called me Rodjo – coz) he told me: "Rodjo, I can't believe what you are telling me, but if it is true I am powerless, I'll try to talk to them. I only know that in my presence your name was never mentioned." We had this conversation at the end of July 1999. After that Milan left for vacation and returned at the end of August.

At the end of August, Milan Rodic invited me to come to his office in Novi Beograd. When I arrived, he asked me: "Rodjo, have you settled that debt with BLIC?" I told him that we had agreed on a settlement with BLIC. Milan went on to ask me about negotiations between "my people and you," meaning YL, and GLAS JAVNOST and my Printing Company. I told him that after that encounter with Ratko Krsmanovic in "Uzice" inn, no one had called or contacted me. The whole thing was quite bizarre and I didn't know what to think. I told him that I was a businessman and if someone was quite resolved to buy the newspaper, let him or her call me.

Milan Rodic then asked: "Rodjo, if you are interested, I could organise a meeting with my people (meaning YL)." I told him that I had nothing against the notion, with the idea of gaining some more time. He told me that he would hold talks with them in the course of the day and inform me. On September 1, Milan Rodic called me and told me that he had organised a meeting on behalf of YL Head Office with a new negotiating team headed by Srdjan Smiljkovic and consisting of Borisa Vukovic and their (YL) lawyer, Zarko Vujacic. The meeting was scheduled for September 3, at 9.30 am at YL Head Office club in 31, Djure Djakovica Street, in downtown Belgrade.

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New Negotiating Team: Smiljkovic Appears

After termination of communications with Krsmanovic, a new YL negotiating team, headed by Srdjan Smiljkovic appeared. He introduced himself as the vice president of YL Head Office. He said that after failure of negotiations with Ratko Krsmanovic, he was given authority to solve the problem of urgent take over of GLAS JAVNOSTI. We could remain as minor shareholders, but since they would be major shareholders, they would bring in their own people to work in the paper. Such behaviour of the new chief of the negotiating team said a lot about the behaviour of his predecessor, Ratko Krsmanovic, at least, regarding GLAS JAVNOSTI Company, GLAS JAVNOSTI newspaper and ABC PRODUKT as Business System.

What Ratko Krsmanovic tried to achieve through machinations and manipulations, using Milena Arezina as his pawn, Srdjan Smiljkovic was to try in another way. But in what way? By giving orders to the director of Republic's Bureau for Internal Revenue, Vojislav Stojakovic, the Commissioner of Financial Police, Gojko Malidjan, Chief Inspector, Steva Vujakovic and a group of inspectors from their centre in Novi Beograd, headed by Zarko Riznic. Their aim would be to enter the premises of GLAS JAVNOSTI Company, accuse us of tax evasion and create confusion and chaos in Companies of ABC PRODUKT Business System: especially in Printing Companies ABC GRAFIKA and ABC ETIGRAF and in GLAS JAVNOSTI newspaper and GLAS JAVNOSTI Publishing Company.

By faking tax evasion charges and by forcing Managements of ABC GRAFIKA and GLAS JAVNOSTI to transfer to Financial Police all the money they had on their accounts, as a gesture of good will, without any legal orders or justifications, but with the intention of sweetening up Rizinic and Vujakovic to open up closed Printing Companies: ABC GRAFIKA and ABC ETIGRAF and GLAS JAVNOSTI newspaper.

They did not have any qualms that by their action they would use up GLAS JAVNOSTI income and bring the Company to the brink of bankruptcy.

TOMORROW: BLACKMAIL IN YL HEAD OFFICE CLUB

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7) Blackmail in YL Head Office Club

- You can choose whether we do it peacefully or by force. It's up to you to decide – Srdjan Smiljkovic was very compelling

I came to YL Head Office at the appointed time. My hosts were running late, so I spent some fifteen minutes waiting at the entrance, confronted by security guards. The security then took me to YL Head Office club, situated in the basement of the former "Genex" Company building, (the entrance is from David Pajic Street), where I was met by two men. One of them introduced himself as Borisa Vukovic, Federal Minister for Foreign Trade, and the other as Srdjan Smiljkovic, Deputy General Manager of Central Post Office of Serbia (PTT). We went to the last booth on the left-hand side of the club and set down. At that moment the third man arrived and Smiljkovic introduced him as Zarko Vujacic, their lawyer.

Ruthless Monologue

During the informal chitchat, Minister Vukovic began, in the manner of a passionate smoker, lighting his cigarillo. Smiljkovic was talking on his mobile phone using the hands-free device. After he had finished we turned to matters at hand.

Smiljkovic explained to me that on the authority of YL Head Office, they were empowered to reach an agreement with me about complete take over of GLAS JAVNOSTI daily, as quickly as possible. The three of them, he said, had received special authority to complete the deal. He said that we had to reach an agreement as soon as possible, since my previous meetings with Ratko Krsmanovic had failed. He explained that their intention was to take over complete control of GLAS JAVNOSTI daily without much ado.

I asked Smiljkovic to give me details of their proposal for the take over of our Company. He said that the decision had been reached that the newspaper must be taken over and placed under their control, regardless of consequences. "There will be no discussion," he said forcefully, "it must be clear to you." He said that it was in the interest of the state, and that

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precluded any discussion. They had a task to accomplish, whether I liked it or not.

He added that their party's practice was that any set goal must be reached, no matter at what cost and that "any given goal of their party, justified the means."

"Therefore," he continued, "there is not much to talk about, but to see what technique we are going to employ with you and your Company." "We don't want any postponements. You must be conscious of the fact that it is in your interest not to cause problems to us, because our party holds all political, legislative, and executive power in this country. No more discussions! Everything I am going to say now must be taken seriously, otherwise it might be too late."

He Added...

"This is no kidding matter. This whole business must be completed as soon as possible. You can choose whether we do it peacefully or by force. It is up to you to decide! Special Coordination was formed" (I took it to mean some sort of Headquarters), represented by them, said Smiljkovic.

Then he said...

"Regarding the cash, don't expect any financial reimbursement! It is not the practice of our party to pay when buying what we need, as is the case with your newspaper, GLAS JAVNOSTI. We are taking it over in the name of the party!"

I was not quite sure what it all meant, but I kept quiet.

Smiljkovic then said that Vujacic and I should meet to discuss what could possibly be done in a way of compensations. He suggested I select one of bankrupt Companies listed with Belgrade Commercial Court. They would then finish the business with Belgrade Commercial Court Bankruptcy Council. For that reason, Vujacic was present. As to the presence of the Federal Minister for Foreign Trade, Borisa Vukovic, he was there in order to help me obtain necessary permits or anything else that could be financially worth my while. In that way, my Company would be compensated.

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In case I needed financial backing, Milovan Djurovic, the director of "Globus" Insurance Company, YL's financial advisor, would be at hand. They would call him if needed, but, Smiljkovic pointed out once again, their practice was not to pay for anything. He told me that they wanted to finish the whole business without paying cash, adding that it must be done quickly.

During the whole meeting I kept silent. In the end I said that I would prepare for the next meeting, the complete documentation on the expenses I had had and give it to them, so that they could see what were my investments in founding and stabilizing GLAS JAVNOSTI daily. The other participants did not take part in the conversation and did not interrupt Mr. Smiljkovic's monologues.

That was our firs meeting. It all ended by Mr. Vukovic accepting to help me, through his Ministry (Federal Ministry for Foreign Trade), and Mr. Vujacic to send me the list of attractive bankrupt or near-bankrupt companies. The next meeting was scheduled for the following week. Mr. Vujacic accepted to meet with we the following Tuesday, September 7, 1999 at 10 am. Borisa Vukovic set up a meeting with me for September 6, at 10 o'clock in his office at the Ministry.

Stone Statue in Buddha Style

In the end, Smiljkovic and Vukovic saw me off to the main entrance of YL Head Office in Djure Djakovica Street. After shaking hands with them, I saw for the first time a white stone statue, in Buddha style of Mrs. Mira Markovic, facing the entrance of YL Head Office building (the former "Genex" Company building). I suddenly realized that anyone leaving the YL Head Office building could not help but see that statue, erected at the edge of the pavement.

Minister Vukovic's Glasses

I could not grasp the meaning of that statue, but I remembered the bulletin called "Dialogue," which we had printed for some church organization for

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spiritual enlightenment, that is, for fighting against religious sects. That statue preyed on my mind, but I dared not ask anyone what it meant.

I went to the Federal Ministry at the appointed time, but Mr. Borisa Vukovic was an hour late, because of some private problems.

In the meantime, while I was waiting in his office, Slobodan Djuric came in. He reminded me that we had met, long ago, at the time of Ante Markovic. He knew about our Company through his wife who had been Secretary of "Brodomerkur," Company from Split, with whose Management I had had very sound business relations. We chatted briefly about past times and problems we had encountered then.

Minister Vujovic came in, slightly upset and nervous. He called his house and inquired about his glasses. The maid told him that his wife had already searched for then before they had left and could not find them. He then called Borka Vucic to ask whether he had forgotten the glasses in her home the previous evening. Mrs. Vucic said that the glasses were in her house. Vukovic then called his driver to go and get them.

Meanwhile, a clerk from the Ministry had brought in all our cases. His expert advisor, Dusica Milosevic was called in to clarify some details from the bundle of unsolved cases of our Company. However, the Minister could not work with us. He had bad eyesight. Mrs. Milosevic tried to get the hang of what the problem was, but to no avail.

Milovan Djurovic, Ministry's aid for the foreign investments sector, who was in charge of all ABC PRODUKT cases waiting in the Ministry for many months to be solved, was called in. When the glasses finally arrived, Borisa Vukovic was able to take part in our discussion. He, too, could not get the hang of it. It was all so involved and complicated that he asked his aid Djurovic to examine all the cases and find out the omissions made by them.

There Was No Willingness

Mrs. Milosevic suggested at once, that, based on what she had seen, that it would be best if I were to demand new permits. She added that it would be best to start from the beginning, because their predecessors had

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complicated matters to such an extent that it would be easier if ABC PRODUKT were to submit a new order for obtaining necessary permits.

The search for solution of our problems before Vukovic's Ministry, continued to get more and more involved, partly because of Mr. Vukovic who was not willing to help, and partly because of the bureaucracy prevailing in that Ministry: the same people from Ante Markovic's period are still working there; they had stalled us then, they are stalling us now.

This was the last I had seen any of these people from the Federal Ministry.

TOMORROW: FEAR AND SNEAKING UNEASINESS

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8) Fear and Sneaking Uneasiness

- You must get it through your head: where you are now sitting, many have set who had perished because of their disobedience! Some of them are dead! Some are in prison! – Said Smiljkovic On Thursday, September 9, 1999, Srdjan Smiljkovic called me. He asked me to adjourn our meeting for the next day, Friday, 11th (10?) of September, at the same time. On Friday, he called and asked that the meeting be postponed for 3 pm. at the same place, the club of YL Head Office building, in Djure Djakovica Street. On entering the building, I remembered that white, stone statue and glanced at it. I had the sense of fear and uneasiness.

I entered that same room in the basement of the building, and our meeting went along the same lines as the previous one, I was getting familiar with the scenario. Nothing substantial had changed. They demanded that I speed up things. According to Srdjan Smiljkovic, the whole business was taking too much time, and warned me that they might lose patience.

Srdjan Smiljkovic Warned Me:

"Are you aware what we do to the disobedient? You must get it through your head: where you are now sitting, many have set who had perished because of their disobedience! Some of them are dead! Some are in prison!"

I told him that I was not aware of their practices and that the thing they want is not mine to give away. I insisted that the complete amount of money invested be determined. I told him that I had not invested only my own money, but also the money of my domestic and foreign partners, as well as, bank loans.

I had prepared documents about my expenditure till August 31. He said that we would have a meeting with a man who was a financier. He would invite him to our next meeting. He stressed that the whole matter must be resolved soon. He ordered Vujacic to speed things up by sending me that list of attractive near-bankrupt or bankrupt companies. Vujacic replied that the list was being prepared and that I would get it in a couple of days.

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Minister Vukovic then asked whether the promised help by his Ministry had been sufficient. I replied that nothing we had agreed upon had been realized.

"God, What Would Happen to Me"

Smiljkovic was very decisive. He said that the deal with us must be realized, as soon as possible; there was no time for stalling. Looking me in the eye, he repeated:

"The Company and the newspaper GLAS JAVNOSTI must be put under our control promptly. Do you understand? That was the main purpose of this meeting! Understand that! All the rest is the matter of arrangement and methods employed in realizing the deal. We have people who would do it in Court (Belgrade Commercial Court), where we have absolute control. Everything would be competed swiftly, according to my orders (given to Arezina)!"

It was a direct threat, and I wondered what would happen to me if I didn't comply with their plan for GLAS JAVNOSTI take over. I was thinking: "Dear God, what is going to happen?"

I realized that I must continue with the meetings, that I must keep negotiating, buying time and stalling for as long as it was possible. What if I was to sever our relations and tell them what I really thought about their methods and walked out demonstratively, calling them by the names they really deserved?

I dared not, no way. I was aware of that. I must continue negotiating with them, stalling them, that was my only weapon against them. I prayed to God for something to happen to save me from that nightmare, maelstrom, and from dark powers who were quite blatant in their intentions. I had to fight them alone, to find a way to survive, to keep my head on my shoulders, to save my family, my associates, my Company and property, and finally, my honor and dignity. I could not allow them to involve me in their shady machinations; I could not allow myself to become one of them.

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It is only now that I am able to realize how perfidious their plan was. At the end of September my mother died. It is obvious that they used this personal tragedy to psychologically destroy me. On the same day that notices of my mother's death appeared in newspapers, a large number of Financial police and uniformed policemen appeared in my Company, allegedly for interim control of documents. The previous control was only ten days before.

They called for us, myself and my associates, day in and day out. They conducted hearings, they threatened, and they searched the premises...

The outcome was that they banned the work of the newspaper and of the printing company – allegedly in the interest of financial control. (On October 1 and 2, GLAS JAVNOSTI was not published).

It is Not Advisable to Be Disobedient

On Wednesday, October 6, 1999, Sinisa Smiljkovic called me. I had the impression that his call was well coordinated with the previous maltreatment suffered at the hands of financial and regular police. He asked whether there was any reason for us to see each other and continue our talks.

I remembered everything Srdjan had said at our previous meetings, about the treatment of the disobedient by his party. I immediately replied that I saw no reason why not continue with our talks. I asked him to set the date.

The meeting was scheduled for October 7, 1999, at 11 am. He asked whether it would be convenient for us to meet in his Office in 2, Takovska Street, in Central Post Office building. I agreed with both the place and the time.

I arrived in a Ford Escort; our construction engineer, Boro Uljarevic had driven me. When I entered his office, it was to find Milovan Djurovic, the director of "Globus" Insurance Company there. Srdjan Smiljkovic was not in his office; he was running late. Several minutes later, the lawyer, Mr. Zarko Vujacic arrived, closely followed by Smiljkovic, himself.

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The meeting started courteously. Smiljkovic began by talking about the car accident in which members of SRM (Serbian Renewal Movement Party) were killed. He said that he had known them; only several days before they had been in company together.

He then went on, to mention the troubles some of his friends, party colleagues, and business associates, now dead, had had. All the time he was staring at me. He mentioned several other names of his former colleagues who were in prison then: the owner of B.T.C. Company, Nenad Djordjevicwas one of them. He said, looking at me all the time, that we were living in difficult times and that it did not pay to be rebellious or disobedient. At that moment someone called him on the mobile phone. I was aware that I had to continue our conversation at all costs, in order to gain time, believing against all reason, that this evil would come to an end.

My only hope was to stall. That was the weapon they had forced upon me, and I had taken it, as my only protection, believing in the old saying that "everything comes to an end, eventually."

After finishing his telephone call, Smiljkovic began talking about the Italians who were co-owners of the Company, and all the trouble thay were causing. They needed to have translators, drivers, adequate companions, and all that made communication difficult. For that reason they had to close a part of the street, From Takovska Street to St. Marko's church.

Financial Police

Finally, Smiljkovic asked me directly what did Financial police find in our Company. Was it tax evasion to the amount of nearly five million dinars, according to his information? I replied that I was not aware that the police had found any proof of violation of the law. I said that they were still working, but that we have not yet received any report on their findings or any decree. Our newspaper had been banned for two days, as he undoubtedly knew, but the decree on ban was later repealed. All newspapers had reported about that.

I said that I had nothing against financial control; it was their manner of working and their behavior, which were not according to the book that I objected to.

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At that moment, Zarko Vujacic joined our talk by apologizing for not having sent me that list of bankrupt or near-bankrupt companies, as he had promised, but added that by Monday, October 11, I would have it. The new meeting was scheduled for Monday.

Smiljkovic explained that Borisa Vukovic was not able to attend our meeting because he had to leave urgently for negotiations with Hungarians about the Russian gas. Hungarians had refused to allow the gas to be transported over their territory and were awaiting the ruling from Brussels. I mentioned that heating was a big problem in the city, because most of the heating plants were using natural gas as fuel.

Smiljkovic replied that he was having grave problems in his part of the country, in Trstenik region. He told me that he had "a barracks of a house" there, which his father had built for him. Whenever he wanted to go there, he had to call his aunt two days before to switch on the heating, otherwise they would freeze there.

Raised Voices and Blackmail

They continued to converse among themselves. Milovan Djurovic was given orders to finish registering new company, together with their lawyer, Zarko Vujacic, by Monday, October 11, 1999, without necessary documents. The necessary documents would be forwarded later, after the Company had been entered into the Court register. All that was no problem at all, they concluded unanimously. They would finish the whole business in Commercial Court, within a day!

They explained that the party colleague, the president of Belgrade Commercial Court, Milena Arezina would oblige Smiljkovic in that matter. The newly registered company would be part of their already existing company, called, if I recall correctly, "Media Centar," or something similar to that. This newly established company would appear as the partner in exchange of ownership with GLAS JAVNOSTI Company Ltd., the founder, and publisher of GLAS JAVNOSTI daily.

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At that point I had to take part in their conversation. I said: "If I am forced to sell GLAS JAVNOSTI Company and GLAS JAVNOSTI daily, then I would sell the whole company and the whole paper!"

Srdjan Smiljkovic'c reaction was heated. He demanded from me to remain the owner of 49% of GLAS JAVNOSTI Company and newspaper.

SMILJKOVIC AS ORCHESTRATOR

When Srdjan Smiljkovic mentioned Voja Stojakovic and Steva Vujakovic, I realized what his tactics and intentions were. Srdjan, as YL orchestrator, intended, by using the head of Serbian Internal Revenue Office, Voja Stojakovic and Chief of Financial Police, Novi Beograd Center, Zarko Rznic, to fabricate as many charges against ABC PRODUKT, as possible. In that way they planned to rob me of GLAS JAVNOSTI daily, ABC GRAFIKA Printing Company and of other companies as well.

TOMORROW: I ASK FOR MONEY, THEY WANT FOR FREE

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9) I Ask for Money Invested, They Want for Free

- I insist that we don't own the state or the Budget any money – I told Srdjan Smiljkovic

"You must continue to work," he said fiercely, "the way we demand, in accordance with new organization, new Management, new concept, new Editorial policy and with new people we would bring in!"

I did not agree with Smiljkovic. I only said that we would discuss the matter at some later date. Smiljkovic reverted again to the question of financial police. He told me that regarding the matter of five million dinars that we allegedly owned in unpaid taxes, according to the report of financial police, criminal charges could be brought against us, but he added, that would be no problem. We should only subtract that amount from our tally when ascertaining the value of GLAS JAVNOSTI Company.

"Our party," Smiljkovic said, "is capable, that is to say, we in the name of the party are in a position to avoid our tax obligations. But that would mean that the value of GLAS JAVNOSTI must be reduced for that amount. YL has their people everywhere. We have ways of avoiding paying taxes! That is my job and the job of my party. You must comprehend that and accept it as reality!"

Smoljkovic's plan was to use those fabricated reports as means of blackmailing me. Perhaps, he had an additional plan to rig a trial, to have me detained or arrested, so that in the end I would be forced to hand them GLAS JAVNOSTI for free, just to end their persecution. At that moment I realized what they had in store for me. If I didn't do as I was told I would either get killed or end up in prison serving a lengthy sentence after a rigged trial! That was to be my destiny unless I complied with their plan to avoid paying taxes, which I allegedly owed, and handed them the paper and the printing company.

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He offered Tax Evasion

Resolute not to give in to blackmail, I gathered all the courage I had and replied to Smiljkovic:

"There is no need for you to organize that we be exempt from paying taxes. I insist that we don't own the state or the budget any money in unpaid taxes. The truth is quite the opposite: the state owes us money for the use of our property in the war period. You can check with Ministry of Interior and Yugoslav Armed Forces. They have requisitioned our property; so perhaps, you could offer them to "even out" their debt to us. I believe that that would not be necessary. We had better decide what we are to do next. If financial police were to find any violation of the law on our part, their report is subject to verification during court proceedings at all levels of jurisdiction granted by the Law. When Decree absolute is obtained then our Company would either pay up or make a settlement with the Federal or Republic's Budget. You and I cannot discuss settlement at today's meeting, because it is quite out of turn. The matter at hand is the sale of GLAS JAVNOSTI daily."

I mentioned again that the Government owed us a considerable amount of money, much larger than the one they had mentioned.

Smiljkovic kept looking at me in a funny way. He reminded me:

"You are forgetting that in talking to me you must not be self-willed. I have warned you about that several times, but you seem to take no heed!"

Smiljkovic, Djurovic, and Vujacic continued conversing among themselves as though a deal with me has been concluded. They discussed who was to be the new director of GLAS JAVNOSTI Company, about changes of the personnel to be made both in the company and in the pressroom, after the "sale."

I gave them complete documentation of our expenditures based on bona fide capital used in organizing and founding GLAS JAVNOSTI newspaper and company. Our expenses were 7 030 000 German marks, the amount of money was presented in dinars according to the exchange rate on the day the deposit was made, and according to the balance sheet, dated August 31, 1999.

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Srdjan Smilkjkovic said that it was of no interest to him, that I should give it to Milovan Djurovic who was in charge of finances in their party.

The conversation turned back to Commercial Court. They agreed among themselves how to proceed about registering the new company and how the president of Commercial Court, Milena Arezina would help them finish the registration within a day! They repeated again that they could register the company without the necessary documents, which would be forwarded later. For them, the important thing was to get the document of registration in one day.

Listening to their conversation, I was reminded of the everyday difficulties we were having with Commercial Court: it took us months to get registration verified by the Court, while temporary measures ordering us to discontinue working were ruled the same day that charges, without any foundation or proper documentation, were filed. I remembered all Arezina's machinations and manipulations with "Udarnik," when Arezina had verified falsified seal and illegal Management of the company in the interest of her party.

The conversation continued by my asking them how they intended to reimburse or pay to ABC PRODUKT for ceding foundation and ownership rights to the company that was founder and publisher of GLAS JAVNOSTI daily.

By way of suggestion, I asked Smiljkovic: "Is there any possibility of you obtaining a favorable foreign loan for our Printing Company for buying the necessary equipment which would enable us to print in color?

He replied: "There is no possibility of that."

I asked: "Can you obtain for us backing of a bank, for example "Universal" Bank?"

"There is no such possibility. You should not be thinking about that," replied Smiljkovic.

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I asked again: "How, then, do you intend to pay to ABC PRODUKT for the money invested in establishing and financing GLAS JAVNOSTI daily and Company?"

He answered: "I don't know and I don't intend to talk about that any longer. I demand that a contract about you ceding the company to us be made and that it is registered in Court. After that we can discuss the payment.

I said: "It should be the other way around. We should reach an agreement about the payment to our company first, then the rest would be easy."

Smiljkovic refused my suggestion with indignation and left the room, most probably to make a phone call. When he returned, once again he began telling the story about his friends who had been disobedient and had paid for it.

About Those Who Are No Longer With Us

"We have sat here together often but they are no longer with us! It is not my fault that they were disobedient. I was their friend. I was friends even with late Boskovic who was buried yesterday. I knew his bodyguards who were killed with him, too. I knew late Kundak, too..."

I realized that he was alluding to what might happen to me if I didn't go along with his plan, method, and ways for taking over GLAS JAVNOSTI Company.

Once again I was aware that I must go on, continue to negotiate, to buy time, to stall. What if I was to sever our relations and tell them what I really thought about their methods and walked out demonstratively, calling them by the names they really deserved? I dared not, no way. I was aware of that. I must continue negotiating with them, stalling them, that was my only weapon against them. I prayed to God for something to happen to save me from that nightmare, maelstrom, and from dark powers who were quite blatant in their intentions. I had to fight them alone, to find a way to survive, to keep my head on my shoulders, to save my family, my associates, my Company and property, and finally, my honor and dignity. I could not allow them to involve me in their shady machinations; I could not allow myself to become one of them.

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Our conversation about GLAS JAVNOSTI ended. The next meeting was scheduled for the following week. We agreed to finalize things by Thursday, October 14, 1999. Smiljkovic then took me aside and asked me directly: "What have you decided? Will you give us documents so that we can bring charges against Djindjic? Why are you still printing that bulletin of his, "Changes?"

Heated Dialogue About "Changes" Bulletin

I replied: "We are printing that bulletin because we are paid for that. The same way we had printed the bulletin issued by your party, with your photograph in it, for which you haven't paid yet."

"The bulletin of my party is quite another matter, the two cannot be compared! Have those for whom you are printing the bulletin, "Changes," paid their debt to you?"

"As far as I am aware, I am printing the bulletin for Ceda Jovanovic."

"That is not true. You must be aware that Djindjic is behind the whole thing. Why won't you listen to me and bring criminal charges against Djindjic. We might even arrest him. The debt he owes your company is large, that case could be interpreter as fraud," Smiljkovic was insistent.

I replied: "I can gain nothing by filing criminal charges against anyone, I am only a businessman. I am only interested in getting paid for the job; the rest is of no significance to me. If you want, you could buy out the debt you are talking about, then you do what you want."

I even offered Smiljkovic 30% discount if he were to buy out the debt of Democratic Party. He replied: "When will you realize that I pay nothing?! What about that bulletin?"

I answered: "For me, the printing of "Changes" bulletin is the same as printing YL bulletin, SPS bulletin, Radical's bulletin, or the bulletin of any other party who have used the services of our Printing Company. We printed for all of them and all of them paid, except for your party (YL). We printed your bulletin but we haven't received the payment yet."

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He asked me: "Are you aware that the bulletin you are printing ("Changes"), is against the interests of the country and its people, it is against our party. My personal advice to you is to stop printing that trash. If you don't do that, you will get yourself in serious trouble because of your disobedience."

I replied: "I take no interest in politics. Every morning, everything that comes out of our Printing Company, including the bulletin in question is taken to the Public Prosecutor, and Public Prosecutor decides whether it can be distributed or not. If the Public Prosecutor bans the bulletin, we will honor his ruling. We do everything according to the laws of the country in which we live and work. We only do the printing! Besides, our lawyers and attorneys have advised us that since it is a bulletin and not a newspaper it does not require registration with Ministry of Information."

ARROGANT POLICEMAN

At the time of my meetings, organized and directed by Srdjan Smiljkovic, ABC PRODUKT and all our other companies, including GLAS JAVNOSTI Company, were swarming with financial and uniformed police. One of the Inspectors of Belgrade Police, who came to out building in Vlajkovic Street, pushed away our security guard with the threat: "Only Slobodan Milosevic can ask for my badge."

After that incident, we refused all communication with the police, demanding that the arrogant policeman identified himself. We managed to do that when, searching the building, policemen entered the premises of Ronacco System, Dover, Delavere, USA Branch Office, who were one of our foreign investors. At that moment, Dragan Vlahovic, the Editor of GLAS JAVNOSTI came along and asked the policeman: "Who are you to behave so arrogantly?"

Financial police inspector, Branko Ivosevic, seeing the arrogance of the man said: "Why don't you identify yourself? It is your duty, according to the law."

That is how we found out that the name of the arrogant policeman was Kozic, and that together with Aleksandar Milosevic, they were in charge of

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the media in Belgrade. They had come, they said, to see whether we were still printing "Changes" bulletin. I replied that bulletins are not printed on the premises of a foreign company, but in the basement where the Printing Company is situated. They then demanded that we opened the safe that was in the office and where some important documents were kept. I opened the safe; they searched it in detail and found nothing. Afterwards, they went to other parts of the building, while editors, and journalists present, including me, could not but be astonished at the arrogance of the police. TOMORROW: SMILJKOVIC: "HAJJI ANTIC AND LJUBA MIHAJLOVIC ARE MEN OF THE PAST"

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10) Smiljkovic: "Antic and Mihajlovic Are Men of the Past"

- What you talked with those two is of no significance. They are men of the past – Smiljkovic said – Our Company is not politically oriented. We are interested only in business results – I replied On top of all that Smiljkovic warned me again: "You must realize that the bulleting your Printing Company is publishing is against the interests of the country and the citizens, and especially against the interests of my party! What you are doing bodes ill for you, and your company. I, my party and my friends will see to that!"

It Bodes Ill for You

I told him: "Then, you suggest to the Prosecutor to ban the printing in our Printing Company and we would comply with his order." He went on: "I doubt that that is the only contract you Printing Company has."

"It is not the only one, but it is not negligible, because that is the job which can be done in the off hours, when the workers are sitting and presses are not working. It is economizing; in a month's time we accumulate gross income for our workers wages. We have a large number of workers employed. I cannot deny the workers their right to work. Why does not your Company (Central Post Office of Serbia) give us something to print? We would print it without any political bias. We are not interested in politics!"

"We have out own Printing Company where we print everything that is necessary," Smiljkovic was adamant.

"I know of that Company. It is technically impossible to print there all you need," I replied.

Finally, angry and annoyed, Smiljkovic told me in a threatening tone: "You are uncooperative and disobedient! Think well what you are doing. You are no allowed to do anything that is not in the interest of my party. You must immediately find the way to stop printing "Changes" bulletin. What you are doing, I'll repeat again, is damaging to my party. I warn you that

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my party and its members, including myself, would do everything to protect the interests of the party!"

I replied: "First of all. I have no authority over that matter; the director of Printing Company has all the authority. If you want the bulletin banned, call the Prosecutor and have him issue a decree, forbidding the printing of the bulletin. I cannot, I am neither authorized nor willing to do the job of the Judiciary and Prosecution." "After I submit my report to "Our Coordination" (Headquarters for persecution of media, I guessed), in YL Head Office, your behavior wouldn't be well received. The whole thing might seriously complicate things in your companies. As for yourself, such behavior might cost you dearly. Your stubbornness and disobedience," Smiljkovic was now very angry, "my party would never forgive."

I answered to him: "I have nothing against you personally, and nothing against anyone from your party. I am not involved in politics. Politics don't interest me. When someone comes and pays, Printing Company prints. Thank you for warning me! I understood you. I'll think about it."

I added: "During previous years, in the name of your party, hajji Dragan Antic, the director of POLITIKA newspaper, asked me for several favors. I did what he asked but was never paid. This caused great financial loss to my Company. I did it because hajji Dragan Antic's demand was an ultimatum, not a request. He did say, though, that I would be paid, but he never fulfilled his promise."

He replied: "Your dealings have no connection with the matter at hand. Hajji Dragan Antic is a man of the past."

I continued: "Ljuba Mihajlovic, the director of KOMERCIJALNA BANK, in the name of higher state interests, asked for many things. I complied with his requests, but again he never paid what he owed my company."

"Ljuba Mihajlvoic is also a man of the past," Smiljkovic replied angrily.

"We are not a politically oriented company. We are interested only in business results in this terrible financial situation. Next time we meet, we will se what is to be done next," was all that I could think of saying.

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We parted on the understanding that we would meet again the following week, on October 14 of 1999.

"Don't mix me with him"

On leaving his office, I run against the former president of Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Zoran Lilic. I was under the impression that he was about to enter the same office, which I had just left.

As soon as I entered the car, I asked the man who had driven me to the meeting, our company engineer, Uljarevic: "Did you see who had come to the building?"

"The former president, Lilic, just came in," he replied.

During the drive back, I was thinking about the meeting. As soon as I entered the office, I called one of the participants of the meeting, Djurovic, the director of "Globus" Insurance Company. I aired some of my views about "Changes" bulletin. However, he was not willing to discuss the matter.

"Please understand, I don't want to have anything to do with what Smiljkovic had just said to you. Please, don't mix me with him and his behavior. That is not my style of working, conversing, negotiating, doing business, or thinking. That is Smiljkovic's own style. As regards the report on GLAS JAVNOSTI expenditure you have given me, the figures you mention are too high," he said.

"The figures I gave you show the bona fide capital I invested in the company. You can verify for yourself, if you wish, that it is true. We can discuss the figures when we see each other and when the deal is nearing final stages," I replied.

Immediately after that, I called Srdjan Smiljkovic, but his secretary informed me that he was at an important meeting. I left a massage for him to call me. Some ten minutes later, calling in Smiljkovic's name, Zarko Vujacic, YL Head Office "lawyer for special arrangements" was on the phone. We spoke again about "Changes" bulletin.

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Conversation with General Djuric

Since the whole situation was strange and unclear to me, I called the Commissioner of City of Belgrade Secretariat for Interior, General Branko Djuric, called "Buca" and asked him: "Can you see me?"

"I can, provided you came immediately. I'm busy afterwards."

I went to him immediately. I explained to him the whole situation about "Changes" bulletin and problems I was having with Srdjan Smiljkovic and his cronies from YL, who were trying to rob me of GLAS JAVNOSTI daily, and the company of the same name. I explained Smiljkovic's behavior and his intentions: what he had tried to do by using financial police and regular police from Commercial Crimes Department in the past days, and why he was doing all that.

I also pointed out to him that our Printing Company was submitting every morning, in triplicate, everything that was printed the previous night by the Company to the Prosecution, as required by the law.

He listened to my narrative with attention. He gave me some useful advice privately, not in his official capacity. In the end he said: "I am not a businessman, but I believe that the bases of every sound business deal should be financial interest of the parties involved. If your interests are in accord, you should not complicate matters. I find it quite normal that money invested into a business must be refunded to the party who has invested it into some project. I cannot understand why my office was called to determine who is printing "Changes" bulletin if your Company is submitting copies in triplicate of all printed matters to the Prosecution for verification, every day."

He was still at sea why did Prosecution demand from his Department to determine who was printing "Changes" bulletin when they were aware of the facts and had documents to that effect.

Our conversation was straightforward and we parted with mutual understanding that everyone should do his job competently, and efficiently, according to professional and moral codex of behavior.

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IF THEY WANT, THEY CAN BAN "CHANGES" BULLETIN THEMSELVES, I WON'T!

After leaving his office, I had no clearer idea as to what it was that we had agreed upon, except that I realized I had to hand them over GLAS JAVNOSTI daily and Company, and continue playing the role of their puppet, manipulated by them, furthering their interests and the interests of their party and not the interests of myself, my company, and my readers. Finally I realized: this country, or YL didn't need either the Government or the Parliament. They wanted me to be the one to ban "Changes" bulletin, they didn't want to disgrace themselves before the world. They would play the role of Democrats; they wanted to represent Serbia as the country governed by law and legality. I told myself: "I won't do it! If they want to ban the bulletin, let them do it themselves!"

TOMORROW: ZORAN LILIC OFFENDED

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11) Lilic Among Persecutors

With his statesman's authority he stirred up the fire that YL and the greater part of Serbian and Yugoslav Administration have ignited

My suspicion that Coordination (Headquarters of Serbian and Yugoslav Administration for persecution of media) really existed was proven to me in quite a ruthless way. On October 6, after another in a series of painful meetings with Srdjan Smiljkvovic, in their Belgrade Central Post Office building I notice the former president of Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Zoran Lilic, who was about to enter the office of Smiljkovic.

Several days after the meeting mentioned above, GLAS JAVNOSTI was subpoenaed to appear before the Court. Zoran Lilic filed charges against us, according to the new Law on Information, for defamation of character. Some ten months before, GLAS JAVNOSTI had published a text in which it was mentioned that Zoran Lilic in his capacity of the president of Chess Association of Yugoslavia, at the Yugoslav Chess Championship held in Herceg Novi, had played a game of chess with Robert Ghelbard, the chief of UN Civil Mission in Bosnia-Herzegovina. The author of this news was not our journalist. The news was announced by BETA news agency. Almost all independent media had published the news. Our journalists tried to verify the veracity of the news. At the hotel where the Championship was held, we were told that the information might be true.

Soon after, Yugoslav Chess Association sent a letter to GLAS JAVNOSTI, denying the information published. We published their letter. Mr. Lilic also denied that he had played chess with Ghelbard. We printed both his denial and our apologies to both Mr. Lilic and our readers. We thought that the matter had ended then and there – mistakes happen when running a newspaper. However, Mr. Lilic was not of the same opinion. Ten months later he decided that his character was defamed by our writings and filed charges against us, at the instigation of infamous Coordination.

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The state is the image of its president

The Magistrate, it seemed, could hardly wait to fine the newspaper, and its Editor-in-chief, to the amount of GLAS JAVNOSTI newspaper's monthly income.

It was quite clear that Lilic had joined the others in persecution of ABC PRODUKT, and especially of GLAS JAVNOSTI. With his statesman's authority, he stirred up the fire that YL and the greater part of Serbian and Yugoslav Administration have ignited.

What could I do? I remembered the occasion when Serbian Justice Minister at that time, Dragoljub Jankovic, in an answer to my complaints about YL persecution of me and my company relied: "There is nothing I can do to stop them. I am not able to help you. When you are in question, everyone in YL avoids me, not even officially would they talk to me. I don't believe that Serbia has ever had so many bad people holding such important positions, as now. I am a professional, I see all the injustice, but I am powerless, my hands are tied. Others make decisions, which I, as the Minister should be making. For example: the president of Belgrade Commercial Court, Milena Arezina won't speak to me, either privately or officially." At that moment I remembered my countryside friends who have a saying: "The state is the image of its president even an ex president," which explained exactly the character and actions of Mr. Lilic as regards ABC PRODUKT and GLAS JAVNOSTI daily.

Police Occupation

Along with unparalleled persecution and threats of my killing and killing of members of my family, as well as killing of Slavoljub Kacarevic, organized by Srdjan Smiljkovic and his friends from YL "Coordination," financial police organized frontal and synchronized attack upon our Company, without doubt, at Srdjan Smiljkovic's instigation. After the first few numbers of "Changes" bulletin were published by our Company, threats started coming, at first only verbal, demanding that we stop further printing at once. Since there were no legal grounds to stop printing the bulletin, and the threats were anonymous, we continued with printing. This

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decision of ours, triggered the revenge of the authorities against all the employees of the Printing Company, their associates, and business partners.

In the night between Wednesday and Thursday (September 29 and 30, 1999), financial police stationed members of regular police on the premises of ABC GRAFIKA and GLAS JAVNOSTI Management, allegedly to secure the offices. The police spent the whole night in the building and in the morning new policemen arrived to replace their colleagues. On Thursday night, financial police suddenly demanded that we organize for them the tour through the building, in order, they said, to get acquainted with the process of work. However, during their tour of the building, they intercepted people in halls and offices, demanding that they identify themselves and explain what they were doing there. Three of our employees were later called in for a hearing organized in one of the offices the police had taken over as their Headquarters. During the evening, the complete Management of Printing Company was called in for a hearing. The subject matter of the hearing was the printing of "Changes" bulletin. Then police from Commercial Crimes Department confiscated the original documentation about this business deal: contracts, invoices, payment reports, and several printed numbers of the bulletin. It was close on midnight, between Thursday and Friday, and the printing of GLAS JAVNOSTI newspaper was underway. Slavoljub Kacarevic, the director of ABC GRAFIKA Printing Company and GLAS JAVNOSTI newspaper was called by the financial police and asked to sign three reports. They did not accept any postponement and insisted that he signed those documents immediately. Among other things, those reports said that serious violations of commercial law and practices have been noted, that they had found people working in the building who have not been registered as employees. We tried in vain to explain and prove that that was not true. Taking the advice of our Company lawyers and attorneys, we signed the reports. Immediately after that, three already prepared decrees ordering the closing of Companies GLAS JAVNOSTI, ABC GRAFIKA, and ABC ETIGTAF for fifteen days period were handed to us.

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Thirteen Red Seals

According to those decrees, financial police set about sealing premises of all companies, although printing was going on and pressroom was still working.

When the employees heard what was happening, spontaneous revolt broke out. Printing workers were ready to attack barehanded financial police, while the journalists refused to leave the pressroom, regardless of the consequences. There was a lot of defiance and tears. Finally the Commander of financial police unit, Zarko Riznic, threatened to call police SWAT team unless the premises were cleared and sealed off.

While the commotion with financial police was still on, journalists together with printing workers managed to insert on the front page of GLAS JAVNOSTI daily, while the printing was in progress, a notice saying that the paper had been banned. We managed to reach an agreement with financial and uniformed police that the sealing began in the pressroom. At 2 am. the last seal, together with financial police notice that the premises were closed, was placed on the front door of our building. Before that, financial police had placed similar seals of red wax on all printing presses, the last seal being placed on the rotation printing press for printing newspapers, together with the notice of financial police saying that the press was closed. With those thirteen seals the work of the newspaper and printing company came to a stop.

By that time, however, nearly the whole circulation of GLAS JAVNOSTI for the following day had been printed. The last thirty thousand copies even had the notice announcing that the paper had been banned, a precedent in Serbian journalism: to print a paper bearing a notice,which informs the readers that the paper is banned. What is more, the workers and journalist managed to smuggle out the whole circulation printed before the premises were closed, and hide it till the morning, until trucks for distributing the newspaper arrived.

REGULAR SEARCHES AND CONTROLS

Although regular control of ABC GRAFIKA documentation had been completed in September of 1999, at the end of the moth a group of

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financial police, led by Zarko Riznic, from Novi Beograd, accompanied by police inspectors from Department for Commercial Crimes, appeared in our company one afternoon. From the very beginning, the attitude of those men was strange and threatening. They used to stay in the Printing Company building all afternoon and late into the night, without any explanation, insisting that Management be present and did not leave the building. Most of the employees felt threatened by their behavior, because they would suddenly storm an office, conduct search and confiscate the documents found there. Besides that, both financial and regular police demanded that affidavits be taken from the employees regarding different matters, quite arbitrarily. An atmosphere of uncertainty and fear was created, although no clear explanation of what was happening was as yet apparent.

TOMORROW: IN THE NAME OF YL, RADMILA VISIC PLAYS THE ROLE OF THE ALMIGHTY

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12) In The Name of YL, Radmila Visic Plays the Role of Almighty

On Friday, October 1, the news that GLAS JAVNOSTI Printing Company and newspaper were closed down caused quite a commotion in the world, because our Internet edition of GLAS JAVNOSTI carried an article about what had happened.

In front of our building in 8, Vlajkovic Street, where Printing Company and pressrooms were situated, citizens began gathering all through the day, asking more information about what had happened and protesting against the proceedings of the authorities. At the same time, the Company Management was looking for ways to lift off the ban. Sometime in the afternoon on the same day, an agreement with financial police had been reached. According to the arrangement we had made, Company had to transfer all the money we had on our accounts to the account of Internal Revenue Bureau of the Republic of Serbia. The sum of money in question was got ready for payment of salaries of our employees. The decree was justified by an explanation that the money in question would serve as advance payment for fines, which would be determined at the later date.

YL Coordination had sentenced us without a trial, while financial police were ordered to destroy us financially. It was proved later that no grounds existed for fining us, but the money has not been returned to this date to GLAS JAVNOSTI.

We encountered great problems the following day (Saturday) when we tried to transfer the money to Internal Revenue Bureau of the Republic of Serbia, because Palilula Department for transfer of money could not proceed without an order of financial police. After a lot of persistence and persuasions on our part, the money has been transferred. Milorad Sforcan, the director of Department for money transfer, branch office Palilula, refused at first to transfer the money without a proper order. Finally he agreed.

On Sunday, just after midday, financial police clerks removed the seals from the pressroom and from all the printing presses, and we were able to continue to work. After two-day pause (Saturday and Sunday), GLAS JAVNOSTI appeared on the newsstands on Monday, October 4. Beside

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the information why GLAS JAVNOSTI had not appear for two days, a whole page in the paper was devoted to letters of protest against the authorities and support to us, sent from all over the world.

Banning of GLAS JAVNOSTI and closing of Printing Company was just intimation of what was in store for us, all through the following year.

On Thursday, October 14, City Magistrate sent forty new violation charges, according to the infamous Law on Public Informing, against ABC GRAFIKA Printing Company.

Marathon Trial

Radmila Visnjic, Deputy Minister of Information in Serbian Government, signed all the violation charges against Printing Company. One charge for each number of civil protest bulletin, "Changes," printed in ABC GRAFIKA. The following day, on Friday, Printing Company received four more violation charges, so that the following week, we had 44 trials scheduled before the City Magistrate, on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, October 21, 22, and 23 during the whole day. The following week, therefore, marathon trials for printing "Changes" bulletin began, between five and seven each day. These trials, also, attracted the attention of the media, so that beside numerous journalists, the trials attended the leaders of several political parties, Alliance for Changes, for example, but also representatives of many non-governmental organizations. At that moment, our daily GLAS JAVNOSTI was heading the list of fined newspapers, according to Law on Informatio, having six fines to their credit. Trials of Printing Company were still to come. At that period, the Editor-in-chief of GLAS JAVNOSTI left the paper, not being able to sustain the pressure. It was a difficult task editing a newspaper under the pressure of constant threats, new violation charges coming every day, and the terrible shadow cast by the death of Slavko Curuvija, the owner and Editor-in-chief of DNEVNI TELEGRAF (Daily Telegraph), who had been shot several months before at the entrance of his house, without any intimation by the police, as to who the killers were.

On Monday, October 18, two days before the beginning of trials, representatives of ABC GRAFIKA held a press conference together with

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Alliance for Changes in Belgrade Media Center, where we explained our standing in the matter of charges against us. Printing Company was prepared to continue printing the controversial Bulletin, "Changes," until it was officially prohibited, and for as long as it was in accordance with our interests and business policy. We explained that we were charged for printing an illegal newspaper, although "Changes" bulletin was only propaganda material, which need not be registered, but was subject to the payment of maximum tax rate, which we had paid. We used that occasion to remind the media present that ABC GRAFIKA had in previous years printed what others had dared not: NASA BORBA and BLIC dailies, at the time when they were denied printing services of BORBA Printing Company, or SRPSKA REC daily, that was thrown out of BIGZ Printing Company, as well as, printing Vojislav Seselj's publications at the time before he had joined the ruling coalition.

On Tuesday October 19 (18), the day before trials began, at the protest meeting organized by Alliance for Changes, and held at the Belgrade Republic Square, the people gathered there were invited to show their support of GLAS JAVNOSTI and protest against abuse of the freedom of the press, by gathering again the following day in front of Commercial Court, where trials were to be held.

Support of the Readers

Trials for printing of "Changes" bulletin were scheduled to start on October 20, exactly one year after Law on Information had been passed by the Parliament. That Law proved to be the means of exercising pressure on free media. In the meantime, Serbian Ministry of Information had filed additional charges against ABC GRAFIKA for printing "Changes" bulletin, so that total number of charges rose to 52. Marathon trial against our Printing Company began on Wednesday, before the judge Jasna Miljkovic. She refused the motion of defense attorney that all charges be joined together, although our attorney pointed out that that was a possibility allowed by law. Our Attorney countered her ruling, by demanding that the judge in question be exempt from further proceedings. That motion was denied, too. The motion that all charges be joined into one was denied, our Attorney explained, because the Court intended to sentence us to paying dozens of maximum fines.

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Our Defense Attorneys acquainted the Court with the fact that ABC GRAFIKA Printing Company had printed several bulletins of other political parties in the past, including SPS and YL bulletins, but in those instances no charges were brought against us, and we were not obligated to register those bulletins as newspapers. They added that, neither District Prosecution, nor Ministry of Information reacted for quite awhile to the printing of "Changes" bulletin, nor did they warn us that the bulletin in question was legally controversial. Finally our Attorney demanded the University of Belgrade School for Political Science be asked in as an expert witness, to determine whether "Changes" bulletin was a newspaper or a bulletin. However, our defense was of no effect, all trials ended in the same way: by sentencing Printing Company to fines between 60 000 to 80 000 dinars, and its manager, as person in charge of the Company to fines between 10 000 and 20 000 dinars.

During October and November, 37 trials, similar to the one described above, were held. 74 sentences fining Printing Company and its director to the amount of 2 000 000 dinars were passed. Evidence to what degree perpetrators of those proceedings believed in legality of their action was the fact that they declared trials closed for public. It was obvious that the sole purpose of those trials was to bring ABC GRAFIKA to financial ruin, not implementation of law.

TOMORROW: SESELJ SIDES WITH YL AND TERROR

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13) Seselj Sides with YL and Terror

You are that little boy, who has tilted his cap, and walks the streets of this town with his hands in his pockets, believing that his hometown is his. All around him are bands of robbers...

During months of November and December, forced payment of fines, ruled by the Court, was in progress. On three separate occasions, the trucks loaded with the equipment from ABC GRAFIKA Printing Company, left our premises for Serbian Internal Revenue Office's warehouse.

Faced with such legal sabotage, which signified that that their intention was to ruin me, and all my firms, I was forced to continue to wage my war with YL state, but using arguments as weapon. Arguments and facts had no validity for them, as proven by the letter we had sent to the Serbian Ministry of Information. The state fined ABC GRAFIKA Printing Company and its director, Slavoljub Kacarevic, for printing "Changes" bulletin, although the above-mentioned printing company, that is, its director, Slavoljub Kacarevic, did not sign the contract with "Changes" bulletin publishers. The deal was struck by our other Printing Company, ABC ETIGRAF, and its director, Petar Stevanovic. All the evidence was in the hands of Radmila Visic in Serbian Ministry of Information and in the hands of the judges who had passed sentences.

A Shred of Hope

The drowning man clutches at straws. Thinking what to do next, how to buy more time and survive not only I, but all my employees as well, how to escape being killed, I remembered Dr. Vojislav Seselj. I thought, although Serbian Radical Party had entered into coalition with SPS and YL, hoping against all hope, I willed myself to believe that their political options were, in the least, different. I wished to believe that Seselj's Radicals had different attitude towards GLAS JAVNOSTI, and towards laws and justice in this country. I wanted to talk to Vojislav Seselj in his capacity as Deputy Prime Minister of Serbia and leader of Serbian Radical Party.

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Bearing in mind that we have had business dealing with Serbian Deputy Prime Minister and president of Serbian Radical Party, Vojislav Seselj, over a period of more than ten years, I asked Kacarevic to call him and set up a meeting with him. I wanted to explain to him what has been happening to us and to ask his advice as to what to do next. Kacarevic told me that he had contacted Seselj some time before, regarding payment of dept Seselj owed us, and that Seselj had told him on that occasion that he had no intention of paying the debt.

Kacarevic thought that it was futile calling him, but at my insistence he called him any way over the mobile phone and asked him to receive us so that we might discuss the problems, which were growing with every passing day. Dr. Vojislav Seselj received Kacarevic and myself that same day at 3 pm.

It is necessary to mention here that Mr. Seselj and I have known each other some ten years. We met at the beginning of 1990, at the time when the director of the printing company was Djordje Tanic (later a distinguished Radical). Ever since then we have had a good and fruitful business relationship, until that day, when he, imitating YL method of coercing us, refused to pay his debt for services rendered to the amount of 2 500 000 dinars, which by May 1, 2001, together with interest rate, has risen to 10 million dinars.

Right to an Opinion

During the past ten years, we had printed for Seselj and his Radicals: newspapers, books, and flyers, at the time when no one wanted to do that. He was very prompt in paying. We were not interested in his political views; for us, he was just another customer, and whenever me met in our firm I jokingly greeted him with Mr. Customer. He was a big customer of ours and he had business sense, because he would spend a lot of time bargaining with Kacarevic over the price, which I like. In my part of the country there is a saying – "a buyer who quickly agrees on the price is slow in paying." At that time, although I knew nothing about politics, Dr. Vojislav Seselj was an opposition leader, persecuted by the authorities. Intimately, I thought it wrong, for the simple reason that I believed that

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everyone should have the right to his views, even though his view might not be accepted.

Our long-term business connection influenced the public opinion into believing that I was a member of the Radical Party and that we were Radical's printing company. This image caused us to lose a lot of printing deals with other political parties and directors of politically oriented companies. The events I am about to recount will show to what extent those rumors were untrue. At the same time, that was the first time I asked Mr. Seselj for anything. At that time he was Deputy Prime Minister, an MP in Serbian Parliament, delegate in City Council, and Professor at University of Belgrade Law School.

We arrived at Seselj's office right on time. He greeted me with a question: "Rodic, have you become a member of YL, have they roped you in?"

I replied: "Mr. Seselj I know nothing about politics. What I know nothing about, I don't want to do. I repeated that to you many times and you are well aware that politics don't interest me."

On that note our converstion began. We asked him to continue our conversation outside in front of Zemun Municipality building, where the seat of his party was.

We walked across the newly reconstructed Zemun Square. Passing by cafes and restaurants, their owners or waiters who knew him, waived to him, calling out: "Step in Mr. President and have a drink!" He replied jokingly, but loudly enough that all could hear: "I can't, I am having a very important conversation about which the authorities must not know." We told him about our problems, everything that has happened to us. Kacarevic and I then asked him, as a man who was at that time Deputy Prime Minister and generally a well-informed man, for advice: what to do in the situation we found ourselves in, when we were terrorized, blackmailed, and persecuted. We wanted to know what he would do in our situation.

I Won't Join Any Party

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Dr. Seselj listened patiently to our tale and replied to me in a rather picturesque way how he saw me: "Rodic, imagine yourself living in a small American town ruled by five or six gangs. Those gangs have divided among themselves the territory; it is well known to whom each street belong, each building, who is the member of which gang. You, Rodic are a little boy, who has tilted the cap over his eye, put his hands in his pockets and walks along the street of his town, believing that the town was his hometown. He is not interested in anything, he minds his own business, and he belongs to no gang. But every time a gang member passes him by, he would bump him on the head, hit him with a fist or kick him. Depending on the way he felt at the moment. You are always the one to be blamed for everything. Those who happened to be very angry at the moment would beat you up. You belongs to no one and everyone has the right to treat you any way they like. That is how I see your position now. That will be your position tomorrow, and for as long as you don't decide to join one of the political parties!"

I replied: "Very well Mr. Seselj. You are well aware that I belong to no one, that politics don't interest me. What you have told me is brutal truth. But, just as I cannot fly a plane, I cannot be in politics. And what I don't know, I never could nor would do."

We were bringing our conversation to a close. He mentioned that he would be glad if I were to join his party, he could not help me in any other way. I thanked him for his offer. He replied: "You don't really expect that I would stand up for you and create problems for myself with my coalition partners, and you, not even a member of my party?"

"I am not asking for that. I am only asking Serbia for a fair deal: for my firm, my employees, and me. The same kind of deal, the two of us had in the past ten years. You are now Serbian Deputy Prime Minister and member of the ruling coalition. You should be the one to insist on the rule of law and respect for private property."

He replied that he was sorry, but that he didn't want to blight his relations with his coalition partners and that I must try to understand that YL was his coalition partner, and interests of his coalition partners were interests of his own party. Mr. Seselj also said: "I cannot understand how can anyone publish a newspaper in this country and not belong to a political party. Owning a newspaper is not good business at the moment." He offered me

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once again: "Come on, Rodic, join Serbian Radical Party, and you will be making a patriotic newspaper, not a subversive one you are publishing now. No one would touch you!"

I thanked him once again, repeating that I would not join any party. However, I was still uncertain what to do next. That conversation with Seselj did not help me see the light. The future loomed dark before me. I was aware that, as a politician, Seselj spoke openly, without avoiding an issue, arrogant to the end.

I swallowed the unpalatable truth Seselj had told me. Still walking, I asked him to pay the debt he owed us, since he had been always very prompt in fulfilling his obligations, and at that moment it was the question of life and death for us. He told me quite blatantly that his party's task was to destroy GLAS JAVNOSTI newspaper and that that was one of the proclaimed goals of Serbian Radical Party. To my misfortune, everything Seselj had told me was to be proved true. New persecutions, new pressures, new negotiators, threats, fines, extortion, blackmail, destruction of firms, intimidations (Slavoljub Kacarevic's car was burned down) were still awaiting us.

We parted. I thanked him for his time and his advice. From that day in June 2000, we neither heard nor saw each other.

TOMORROW: IF YOU DON'T DO WHAT WE ASK, WATCH OUT! THE VERDICT HAS BEEN PASSED

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14) If You Don't Do what We Ask, Watch Out! The Verdict Has Been Passed

Your life span has been cut short, till New Year! – Threatened hajji Dragan Antic, the director of POLITIKA daily, and one of the most influential and powerful men at the time of Slobodan Milosevic's regime

I was to meet with Srdjan Smiljkovic on October 14, 1999. At our last, the third meeting, it was agreed that the coordinator of this meeting would be Milovan Djurovic, the director of "Globus" Insurance Company.

On the appointed day, Milovan Djurovic called me over the mobile phone and told me: "Rodic, today's meeting is cancelled. We are not ready, we have not prepared the necessary papers to finalize our deal with you."

I asked: "When will the new meeting be appointed?"

"You will be informed about the next meeting."

From that day till February 3, 2000, when Srdjan Smiljkovic called me, no meeting was scheduled, and no one of the men working on Srdjan Smoljkovic's team called me.

On the evening of October 19, 1999, at 6 pm, our telephone operator called to ask whether I would take a call from POLITIKA. It was Cure. I took the call. It was Nebojas Curcic, Deputy Editor-in-chief of POLITIKA.

Cure asked me how were things with me and told me that Struja (electricity) wanted to talk to me.

Hajji Dragan Antic, called Struja (electricity), the general manager of POLITIKA was on the line.

New Negotiator: hajji Dragan Antic

"How are you? What is happening? Are you having any problems?"

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"My problems are getting greater and greater," I replied.

"They have just started," said Struja. "I suggest that we meet regarding that when you are free."

We set up a meeting for the next day at 12.30 in his office in POLITIKA.

I have known both Antic and his deputy, Curcic for a long time. Ten years before, they had worked in POLITIKA together with Slavoljub Kacarevic. They visited regularly my and Kacarevic's grandfather on his patron saint's day, and later my uncle and Kacarevic's father. In the 80s, while they all worked in POLITIKA as journalists, we used to meet often. However, in the meantime, a lot had changed.

I arrived at the appointed time. One of the security guards met me and conducted me to the special elevator, under lock and key. We arrived at the office of hajji Dragan Antic's secretary.

The secretary asked me to step over to the waiting room. She offered me some refreshments, explaining that the director was at a meeting. I took some mint tea, and fifteen minutes later, I was asked to come to hajji Dragan Antic's office. He greeted me with: "Where have you been, Raja? How are things with you? Are you still up and about?"

"I am struggling to keep my head above the water!"

He asked me to sit down and then he said: "Problems you are faced with now are nothing compared to problems you might have and which you will most probably have in future. That is my opinion. If you don't do as you are told, your life span will be very short – till New Year, at most!"

Antic continued: "I asked you to come here because I know you, and because I was informed of all your problems. We should sit down and discuss how I could help you. You should pull out of this business. But, you must do what I tell you."

I asked him: "What does it mean?"

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"It means," he replied, "that you must, first of all, stop printing "Changes" bulletin. The second thing would be, now that Kacarevic is running the paper, to see with him, that we make a non-aggression treaty!"

The term "non-aggression" was unclear to me, so I asked him to explain. He did:

"Kacke and I have been in contact. We have agreed that you don't write anything against POLITIKA and we would not write against you."

That was news to me, but I said that if he had made an agreement with Kacarevic, I would stand by it. Kacarevic, I was sure, would honor any agreement without any intervention from me.

Uncanny Dialogue with "Electricity"

I reminded him that I was not a newspaperman and that I didn't make a newspaper. I told him that I was pushed into that business against my will and became a newspaper owner.

"As you are well aware, Manojlo Vukotic was forced upon me."

"Electricity" asked: "What about financial police in your Company?"

"They are doing their job, as you know. I believe that there is nothing illegal about our business dealings. I have nothing against them doing their job professionally, but I object to blackmail and extortion."

"Don't be ridiculous," said "Electricity. "What is it, exactly, that you are trying to do with that paper of yours? For how long do you intend to write in that adverse way? Are you aware that GLAS JAVNOSTI is the greatest adversary of Serbia and Serbs today?"

"That is not at all true," I replied. "The newspaper is made professionally. A newspaper must publish truth in the interest of the public, being politically unbiased, we do just that. For that reason, on the front page we have the slogan – "We don't doll up the reality!"

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I asked him to tell me what it was that was wrong with the newspaper that I might convey it to the Editor-in-chief, Kacarevic. He replied:

"Everything is wrong with your newspaper! You should be aware of that as the paper's owner. It is the worst newspaper in Serbia, and it cannot get any worse!"

I asked him again to be more specific in his condemnation. He relied again:

"Everything is wrong! Kacke and I could straighten things up, but you have to send him to me, so that we could set that newspaper of yours on the patriotic course."

I told "Electricity:"

"I have no political ambitions, as you well know. For me, the newspaper is a business: it keeps my Printing Company busy. As for your friends from YL, they keep making me offers for the newspaper, but we don't seem to be able to reach an agreement. They keep postponing negotiations about the take over deal."

He asked me to tell him the whole story, because he said, he wanted to hear it from me, personally. He explained that that was the reason he had invited me. He said that he had heard from the others about the problem, so that he had decided to hear me out and see how he could help me.

What is it that You Actually Want?

I recounted my tale in chronological order, starting with my talk with Ratko Krsmanovic about selling GLAS JAVNOSTI to them, and ending with Srdjan Smiljkovic. He said that he was acquainted with the whole situation, and then he asked me: "What is it that you actually want?"

"I am not interested in politics. I don't understand politics. I have been a businessman all my life. I just want to continue working, because that is what I know how to do."

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In the next installments of "700 Days of Terror, Fear and Hope:"

- Marko Milosevic storms the premises of GLAS JAVNOSTI with his armed guards, and threatens us with a gun

- Hajji Dragan Antic, in the name of Milosevic family, threatens, blackmails and intimidates

- Police Minister, Vlajko Stojiljkovic, promotes hajji Dragan Antic to the position of his aid for media

- Slobodan Milosevic had knowledge of all the pressures, blackmail, and threats against Radisav Rodic, GLAS JAVNOSTI, and ABC PRODUKT

Brave Boy and Director of GLAS JAVNOSTI

During those days when, because of printing of the bulletin, "Changes," we were sentenced to pay enormous fines, I began asking myself what was it that we were doing. So I called a meeting of all editors to hear their opinion on the matter. They were unanimous in their opinion that we should continue printing "Changes" bulletin. They only had qualms about the fines that had to be paid, because the Law was quite explicit about the procedure: from the moment charges were brought, the verdict must be passed within 24 hours, and the payment of the fine must be done within the same time limit. After the meeting ended, I remained behind with Kacarevic and asked him for whom we were printing the bulletin, because Srdjan Smiljkovic had told we that it was for Djindjic and Democratic Party. Kacarevic replied that he was not quite certain whether it was for Djindjic and Democratic Party or not, but that the contract was signed with Cedomir Jovanovic, and gave me the contract for printing "Changes" bulletin to see. He told me that Jovanovic was very prompt in paying for printing services. He paid every day by order of payment to ABC ETIGRAF Printing Company. We, on the other hand, were very prompt in sending them invoices, charging higher tax rate, as proscribed by law, then was the rate for printing newspapers. Formally and legally, we were in the clear. I asked him, who Cedomir Jovanovic was. Kacarevic told me that he had just left his office. When he told me that, I recollected the boy I

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had seen leaving Kacarevic's office. He was always in company of two or three young men. I told Kacarevic to call me the next time he came.

The following day, when Ceda came to pay for the printing, I came in to meet him. During our conversation, I realized that he was "one of the new kids on the block," to use a colloquial expression. I realized that he was one of those young men who knew what they wanted in life.

At the end of our conversation, I told him: "You have our full support, but our position has become rather equivocal. What are we to do if they ruin us with fines? They are financially bleeding us dry. You see the dust we have raised." He replied immediately: "Don't worry, Rodic! We'll pay all," meaning the fines that we received daily.

I told him: "OK, Ceda, we'll see." I reminded him of our previous business dealing with his party, if it were true that he was a member of Democratic Party, as Srdjan Smiljkovic had told me. I gave him an outline of my negotiations with YL.

I couldn't get him out of my mind: his self-confidence and assurance in talking with Kacarevic and me, and especially his reaction when I asked him who would guaranty to me that they would pay all the fines. Ceda struck his chest with his fist and said that he would.

I was confronting a boy made up of defiance and boldness. I liked what I saw, so I decided to go on printing the bulletin, "Changes," come what it may.

Several months later, because of printing "Changes" bulletin and ensuing fines, more than 10 million dinars worth of equipment and machinery, property of ABC GRAFIKA, was confiscated. Serbian Internal Revenue Office closed ABC GRAFIKA giro account. This was enough for Milena Arezina to begin persecution of ABC PRODUKT Business System by announcing ABC GRAFIKA Printing Company bankrupt on St. Sava's Day, on January 27, 2000.

TOMORROW: IT IS BETTER FOR YOU TO BE ALIVE THAN DEAD

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15) It is Better For You to Be Alive Than Dead

"Your head is at stake" – he stressed – "Raja, understand that. Your situation is very bad and you have no choice! Your problems are too great, but they might get greater, understand that, and don't take my words too lightly!"

Hajji Dragan Antic replied: "I talked with General Rade Markovic and with Branimir Djuric – Buca from Serbian Ministry of Interior. I know about your talks with Srdjan Smiljkovic and other associates of his. I know of the proposed compensation with YL."

Hajj Dragan Antic wanted to let me know that he was well informed about the whole situation, about my negotiations with YL leaders. I told him that I would like to hear his suggestions, because I could not think in any other way but like a businessman. Everything I did, I did as a businessman. I informed him that the total sum of money I invested into GLAS JAVNOSTI by August 31, of 1999 was 5 030 000 German marks, and that additional indirect investments into the same company were 2 million marks. He immediately said that it was too much and that no one would accept that. I replied that I was not looking for their acceptance, but that the truth was the truth.

"No one is interested in that," replied "Electricity." "Are you aware that your police file, together with files of your company and the newspaper are subject to special treatment? The plan," he said, "for your financial destruction has been made. Creating constant problems in your company has the purpose to destabilize all your other companies. This phase is a well orchestrated and already proven as successful. Be sure that you would be subjected to constant pressures until your company, newspaper, your other companies, and you yourself are destroyed completely. Of course, that would continue for as long as you refused to cooperate. You have to change your attitude quickly and start being obedient in many respects: from the way the newspaper is edited to handing the ownership of the paper over to them. As a gesture of good will, you are to stop printing the bulletin, "Changes," immediately."

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Warning About the Methods

His advice to me, as a man known to him was: "stop being defiant and brave, and start acting normally and reasonably."

"It is better for you to be alive and well, than dead and financially ruined. You must know that they have their methods, well worked out plans to carry out their intention in phases. All services and institutions in this country are there to implement what is demanded of them. From this moment on, you must know that you are in great danger, unless you become obedient and start listening. To put it simply, you are about to loose your life, but so is Kacke. Kacke has no family (!?), has he, but you have a large one, so think about that!"

He mentioned once again that I should stop hoping that things would change and realize that everything he has told me was said as a friend. He said that he knew about my meetings with Rade (Markovic) and Buca (Djuric), and advised me to approach them again, but said that they would tell me the same thing.

"Your head is at stake" – he stressed – "Raja, understand that. Your situation is very bad and you have no choice! Your problems are too great, but they might get greater, understand that, and don't take my words too lightly!"

"What do you suggest I do?"

"I will consult with the leadership and I will inform you in a couple of days. But as a gesture of good will, the first thing you have to do is to stop printing "Changes" bulletin! Can it be that you don't know that behind the whole thing is Djindjic?"

I asked: even if I were to stop printing, who would pay me for the lost deal? Would the same situation in which I was few years before be repeated – he had called me personally and insisted I oblige him, which I did, and caused a significant financial loss to my firm? On that occasion I had lost somewhere between 4 and 5 million German marks.

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"Electricity" told me: "What about the money Democratic Party and Djindjic owe you? If my information is correct, it is a lot of money, and still you are printing their bulletin."

I replied that the problem was different, that I would eventually get paid. They acknowledged the debt. It is only that at that moment they did not have the money.

I reminded him again that in the meantime I had made financial concessions to them on several occasions, but that none of them had volunteered to help me out. More so, they were trying to "suffocate me," as he had put it, to liquidate both me, and all the firms where my capital was invested. That was not enough, so they demanded that I made a deal financially damaging to my own firm, and no one was to reimburse me for the damage in any way. I told him that I simply could not do that, that I could not leave my employees without job at the difficult time in which the whole country was. That was something that they would not forgive me.

"So what! Since hundreds of thousands of workers, or to be more precise, over a million of workers in this country are out of work, no one would make any fuss about a thousand of your workers losing their job. Who cares about your workers, you should not worry about that! You should worry about your own head, about protecting yourself; no one is worried about the interests of your workers," "Electricity" said.

What is Serbia Coming To?

In the end I asked him that we summarized everything that has been said, and what was to be done. He said that he would take it upon him self to find out whom he is to see about helping me in a few days time.

"I am neither Smiljkovic, nor Krsmanovic. I have direct access to the main center of power in this country – to Milosevic family. Therefore, you need not ponder too long over this matter. I'll convey to you their ruling, but desist from asking for all that money. No one would be interested in your losses!"

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We parted on the understanding that we would meet soon. I walked down to the receptionist's desk. The rest of the day, the following night and day I could think of nothing but his threat: if I didn't accept their proposal, my days were numbered. "Electricity" was a very well informed man, close to the Family. They would kill me by New Year, at the latest, he had said.

I was worried. I was no longer concerned all that much about myself, but about the lives of my family: my children and my grandchildren, and my associates. Not even in that situation did I engage bodyguards. I have never had them. I knew, if they were bent on killing me, the presence of bodyguards would only increase the number of victims.

I managed somehow to live with that fear. My advice to my readers: if you don't have to do that, don't try it! It is far from being agreeable.

I though about "Electricity:" a small and insignificant journalist, who has managed, single-handedly to destroy POLITIKA, the symbol of Serbia. I thought about the way he treated his workers, how he obtained printing paper from Mitrovic at nine dinars per ton, and owed them money for 200 tons of printing paper, while we had to pay 20 dinars per ton in advance. He talked about market economy, but forced all SPS members, police and civil servants to subscribe to POLITIKA.

I thought: what has Serbia come to?

How did it happen that quite insignificant men managed to obtain so much power and be able to do all kind of atrocities without anyone stopping them?

Man with Best Connections with Family

On October 28, 1999 at 2.45 pm hajji Dragan Antic called me and we set up a meeting for 4.30 on the same day in his office, in POLITIKA building.

I came exactly on time and the security guard took me again to his office.

His secretary asked me to wait in the waiting room for a few minutes because Antic was in a meeting.

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Very soon after that, his secretary invited me to come into Antic's office. On the door of his office I met a young, blond woman, who greeted me by the name. I greeted her in return, without knowing who she was. At that moment Antic spoke:

"Where were you, Raja, how are things with you, are you still alive?"

"I am, as you can see for yourself, thank God," I replied.

We shook hands and sat down. He asked: "What are the news?"

"Nothing. I am still alive and trying to survive in this situation."

He asked: "I heard that you all got drunk last night?"

I replied affirmatively, aware of the fact that TV POLITIKA Editor-in-chief, Goran Kozic, was in my company the whole night and that most probably he had informed Antic about that. The previous night, at 9.30, according to police report, Slavoljub Kacarevic's company car had burst into flames for no apparent reason, on our parking lot. We all stayed up till 3.30 am.

"To be honest, I got drunk last night so that Kozic had to drive me home. I don't know, perhaps it was a relief vent for me."

"What are you talking about? That was just the beginning! Now you can see what might happen to you and what the end could be like. I didn't speak for the sake of speaking, when I told you last time that you wouldn't survive past New Year!"

While talking to me, he was taking out of his pocket a leather folder containing three very thick cigars. The cigar he took out had some special label, and it seemed to me that at one end it was square, and at the other, round. He then took out a special gadget with two little holes, which looked like knife. I had no idea what it was, but he cut off the tip of his cigar and placed it carefully on the table.

I looked at him, and in my minds eye, I saw him, as he was only a few years before. He had a ponytail then, he had very close connections with

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the Church, he could be seen at all times at "Grmec" restaurant across the street from POLITIKA, drinking with the other journalists and sometimes with me. He came regularly with Kacarevic to our grandfather's Patron Saint's Day, where we used to stay till dawn drinking as though it was some sort of contest. Now, that man had the best connections with the ruling family in Serbia.

In the next installments of "700 Days of Terror, Fear and Hope:"

- Marko Milosevic storms the premises of GLAS JAVNOSTI with his armed guards, and threatens us with a gun

- Hajji Dragan Antic, in the name of Milosevic family, threatens, blackmails and intimidates

- Police Minister, Vlajko Stojiljkovic, promotes hajji Dragan Antic to the position of his aid for media

- Slobodan Milosevic had knowledge of all the pressures, blackmail, and threats against Radisav Rodic, GLAS JAVNOSTI, and ABC PRODUKT

TOMORROW: I AM AT THE CENTER OF POWER IN THE COUNTRY

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16) Hajji Dragan Antic: I am at the center of power in this country

"You are crazy! More that a million workers are without a job in this country, a thousand more would make no difference"

I was watching his ritual of lighting his cigar and inhaling a few puffs of smoke. Finally, hajji Dragan Antic asked: "Well, Raja, what is new, what have you decided, are we going to cooperate?"

I replied with a question: "Cooperate how?"

"By handing over the newspaper"

I said: "I would hand it over for the sum of money my firm and my partners invested in the newspaper."

"What do you mean, do you think that we are crazy, to pay so much? It is none of our business that you suffered loss by investing in a newspaper. That is something you yourself did, no one would take upon himself that obligation!"

I replied again that I did not go into publishing business out of my own free will, that I was forced to start a newspaper, as he was well aware. I was told to give support to Manojlo Vukotic and his project, which failed. Now our firm would have to suffer financial loss again through no fault of theirs. Therefore, I maintained, it would be fair if we were paid in full for the newspaper.

Without Any Illusions

"Don't delude yourself that you would be paid," "Electricity" continued. "Keep in mind that I am at the center of power in this country. I have seen your file! Had you seen what I have seen, you would die of fear. The situation is very black and quite hopeless for both you and your firm. You have been condemned as enemies of this country and of working against the interests of Serbs and Serbia!"

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I replied to him: "You know me well. You know that that is not true. Perhaps someone had made a mistake when writing about me, and represented me in a bad light. You too, know that I am not the kind of man they presented me in that file!"

"The only reason why I am talking with you is that I know you. For that reason only, I have been trying to find common ground with you. But, you must sober up! No one would take in consideration all your investment and losses you had while you were trying to put the firm and newspaper on their feet, quite the opposite! You must realize the futility of the situation. They have decided to ruin both the firm and the newspaper by New Year. Those firms would be wiped out. We have organizations, ways, means and great experience, well worked out methods and techniques.

Your company and you are now subjected to phase one. You should have no illusions or dilemmas. The outcome is a certainty. It will be done in phases. The worst of this scenario is that in the end, Kacke first and then you would perish. Think, would it have been worth your while if you end up dead. Think, and think now, what is it that you get and what you might loose if you don't accept the proposal!"

Hajji Dragan Antic pointed out to me: "I was appointed by the main center of power (meaning, I suppose, the ruling family), to talk with you about newspaper take over. About what is planned for you, you can talk with General Rade Markovic and City Police Commissioner, Branimir Djurovic – Buca. They are acquainted with the whole matter, especially with the fact that you are being defiant about "Changes" bulletin.

I told him: "I have printed YL bulletin under the same arrangement and there has been no trouble."

He replied: "That was YL bulletin, you are forgetting that YL is one of the ruling parties! We are talking here about Djindjic's bulletin."

"Well, all right," I said, "I would order Kacarevic to stop printing the bulletin, "Changes," but that would be financially ruinous for the firm. But, you reimburse me now, since you didn't do the last time I had dealings with you. You know what I am talking about. I cannot leave my workers without work now. As the owner and a man, I don't have that right. Those

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people have the right to work, to live and to survive in the hard times in which we are living."

Who are "They?"

He repeated again: "You must be crazy! So what! Since hundreds of thousands of workers, or to be more precise, over a million of workers in this country are out of work, no one would make any fuss about a thousand of your workers losing their job. Who cares about your workers? You should not worry about that! You should worry about your own head, about protecting yourself; no one is worried about the interests of your workers. Let them worry about that themselves!"

I admitted that he might be right, but since I had not sacked those men in the past ten years, after I took over the firm, although half of them were redundant, I was not prepared to that now. We have managed to keep our head above the water.

"The situation is the same as it was that night when financial police inspector, Riznic, told me to throw out the workers while they were sealing up the premises and the printing presses. I told him then what I am telling you now: I am not the kind of man who can throw out his own workers. Those men have trusted and believed in me. I cannot trade with them."

"You are definitely crazy," he said, "but that is your problem. I cannot help you in that. You do what you want, I told you my opinion," hajji Dragan Antic cut me.

After that, we continued to talk about the future methods, which could be used in obstructing our work and creating trouble for our firm by raising the price of roll paper. That would cause the newspaper to lose money and become an unsound investment.

He told me that he knew that among our GLAS JAVNOSTI staff were people who have been working under direct orders from abroad, against the interests of Serbs and Serbia.

I asked him to tell me who those people were so that would know. I told him that Kacarevic was in charge of the paper, and that he may be in need

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of some help. He answered that it would be hard for Kacarevic to recognize them.

I asked again why wouldn't he tell me who the men in question were. He replied that he could not, but that in time all would become known.

I repeated again that I was not interested in politics, that I knew nothing about politics, and that I had no political ambitions. I was interested in getting paid for the job done; it was as simple as that. I thought, I said, that it was not fair that I should be subjected to pressure, extortion, blackmail and barefaced robbery of my property – my firm and my newspaper.

He replied that he was of the same opinion, but that the outcome of the situation depended on me. All I had to do was to name a realistic price. I replied that I thought that the price I had named was as realistic as could be, and that I didn't ask for anything more than the money I had invested.

He told me: "Are you aware of the fact that there is not a single businessman here who would be prepared to pay you the money you had invested in stabilizing the paper, although you are trying to present that money as investment."

"I am not asking for anything that is not realistic."

There is No Saving You

"Listen, man, you are about to lose your life! Kacke is about to lose his life as well! What is there for me to do? Kacke is a friend of mine. I told him everything and he wouldn't listen. There is nothing I can do about that. There is no saving either of you, regardless of the fact that we are friends!" After a short discussion, he told me that he wanted to help me, and that for that reason he wanted to make a concrete offer, which would include the printing presses, as well. On parting, I told him that he would get my offer that very evening. He, in return, gave me all his telephone numbers, including hid direct line, mobile phone number, and the number of his fax machine.

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I was unpleasantly surprised by the news that they intended to harm Slavoljub Kacarevic as well. He even told me that he was sorry for Kacke. I couldn't believe to what lengths those people were prepared to go. I repeated the converstion later to Kacke. He only laughed!

On leaving "Electricity's" office I found the journalist Ceda Lazarevic, sitting with his secretary. He informed me that my uncle had lost 25 lb, because he was getting ready for an operation. Ceda was my uncle's next-door neighbor, in Zarkovo, a Belgrade suburb.

I returned to my office, wrote down my offer, and sent it by fax to number: 322 01 17. My fax machine printed a slip confirming that the offer had been sent to POLITIKA General Manager, on October 28, 1999, at 15.54. The time was incorrect because I had sent it an hour later, but I suppose that his fax time was not adjusted properly.

Third Conversation with Hajji Dragan Antic

I had made an entry in my diary: "Today, on October 29, 1999 at 1.10 pm I called the General Manager of POLITIKA daily, hajji Dragan Antic, regarding his yesterday's ultimatum about our discontinuing the printing of "Changes" bulletin.

When he answered the phone, I asked him: "Regarding our last night's conversation, what about my suggestion that you reimburse me in some way for discontinuing to print the bulletin."

He replied: "First you have to stop printing, then we would see in what way we could refund your firm."

I told him: "All right, I have accepted your ultimatum once before, against my better judgment, and have lost several million marks. That money has never been refunded to our firm, nor have we been given more favorable treatment, as compensation."

I repeated that I was interested only in financial results and in having enough money on my account for payment of wages.

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He replied: "Okay, but bear in mind that that financial interest of yours would cost you your life."

Again, I demanded that he tell me why won't they reimburse me for discontinuing the printing of the bulletin. I even suggested that they could refund me by giving me a certain quantity of printing paper in return.

He replied that they wouldn't give me the printing paper; what is more, they would stop delivery of paper to our firm, which would cause me further difficulties. "Matroz," (paper producing company) was under their control, he said.

I retaliated by saying that in that event, I would import printing paper, which wouldn't be in the interest of the country. He tried to reason with me by saying that I must be realistic. He added: "You have had the taste of our mettle. The orders to pay fines have begun arriving; more will be coming today. These fines would close you down! What are you going to do then?"

"That is financial pressurizing, and it is quite senseless!"

"What did you think, that we would coddle you?"

"I'll survive that too!"

Police Day and Night

All the time I was negotiating, first with Srdjan Smiljkovic, and later with hajji Dragan Antic, financial police was persistently trying to find something tangible in our firms, especially in GLAS JAVNOSTI. With every passing day, they became more numerous and more arrogant, so that normal process of work was seriously impaired. Office staff had to be on call day and night, as requested by financial police.

TOMORROW: PRESSURE INCREASES, OUR VEHICLE IN FLAMES

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17) Pressure Increases, Our Vehicle in Flames

"Don't ask for my help afterwards, because I won't help you, and most probably, afterwards, there won't be any help for you! The fines you have received are just the beginning! Your position is anything but good" – "Electricity" warned me

"This is the end for you," said hajji Dragan Antic. "You will never again recover financially! Pay attention to what I am telling you, and stop printing the bulletin. Issue a statement for the public through TANJUG (state news agency). After that, we would see what is to be done next. That is my last piece of advice to you. Don't ask for my help afterwards, because I won't help you, and most probably, afterwards, there won't be any help for you! The fines you have received are just the beginning!"

I asked whether he had received my offer. He confirmed that he had received it and said that he would forward it today and conduct consultations regarding it. He believed that I might get an answer during the day. We finished out talk by my asking again for financial reimbursement for the printing company. He repeated what he had already said the day before: that this insistence of mine on financial reimbursement would cost me my life. I said that we would continue our conversation when he received the reply of the ruling family to my offer. During the whole of the conversation, Antic was in an unusually good mood, and we ended our phone conversation almost amicably. He said that we would be in touch.

In the meantime, Ceda Jovanocic, who had signed the contract with us for printing "Changes" bulletin, came to Kacarevic. I took this opportunity to discuss with him what was to be done in view of increased pressure of YL. Mr. Jovanovic suggested that we make a maneuver: that the next few numbers of the bulletin be printed somewhere else, as to decrease the pressure on us. At the same time we would see whether the printing of the bulletin was a legitimate reason for our persecution.

I called Antic again at 4 o'clock, to test his reaction when I informed him that we have stopped printing "Changes" bulletin. Actually, I asked him

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whether they had found a way to recompense us for discontinuing to print the bulletin.

"Electricity": No Reply from the Family

He told me that I must issue that statement to the news agency. They had already announced that news, he said, meaning Alliance for Change, through BETA agency. My statement was lacking.

I said that there was no need for us to issue a statement about discontinuing to print the bulletin; we were interested whether they had found a way to recompense us. He replied that he would see about that. I had no intention of issuing a statement. "Changes" bullet continued to be printed and was still being printed on November 7, 1999. All this time, another printing company was printing the bulletin. Hajji Dragan Antic did not call me again, and we had no contacts in the meantime, and I couldn't help but wonder why then was our printing firm still closed. The only answer I could find to this riddle was that they were really trying to destroy financially ABC PRODUCT Company. That is how I understood it. I was not forgetting that offer I had sent him by fax on October 28, 1999, to which I never got a reply.

At that time, financial police intensified pressure on our workers.

I continued to call hajji Dragan Antic every couple of days, just to ask him whether he had any news or suggestions for me.

The last time I did that was on February 4, 2000. Half an hour later, he called me back and said that there was still no reply from the Family.

He ventured to ask me: "How are you?"

I replied: "Thanks to God, I am healthy and still alive!"

"Things are getting out of hand, concerning you and your firm. Think first before you act. You are printing the bulletin, "Changes," again.

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Our Vehicle in Flames

On the night of October 27, 1999, at 8 pm, I left the offices of GLAS JAVNOSTI in company of Slavoljub Kacarevic and Dragan Vlahovic.

We went to our restaurant in the shopping mall in 1, Cvijic Street, in two cars. Vlahovic took his own car, while Kacarevic and I went in Kacarevic's company car.

We arrived in the restaurant shortly after eight. We ordered lean meal, because it was St Petka's Day (on that day, believers fast).

We were nearing the end of our dinner, when the watchman ran inside shouting in panic that an Ascona car was burning on our parking lot. Kacarevic stood up saying that his car was not an Ascona. The watchman continued to shout, that nevertheless, a car was burning on the parking lot. We all ran to the parking lot to see what was happening. We found an Opel Senator in flames; it was Kacarevic's company car in which we had arrived less that an hour before from Vlajkovic Street.

After 10 to 15 seconds the car in flames began moving slowly forward until it hit a low wall, while the back wheels squealled. It was all so strange watching the car move forwards and backwards, in steady rhythm, until, just before the firemen arrived it stopped. Next to Opel Senator, Vlahovic's car was parked. While all this was happening, Vlahovic ran to his car, took out his camera, and began shooting photographs.

At that moment, the owner of a fitness club situated in the shopping mall came and explained that he had tried to put out the fire. Few moments later, firemen arrived. They began putting out the fire and managed to extinguish the fire everywhere else except under the hood. They had trouble opening the hood. But, when finally they managed to open it, the flames burst anew. There was something burning inside the engine compartment, and firemen had trouble to put it out. Two or three minutes after the firemen, the police arrived. The first thing they did was to ask for all our names.

Police did not conduct investigation. They consulted with their superiors over car phone, and informed us that there was no need for investigation. They asked who the owner of the car was. We told them that it was a

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company car. They wanted to know who was driving it that night. Kacarevic said that he was. They inquired whether the car was fully insured; we replied that it was not.

I asked them to join us in the restaurant and have something to eat and drink. They accepted the invitation, but did not stay long.

Around 10 o'clock, Goran Kozic, the Editor-in-chief of TV POLITIKA, who was a friend of Kacarevic, joined us. We stayed till 3 in the morning talking. Goran Kozic drove me home that morning, and Kacarevic as well.

Car Burst into Flames for no Apparent Reason

On October 28, I was told by out motor pool dispatcher, Zarko Popovic, traffic police had revisited the scene of the accident around 11 am to collect forensic evidence, and afterwards visited our motor pool operations chief, Dragutin Mrzljak, and interviewed him. What has been going on after that, I had no information, because I spent the day at home. I dictated this narration of mine, through the phone, at 3.20 pm.

Several days later, City Police issued an official statement, explaining that the car had burst into flames for no apparent reason. This rather controversial explanation of the police was published by all newspapers and broadcast by all electronic media and instigated journalists, several days after the statement had been issued, at their press conference, to ask police to explain:

"How could a turbo-diesel car burst into flames for no apparent reason, an hour after its engine has been switched off?"

Police spokesman found himself at the standstill by this logical question of the journalist and could say nothing but: "It does sound rather strange, but the car had burst into flames for no apparent reason."

Following the statement of the police, I tried to contact City Police Commissionaire, General Branko Djuric – Buca. I called him on the phone and asked for an appointment. From that day on, I called him once a week, but he was either busy, or absent. However, his secretary was always very obliging in taking down my messages, and in promising me each time that

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she would inform her boss about my calls. But to no avail! Till this day (February 7, 2000), City Police Commissionaire, General Branko Djuric - Buca has not returned my calls and we have not seen each other.

You Must Start Cooperating

"Self combustion" of Slavoljub Kacarevic's company car, unconvincing and confused explanation of the police in which they themselves were hard put to believe, talks with high Government officials, pressures exercised against me and my firm, and unveiled threats that were made, unnerved me.

The burning of the car at that moment was the most direct threat that I had received till then, and I took it as intimation of more radical measures, than were the actions undertaken by financial police, and about which I was warned by all I negotiated with, but especially by hajji Dragan Antic during the conversation we had had the day after the car was burned. Antic explained to me in detail what was in store for me saying that what has happened was just one phase in the process of "breaking down" the resistance of the disobedient.

His own words confirmed that: "I have been telling you all this time that this is just the beginning! Think what might happen next and what could be the outcome of this whole business. Think it over. It would be well for you to begin cooperating as soon as possible."

In the next installments of "700 Days of Terror, Fear and Hope:"

- Marko Milosevic storms the premises of GLAS JAVNOSTI with his armed guards, and threatens us with a gun

- Police Minister, Vlajko Stojiljkovic, promotes hajji Dragan Antic to the position of his aid for media

- Slobodan Milosevic had knowledge of all the pressures, blackmail, and threats against Radisav Rodic, GLAS JAVNOSTI, and ABC PRODUKT

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TOMORROW: MARKO MILOSEVIC VISITS PRESSROOM IN GANGSTER STYLE

Marko Milosevic Visits our Pressroom in Gangster Style

This visit was occasioned by the report published in our newspaper about the birth of his son. Doctors gave his son mark nine, while the father thought that his newly born baby deserved ten

Baring in mind all the events in the last three months of 1999: steadily increasing synchronized pressure, both on myself and the firm, by means of threats, financial police activity and activity of Magistrates who had sentenced us to enormous fines according to Law on Informing, starting of bankruptcy proceedings against ABC GRAFIKA, and other forms of pressurizing and illegal activities of Commercial Court, as well as other unlawful activities of those who were trying to break me down, I decided to call Professor Mira Markovic's chief of staff and ask her to set me up a meeting with Professor Markovic.

I wanted to clear up with her, face to face, why those things were happening to me, why were lies against us fabricated, why were we fined so many times without any legal grounds, and why was our firm brought to the verge of bankruptcy? In addition to that, those people were trying to make me into some sort of public enemy.

At 9 o'clock on January 14, 2000, Professor Mira Markovic's chief of staff, Biserka Jovanovic – Bisa, set up a preliminary meeting with me, in order to find out as much as possible about the whole problem and to gather the necessary information from me, so that, based on that, she could set up a meeting with Professor Markovic. The meeting was a lengthy one – it lasted nearly two hours. In the end, she promised that the meeting with Professor Markovic would be scheduled in the near future.

On leaving her office, I ran into Ratko Krsmanovic (the encounter was staged, I am sure). In a very friendly manner he asked how I was doing. I replied, as often before, that I was well and still alive. He wanted to know how far have the negotiations gone. I told him that the whole matter was in their hands, and that it was only the matter of financial reimbursement that

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had to be resolved. He repeated that there would be no financial reimbursement, and on that note we parted.

By February 7, 2000, I still had no information regarding the meeting. No one had called me, but the pressure was being stepped up by introduction of illegal bankruptcy procedures by Belgrade Commercial Court, just the way Ratko Krsmanovic had warned me in front of "Uzice" inn, back in July of 1999. I realized that hajji Dragan Antic's threat that they would break me, and ABC PRODUCT Company, step by step, was being carried out.

I realized that I was being prevented from having direct contact with Professor Mira Markovic, and that it was to someone's advantage to manipulate with the truth, creating unnecessary problems and representing our Company as a threat to the country, but I couldn't fathom who in the ruling regime benefited from all the havoc that was created. For that reason only I was writing this testimony.

An Article on Milosevic's Grandson

At the moment when I had sent the letter to president Milosevic, I realized that our, firm, or to be more precise, our editorial staff have had direct contact with his son, Marko Milosevic. After the birth of his son, Marko Junior, one of our prime journalists, Dragan Vujicevic, was sent to Pozarevac (our paper could not pass on such news) to write an article about the event.

Vucicevic left for Pozarevac and returned with a warm and touching story, without any offensive connotations, about the birth of president Milosevic's grandson. Among other things the story contained the statement of the local gynecologist, who had delivered the baby. He had said that the baby has received nine out ten points, according to the test to which all newborn babies were subjected. Marko Milosevic objected to that. The "nine" his son had received was too low for him. For that reason he stormed into GLAS JAVNOSTI with his cronies to settle the score. He waved the gun in the hall in front of the editorial office, demanding to see the journalist who had written the article and to show him that his son was worth a "ten."

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The text about the birth of president's grandson appeared on January 18, 1999, in GLAS JAVNOSTI. At 5.30 pm an E-mail letter arrived to the author of the text, Dragan J. Vujacic. The letter was sent by Marko Senior, who objected to the postnatal test result of his baby son, published in GLAS JAVNOSTI saying:

"To: Mr. Vucicevic

I wish to inform you that I have read the text in today's edition of your newspaper and that I would like to ask you not to leave the town in the next 24 hours, so that I could personally deliver to you that nine from your text. My son's nine is actually a ten, but I am sure that a nine would suite you just fine between the knees of both of your legs.

You are free to report the matter, but the report would not postpone my intention from being carried out.

If, however, you decide to run away, choose a place as far away from here as possible. The obligation of each and every one of my friends and acquaintances, but also of those who owe me favors, is to put you in a wheel chair, whenever or wherever they find you."

It was on The Twelfth Night

This E-mail, badly written, worded in a way that showed his disregard for elemental rules of civilized behavior, and full of brutal threats, managed to create great consternation among the paper staff. The author of the text received several anonymous telephone calls, different men threatening to place him in a wheel chair.

Finally, at 10.15 am, on January 19, 1999, Marko Milosevic in person appeared in editorial office of GLAS JAVNOSTI.

With a gun stuck into the waistband of his pants, clearly visible to all, and accompanied by one unidentified man, Marko asked to see the Editor-in-chief and the author of the text.

We were lucky that at that time editorial office was almost empty. Journalists are in a habit of coming to work later, so that he couldn't create

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an incident. Marko began threatening the people present, technical staff mostly, saying that he would break their arms and legs, just to show them how powerful Milosvic family was.

Believing that he must be under the influence of some intoxicating substance, the staff tried to calm him down and to reason with him, explaining that there was nothing in the text detrimental to either him or his son. After a while, uttering terrible threats, Marko Milosevic left out premises.

We were all greatly upset. It was a well-known fact that Milosevic Junior was prone to violent actions. However, his mother managed always to find excuses for his behavior in her diary which was published in DUGA magazine and POLITIKA daily. We didn't know what to do.

The story about Marko Milosevic's visit to our editorial office, and his behavior there, spread through the town, like a forest fire. Defying fear, which I felt, I decided to file criminal charges against Marko Milosevic.

Subject: Charges against Marko Milosevic from Pozarevac

There is reasonable doubt that:

According to the statements of the employees, on January 19, 1999, at 10.15 am, an armed man, whom the persons present recognized to be Marko Milosevic, with a gun in his waistband, clearly visible to all present, entered the premises of GLAS JAVNOSTI in 8, Vlajkovic Street in Belgrade, accompanied by an unidentified man, asking to see the Editor-in-chief and the journalist who had written an article about the birth of his son, published in GLAS JAVNOSTI daily on January 18, 1999.

Mister Milosevic threatened the persons present that he would show them how powerful Milosevic family was and that he would break their arms and legs, thereby endangering the safety of several people employed by GLAS JAVNOSTI daily, and causing fear among the employees working in the building, by the seriousness of his threats that he would harm them or deprive them of life.

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Behaving in the manner explained above, the person in question has committed the crime of endangering safety of people, as stated in article 67, paragraph 2, of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Serbia.

Evidence verifying that the said criminal act was committed is undeniable. Eyewitnesses are prepared to verify everything stated above, even though they were intimidated by the behavior and threats of the accused.

We demand prompt protection of the employees and our property, since Mr. Milosevic has promised, "he would return..."

TOMORROW: BANKRUPTCY MANAGER ARRIVES WITH POLICE

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19) ABC GRAFIKA'S Road to Bankruptcy Unrecorded in Legal Practice Anywhere in the World

Our Defense Attorneys pointed out to the Court that we had previously printed many other bulletins of political parties, including those of ruling parties, SPS and YL, but that no charges were filed against us on those occasions and we had never been informed before that bulletins need to be registered as newspapers before

The unparalleled criminal activity created by synchronized actions of Commercial Court and its president, Milena Arexina, Ministry of Information, financial police and Internal Revenue Office, continued.

We shall now return back, to the last months of 1999. On October 28, of 1999, Serbian Ministry of Information as an official institution, demanded that Belgrade Magistrate file charges:

Against: ABC GARFIKA A.D. from Belgrade, 8, Vlajkovic Street, which printed "Bulletin of Civil Protest - Changes" and Slavoljub Kacarevic, the director of the said company, living in Belgrade, for printing paper "Bulletin of Civil Protest - Changes," No 36, on October 28, 1999, without having registered the said bulletin as a newspaper with Ministry of Information of the Republic of Serbia, thereby committing violation of article 71 and 26, section 1 of Law on Public Information (published in Public Courier, No 36/98).

Justification

According to the facts available to Ministry of Information of the Republic of Serbia, on October 28, of 1999, the paper "Bulletin for Civil Protest – Changes" No 36 was printed. On inspection, it was determined that it has not been entered into the Register of newspapers. Since this paper does not have heading, where information as to who is the founder, publisher, printer, and other persons responsible for the paper, Belgrade District Prosecution has asked Ministry of Interior to obtain necessary information. According to the report sent by Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Serbia, it has been determined that "Bulletin of Civil Protest – Changes" is

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printed in ABC GARFIKA A.D. Printing Company, situated in Belgrade as per contract signed between the director of the Printing Company, Slavoljub Kacarevic and natural person, Cedomir Jovanovic from Belgrade, in the name of representatives of the said bulletin.

Ministry of Information of the Republic of Serbia, according to authority given them by law to conduct supervision over implementation of Law on Public Information, on inspection of paper "Bulletin of Civil Protest – Changes," No 36, has determined that by printing this paper, article 26 of Law on Public Information, which demands that printer can print newspapers, magazines, weeklies and other publications only when they have evidence that they have been registered as papers by the said Ministry, was violated.

Based on the facts given here, we believe that the accused have committed violation of article 71 in connection with article 26, section 1 of Law on Public Information, therefore we suggest to City Magistrate to bring violation charges, conduct hearings, bring forward evidence and hand down the verdicts according to the law.

Signed: Deputy Minister, Radmila Visic.

Trials for printing of "Changes" bulletin were scheduled to start on October 20, exactly one year after Law on Informing had been passed by the Parliament. That Law proved to be the means of exercising pressure on free media. In the meantime, Serbian Ministry of Information had filed additional charges against ABC GRAFIKA for printing "Changes" bulletin, so that total number of charges rose to 52. Our Defense Attorneys acquainted the Court with the fact that ABC GRAFIKA Printing Company had printed several bulletins of other political parties in the past, including SPS and YL bulletins, but in those instances no charges were brought against us, and we were not obligated to register those bulletins as newspapers. They added that, neither District Prosecution, nor Ministry of Information reacted for quite a while to the printing of "Changes" bulletin, nor did they warn us that the bulletin in question was legally controversial. Finally our Attorney demanded that a representative of University of Belgrade School for Political Science be asked in as an expert witness, to determine whether "Changes" bulletin was a newspaper or a bulletin. However, our defense was to no effect, all trials ended in the same way: by sentencing Printing Company and its manager, as person in charge of the

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Company to pay various sums of money as fines. During October and November, 37 trials, similar to the one described above, were held. 74 sentences fining Printing Company and its director to the amount of more than 2 million dinars were passed. To what degree perpetrators of these proceedings believed in legality of their action was evident, because they declared trials closed for public. It was obvious that the sole purpose of these trials was bringing ABC GRAFIKA to financial ruin, not implementation of law.

At that time ABC GRAFIKA was passing through great financial crisis, due to reduced circulation of all the papers that were printed there, as well as termination of certain editions after the end of bombardment. Its major customer, the newspaper GLAS JAVNOSTI, whose circulation was greatly reduced, caused the gravest problems. Obtaining payment for the sale of newspapers was becoming more difficult with every passing day. I mention all these facts in order to stress out how important the printing of "Changes" bulletin was, whith its daily circulation of minimum 10 000 copies, and which was paid in advance on daily bases. The printing of the bulletin was to great financial advantage without any doubt, regardless of the fact that the printing of the bulletin involved a certain risk of revenge from the authorities. We held consultations with our lawyers in order to organize the process of work according to the requirements of the law, thereby preventing possible problems. We received assurance from Cedomir Jovanovic, as representative of Alliance for Changes, that this organization would cover the cost of possible fines.

Belgrade Commercial Court took advantage of the whole situation in which we found ourselves, and because of insolvency of our company over a protracted period of time, started pre-bankruptcy proceedings against ABC GRAFIKA at the beginning of December of 1999 and scheduled hearing for the end of January of 2000, at which decision about the bankruptcy of the company had to be reached.

I was cornered. Not knowing who to turn to, I decided to write to the Serbian Minister of Information, Aleksandar Vucic. The letter was sent on January 5 of 2000. It said:

Dear Sir,

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Bearing in mind the things you have said in a TV show for PLAMA TV station, on January 1, I am sending this letter as an appeal in the name of all the employees of GLAS JAVNOSTI daily and ABC GARFIKA Printing Company, to you as Minister in charge of media and as a lawyer, to help us right the wrong your Ministry has done to our Printing Company and indirectly to our newspaper. We hope that you wouldn't let things go so far that we would be forced to defend ourselves trough media, using facts, which would tarnish the reputation of this Ministry, of our legal system, and of all the participants in this dishonorable persecution and terrorization of our Printing Company.

TOMORROW: NOT EVEN COURTS OF SPANISH INQUISITION ACTED THAT WAY

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20) Not Even Courts of Spanish Inquisition Acted that Way

The greatest nonsense of this whole scam was that unless he paid the fine, Slobodan Kacarevic was to be sentenced to life imprisonment

In the letter sent to the Minister of Information, Aleksandar Vucic it was said:

"We are asking that your Ministry repeals all charges filed against ABC GRAFIKA Printing Company for printing "Changes" bulletin, for the following reasons:

a) ABC GRAFIKA has never signed the contract for printing the bulletin, "Changes," and has never actually printed the bulletin in question.

b) The contract for printing "Changes" bulletin was signed with ABC ETIGRAF Printing Company, which can be verified by looking into documents your Ministry has submitted to the Court as evidence against our printing company, signed by your deputy, Radmila Visic: contracts, invoices, payment reports. None of Belgrade Magistrates, nor Magistrate's Council, as higher instance, wanted to recognize the facts. Therefore, it seems that: truth, justice, and legality are not things that interest them. The only thing they seem to be interested in is to fulfill the task set before them by their party, the same party to which your Deputy belongs.

c) All the payments for the printing of the bulletin, made by Cedomir Jovanovic, as our customer, were made to ABC ETIGRAF. This can be verified by checking the payment orders, which your Ministry took as evidence. If your Ministry was interested in facts, your Deputy, Radmila Visic could have drawn attention to it, because facts are obvious. The conclusion we reached was that she was under party orders. All Belgrade Magistrates could have recognized the truth too, had they been willing to work as professionals. We realized that profession, justice, and truth are the last things they took into account when they passed the verdicts.

d) Documents, which your Ministry, that is, your Deputy has handed over to the Magistrates, contain contracts and payment orders that prove what we have said. Mr. Vucic, as a lawyer, you can check the veracity of our assertions: your Ministry has reported us to the Magistrate, filed charges

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against us and the Court has sentenced us, without any legal grounds. Internal Revenue Office has confiscated the property of ABC GRAFIKA, although in this case their violation of the law cannot be proved.

2. We, therefore demand that your Ministry repeals all charges against the director of ABC GRAFIKA, Slavoljub Kacarevic, who is also the Editor-in-chief of our newspaper GLAS JAVNOSTI, for the simple reason that he is not the director of the Printing Company that printed the bulletin, "Changes." These assertions can be verified by checking the documents, which your Ministry is using as evidence against us, and which have been sent to Belgrade Magistrate.

3. We demand that your Ministry, as instrumental in ordering financial police to confiscate our property (as your Deputy, Radmila Visic stated for NIN magazine), orders financial police to revoke all decrees they have issued, because, among other things, they have fined us for payment given to the ABC GRAFIKA Independent Workers' Union, which is exempt from taxation everywhere in the world. ABC GRAFIKA Union was forced to help their workers in the difficult financial situation we were all in.

4. We demand that your Ministry helps us to return the money financial police have robbed of GLAS JAVNOSTI. On October 2 of 1999, they have forced our financial manager to pay in advance more than 280 000 dinars, without any legal ground. They have also removed from our safe 65 000 dinars. After several months of excruciating efforts to find some fault in our business dealings, all they could come up with was 13 000 dinars in fines. Therefore, we demand that the rest of the money with interest be returned to us immediately.

The greatest nonsense of this whole scam is that unless he paid the fine, Slobodan Kacarevic was to be sentenced to life imprisonment, which is against all logic or common sense. The Magistrate has no power to pass such a sentence anywhere in the world! But, there you are!

Dear Sir, we believe that, as a lawyer and Minister in charge of the media, you would be able to help us resolve these huge problems created by your Deputy, Radmila Visic, bearing in mind the basic principle of law, observed by lawyers all over the world: it is better to set free a hundred guilty persons than to hold an innocent one in prison!

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Expecting your swift, clear, and concise reply, we remain yours...

The members of Boards of Directors of GLAS JAVNOSTI and ABC GRAFIKA PRINTING COMPANY signed the letter.

Overly Diligent

What actions Commercial Court, headed by its president, Milena Arezina had undertaken, the lawyer Aleksandar Petrovic, explained best:

"Acting in pre-bankruptcy proceedings against ABC GRAFIKA Printing Company, Belgrade Commercial Court has violated so many articles of Court Procedure, that they cannot be disregarded as ordinary lapses, common to Courts at the first judicial level, because they show a certain intent, or aim, which is not legal in its character."

From the very start, in December of 1999, it was apparent that the Court was overly diligent. Bankruptcy Council of Belgrade Commercial Court began pre-bankruptcy proceedings only six months after our bank accounts were blocked. There are hundreds of companies in Belgrade and Serbia whose bank accounts have been blocked for years, but bankruptcy proceedings against them have never been ordered. Together with subpoena for the first hearing, ABC GRAFIKA received the Decree on commencement of pre-bankruptcy proceedings and Decree on interim measure, which deprived us of the right to have our property at our disposal. The Board of Directors had their powers reduced to minimum, although in legal practice such measures are usually implemented after the hearing. All these actions were not yet violations of the law, but this excessive diligence intimated what was to come next.

Practice Common Since Roman Times

At the first hearing, on December 31, 1999, it was ruled that for the next hearing ABC GRAFIKA was to prepare an outline for obligatory settlement with creditors. We did that and handed it to Court at the second hearing on January 24, 2000. This outline for obligatory settlement of debts was found acceptable by 90% of our creditors. They informed the Court of their agreement with the proposal, and stated that in affidavits,

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before and during the hearing. Only one creditor did not attend the hearing, but nevertheless, since we had reached an agreement with all the others to whom we owed 90% of the money, legal condition for obligatory settlement of debts was fulfilled. It was enough that 51% of creditors agreed with the settlement for it to be legally viable. We left the hearing satisfied, expecting Bankruptcy Council to verify the agreement reached at the hearing, thereby avoiding staring bankruptcy proceedings. However, instead of observing the law, Bankruptcy Council began violating the law and some basic principles of law procedure, which were founded in Roman Law and are still observed all over the world.

No Answer

We owe our readers an explanation: former Minister, Aleksandar Vucic never dignified our letter to him with an answer. It is apparent that he was protecting the interest, as his party leader had put it, of the ruling parties, which appear to be the same as the interest of his own party.

TOMORROW: THE EXISTENCE OF THE WHOLE SYSTEM OF COMMERCIAL JURISDICTION ENDANGERED

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21) The Existence of the Whole System of Commercial Jurisdiction Endangered

To my mind, that represented a grave danger for the existence of the country itself. Legal system of a country is its backbone. If there is no legal system, there is no country. The only alternative is anarchy.

The lawyer, Aleksandar Petrovic continues (May, 2000):

"The outline for obligatory settlement of debts was rejected and decree ordering opening of bankruptcy proceedings passed, with explanation that ABC GRAFIKA business books were not in order, which according to Law on obligatory settlement, bankruptcy and liquidation could be bases for rejection of obligatory settlement. As proof of their statement that business books were not in order, the Court Council mentioned the certificate issued by financial police on January 27, 2000, which none of us had seen.

First of all, a bankruptcy proceeding is a legal action the purpose of which is to protect the interest of creditors when the debtor is too indebted. By rejecting the outline for obligatory settlement, Court has shown that the interests of creditors were not their primary objective, but that they were using bankruptcy proceedings as means of bringing ABC GRAFIKA to financial ruin by placing their own man as bankruptcy director (Dusan Abramovic), who would, further developments showed that, do everything in his power to destroy ABC PRODUKT Holding Company and eliminate it from the business world.

Second: Bankruptcy Council neglected to demonstrate evidence after the discussion in the previous hearing. That was violation of all basic principles of all existing Court procedures. Neither criminal, nor private, nor administrative lawsuits allow the Court Council to base their decision on evidence, which was not demonstrated during the hearing. Even Spanish Inquisition Courts and Soviet Union Courts at the time of Stalin's rule observed that: before the sentence was passed, the "accused" was informed for what crime he had been tried. An illusion of regularity of the proceedings was created. However, ABC GRAFIKA was not given a chance to have their say as regards allegations that their business books were not in order, and for that they were forced into bankruptcy. Until this

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day we have not seen the contents of the financial police report pertaining to this matter. During two previous hearings, no mention had been made about business books not being in order.

Third: Financial police report is not evidence, because financial police is one of the parties in these proceedings, and they are that one creditor who has not appeared at previous hearings before bankruptcy proceedings were opened. The irony of the whole thing is that decree issued by financial police, by which they became creditors of ABC GRAFIKA, has not yet become final.

Fourth: By the above violations of Court procedure, ABC GRAFIKA and its founder ABC PRODUKT were denied the right to submit to Court the statement that ABC PRODUKT is willing to take over the whole sum of ABC GRAFIKA debts, although according to Law on obligatory settlement, bankruptcy and liquidation, that possibility must have been offered to the party in question. Had ABC PRODUKT been allowed to take over debts of ABC GRAFIKA, opening of bankruptcy proceedings would have been prevented.

Fifth: Bankruptcy Council passed Decree about rejecting outline for obligatory settlement, although according to law, it had to be done by the president of the Council, which represents serious violation of bankruptcy procedure.

Each of the five points given above is reason enough for revoking the decision made. It is futile mentioning other violations made. My colleagues and I have lodged three complaints against the ruling that bankruptcy proceedings be opened. All the violations have been listed and explained, as well as articles of the law that have been contravened.

I have received the ruling of the Senior Commercial Court only a few hours ago and haven't had enough time to analyze the document. However, I can say right now that justification was written very carefully with the aim to justify unjustifiable. For the ruling in the first instance, an old colleague of mine had said: "Any average senior student of law would reject this ruling after reading it only once." Several other judges I have been in contact with, and whom I had asked for their impartial and expert opinion, were of the same mind. I have had consultations with great many lawyers and judges and based on their expert opinion, they told me that

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there are no legal grounds for rejecting complaints lodged and confirming the ruling in the first instance.

However, your Court remained of the opinion that the report of the financial police was crucial, because it was a report made by a Government organization during a legally conducted procedure. The above mentioned fact that financial police was a party in the proceedings (as one of the creditors), that its decrees have not become legally binding yet, and finally, that because of business books that were kept in exemplary order, they were able to determine that some of the taxes have not been paid, have been disregarded by the Senior Commercial Court. On the other hand, Law on obligatory settlement, bankruptcy and liquidation, demands that business books be kept in order so that Bankruptcy Court could easily determine who were the creditors. That kind of orderliness has never been brought to question with ABC GRAFIKA, nor has financial police ever established that kind of sloppiness in the six months they have spent in ABC GRAFIKA.

The other complaints were rejected in the same manner, using the same superficial argumentation, because Senior Court, as second instance had no other argumentation at hand.

- Parties in bankruptcy proceedings were given no legal possibility to demand revision by the Supreme Court of the Republic of Serbia. By refusing the complaints lodged by ABC GRAFIKA, bankruptcy proceedings have became unavoidable. What represents a great danger in this whole situation is the fact that actions of Belgrade Commercial Court have undermined the existence of the whole system of commercial jurisdiction. Bankruptcy proceedings in ABC GRAFIKA, as well as lawsuits that bankruptcy director, Dusan Abramovic started after the opening of bankruptcy proceedings, and Court rulings in these attendant lawsuits, are illegal to the extent that one begins to wonder whether judicial work is carried out in this area at all. To my mind, that represents a grave danger for the existence of the country itself. Legal system of a country is its backbone. If there is no legal system, there is no country. The only alternative is anarchy. The country and its administration are seriously endangered if citizens and business subjects lose confidence in country being able to protect them and their interests. Jurisdiction has to protect the country through the protection of its citizens, established order, economic system, market and everything else on which a country is based. By

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destroying the principles on which jurisdiction in a country is founded, and which have existed for centuries in all civilized countries, means nothing less than the destruction of a country. However, economic experts are better qualified to give their opinion as to damage caused by economic insecurity, shifting of capital, avoidance of production activities, and preference for "grey economy."

The Greatest "Sin"

I have observed and taken part in the work of ABC GRAFIKA for many years. This printing company has been probably the only one in Serbia independent of any political influence in the past years. It has printed publications of Radical Party (newspaper Greater Serbia, books by Vojislav Seselj...), Democratic Party (Daily Paper Demokratija, Changes bulletin...), Socialist Party of Serbia (Kragujevac Socialists' Paper LID...), Serbian Renewal Movement (Serbian Word...), daily papers: NASA BORBA, BLIC, 24 CASA, GLAS JAVNOSTI, NT PLUS; weeklies: NIN, VREME, EVROPLJANIN...in short, they printed everything their clients were ready to pay for, and that Public Prosecutor did not ban. Whenever another printing company was not willing to print something for one or another political reason, ABC GRAFIKA was more than willing. It seems to have been its greatest "sin." It belonged to no one, and now it is at the mercy of Belgrade Commercial Court. Their rights and the rights of other companies in ABC PRODUKT Business system have been reduced to such an extent that they are not allowed to see the documents on which Courts base their charges against the company, their appeals are not forwarded to senior courts on time, they are not allowed statutory changes necessary for everyday working, and on top of it all, Serbian financial police seems to have moved their Headquarters to their premises.

Despite all that, I am convinced that ABC GRAFIKA will manage to survive, and that within the limits imposed by bankruptcy proceedings, it would find means to recover and achieve financial consolidation.

TOMORROW: MACHINATIONS OF THE PRESIDENT OF SENIOR COMMERCIAL COURT, CEDOMIR PROSTRANA

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22) Machinations of the president of Senior Commercial Court, Cedomir Prostrana

Technique is simple: Commercial Court has appointed Bankruptcy Management – they file charges to Commercial Court demanding certain things – Commercial Court rules out interim measures – Bankruptcy Management in that way receives authority to carry out, with the help of police, what they have demanded in the charges they have filed

After the narrative of the lawyer, Aleksandar Petrovic, it is necessary to say that confirmation of the ruling about ABC GRAFIKA bankruptcy was not all that easy. The problem occurred in Belgrade Senior Commercial Court.

When finally our appeal reached Senior Commercial Court, all judges who were involved in bankruptcy cases were of the opinion that the ruling of the lower court, by which bankruptcy proceedings were to be opened in ABC GRAFIKA should be annulled, because it represented flagrant violation of the law. However, very soon, according to the statement of the president of Senor Court, two politicians: Uros Suvakovic and Ivica Dacic intervened saying that ruling about the opening of bankruptcy proceedings must be verified.

This placed the president of Senior Commercial Court in an unequivocal position. On one hand, the law had to be observed, on the other hand, the order of the party had to be carried out.

Before he was able to find the president of the Court Council willing to confirm the ruling of Belgrade Commercial Court and its president, Milena Arezina, three presidents of Bankruptcy Councils have refused him. Finally, Mr. Cedomir Prostrana managed to induce judge Milan Vincic to pass a decision confirming the ruling of the lower court. This was done despite numerous illegal acts performed by Milena Arezina. By this ruling, Belgrade Senior Commercial Court had joined forces with the others in illegal persecution of ABC PRODUKT and GLAS JAVNOSTI.

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At the first hearing, on December 30, of the last year, it was ruled that for the next hearing ABC GRAFIKA was to prepare an outline for obligatory settlement with creditors.

At that time no one had paid attention to information published in Republic of Serbia Public Courier on December 22, 1999, but this information was of some significance later on. At first it seemed rather ambiguous and thus unimportant. On page 1057 it said: "Regarding the decision (Republic of Serbia Public Courier, No 48/99) by which judges of general courts and commercial courts have ceased to hold that position, exempt from that decision is section "I." On checking the previous number of Public Courier and the decision published there, in section I it says: "The judge of Belgrade Commercial Court, Tomislav Gazevic ceases to hold that position on January 31, of 2000 due to retirement." Belgrade Commercial Court judge, Tomislac Gazevis was to retire, suddenly this decision was revoked and he appeared as the president of Bankruptcy Council for ABC GRAFIKA.

At the second hearing, an outline for obligatory settlement of debts was handed to Court and it was found acceptable by our creditors. They informed the Court of their agreement with the proposal, and stated that in affidavits, before and during the hearing. Legal condition for obligatory settlement of debts was fulfilled. We left the hearing satisfied, expecting Bankruptcy Council to verify the agreement reached at the hearing, thereby avoiding starting bankruptcy proceedings. However, instead of observing the law, Bankruptcy Council began violating the law and some basic principles of law procedure, which had been founded in Roman Law and are still observed all over the world.

The outline for obligatory settlement of debts was rejected and decree, ordering start of bankruptcy proceedings passed, with explanation that ABC GRAFIKA business books were not in order.

Court has shown that the interests of creditors was not their primary objective, but that they were using bankruptcy proceedings as illegal means to bring ABC GRAFIKA to financial ruin.

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Mysterious Evidence Regarding Bankruptcy

Bankruptcy proceeding is a legal action whose purpose is to protect the interest of creditors when the debtor is too indebted. By rejecting the outline for obligatory settlement, Court has shown that the interests of creditors were not their primary objective, but that they were using bankruptcy proceedings as means to bring ABC GRAFIKA to financial ruin and eliminate it from the business world.

Bankruptcy Council presided by the judge Tomislav Gazevic, in order to provide arguments for the ruling about starting bankruptcy proceedings, demonstrated evidence two days after the previous hearing. That was violation of all basic principles of all existing Court procedures. Nowhere are Court Councils allowed to base their decisions on evidence, which was not demonstrated during the hearing. Even Spanish Inquisition Courts and Soviet Union Courts at the time of Stalin's rule observed that: before the sentence was passed, the "accused" was informed for what crime he had been tried. An illusion of regularity of the proceedings had been created in thjat way. However, ABC GRAFIKA was not given a chance to have their say as regards allegations that their business books were not in order, and for that they were forced into bankruptcy. Until this day we have not seen the contents of the financial police report, pertaining to this matter. During two previous hearings, no mention had been made about business books not being in order.

Financial police report is not evidence, because financial police is one of the parties in these proceedings, and they are the one creditor who has not appeared at previous hearings before bankruptcy proceedings were opened. The irony of the whole thing is that decree issued by financial police, by which they became creditors of ABC GRAFIKA, had not yet become final.

By the above violations of Court procedure, ABC GRAFIKA and its founder ABC PRODUKT were denied the right to submit to Court the statement that ABC PRODUKT was willing to take over the whole sum of ABC GRAFIKA debts, although according to Law on obligatory settlement, bankruptcy and liquidation, (article 84), that possibility must have been given to the party in question. ABC PRODUKT taking over debts of ABC GRAFIKA would have prevented opening of bankruptcy proceedings.

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Senior Commercial Court in Belgrade rejected appeals of ABC GRAFIKA Printing Company and verified the ruling of the lower Court, thereby allowing bankruptcy proceedings to begin. Despite the fact that Commercial Court in Belgrade had violated so many procedure rules when they passed the Decree about starting bankruptcy proceedings, each of them being enough to annihilate the ruling, Senior Commercial Court did not take any of these objections into account. All they did was to take pains when writing justification of their decision, trying with all their might to justify something that was unjustifiable.

Senior Commercial Court remained of the opinion that the report of the financial police (about the state of ABC GRAFIKA business books), was crucial, because it was a report made by state officials during a legally conducted procedure. The above mentioned fact that financial police was a party in the proceedings (as one of the creditors), that its decrees have not yet become legally binding, and finally, that because of business books that were kept in exemplary order, they were able to determine that some of the taxes had not been paid, have been disregarded by the Senior Commercial Court, for reasons that were known to them only. On the other hand, Law on obligatory settlement, bankruptcy and liquidation, demands that business books be kept in order so that Bankruptcy Court could easily determine who the creditors were. That kind of orderliness has never been brought to question regarding ABC GRAFIKA, nor has financial police ever established that kind of sloppiness in the six months they had spent in ABC GRAFIKA.

Numerous Consequences

All appeals were rejected in the same manner, using the same superficial argumentation, because Senior Court had no other argumentation at hand.Bankruptcy proceedings in ABC GRAFIKA became inevitable. The consequences of that were huge and numerous. The first to suffer were ABC GRAFIKA Printing Company, its founders, workers, creditors, and numerous clients. Bankruptcy Management who came to the printing company on January 29, to the astonishment of all the employees, fired all the workers, sealed all the printing presses, brought in armed guards and showed the intention to destroy all that had been done during the past ten years in order to revitalize a bankrupt public company.

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What represents a great danger in this whole situation is the fact that actions of Belgrade Commercial Court have undermined the functioning of the whole system of commercial jurisdiction. Bankruptcy proceedings in ABC GRAFIKA, as well as lawsuits started after the opening of bankruptcy proceedings, and Court rulings in these attendant lawsuits, are illegal to the extent that one begins to wonder whether judicial work is carried out in this area at all. That represented a grave danger to the continued existence of the country itself. Legal system of a country is its backbone. If there is no legal system, there is no country. The only alternative is anarchy. By destroying the principles on which jurisdiction in a country is founded, and which have existed for centuries in all civilized countries, means nothing less than the destruction of a country.

When it became apparent that the attempt to stop printing of newspapers and magazines in 8, Vlajkovic Street (by starting bankruptcy proceedings in ABC GRAFIKA), had failed, Commercial Court in Belgrade began using interim measures. The technique was simple. Commercial Court appointed Bankruptcy Management – they file charges to Commercial Court demanding certain things – Commercial Court brings decree of interim measures – Bankruptcy Management in that way receives authority to carry out, with the help of police, what they have intended by the charges they have filed: destruction of ABC GRAFIKA and all publications that have any connections with the printing company.

TOMORROW: BANKRUPTCY MANAGER STORMS IN WITH THE POLICE

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23) Bankruptcy Manager Arrives with Arezina's Police

Bankruptcy Manager, Dusan Avramovic arrived at 6.30 pm on January 31, accompanied by Commercial Court executors...

The lawlessness created by synchronized activity of Commercial Court headed by its president, Milena Arezina, Ministry of Information, Financial police and Internal Revenue Office, and masterminded by YL Headquarters consisted of Professor Mirjana Markovic, Ljubisa Ristic and Danilo Pantovic.

Their joint members were Ivan Markovic and Goran Matic. Bankruptcy proceedings against ABC GRAFIKA were started without any legal grounds, despite the agreement reached with all the creditors that the debt owed by ABC GRAFIKA be reduced and reprogrammed, thereby making the company solvent and able to continue working.

To my mind, the whole thing was rape of the truth and tissue of the lies. They tried to present our company as some sort of threat to the country and myself as a public enemy. In order to gain some time, I decided to inform the head of Serbian Secret Police, General Rade Markovic. The meeting was set up for January 31, 2000, at 1 pm.

Violence and lawlessness once again

When I arrived, Rade Markovic's secretary informed me that the General was too busy to see me, because he had General Ojdanic with him. He has asked me to go and see his Deputy, General Nikola Curcic, an intimate friend of Slobodan Milosevic, who was informed about the whole matter. I was to talk with him.

I descended one floor down and met with General Curcic. I acquainted him with the problems of my firm and with my personal problems. He told me that he was leaving Belgrade, but that on his return he would inform both General Markovic and Milosevic family about our conversation. He even promised that he would write a short memo for General Markovic. If anything else came up, Markovic would call me, he added. That was the end of our talk.

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On that same day, January 31, 2000, at the time when out traditional journalists' ball was about to begin, at 6.30 pm, Dusan Abramovic, the bankruptcy manager arrived at our company building, in 8,Vlajkovic Street. Commercial Court executor accompanied him and some armed men, who were private security guards of Commercial Court engaged by its president, Milena Arezina. He began making an inventory of printing presses owed by ABC PRODUKT Company.

I went to the ground floor where all this was taking place and demanded that Court executor show me documents empowering him to do that.

He showed me the decree in which there was no mention of ABC PRODUKT. I insisted that they stop their inventorying till our legal representatives arrived.

When our lawyer, Aleksandar Petrovic arrived, he spoke to Stari Grad Municipality police officers and it was concluded that their action was illegal and that there were no legal grounds for them to continue.

In the meantime, police asked for permission to use our phone. Our lawyer and chief of the department took them to the offices of ABC PRODUKT legal department. They wanted to consult with their superiors and inform them that they had been sent to the wrong address and that what they were doing was illegal. They were told to call back in five minutes.

After several minutes, they called back the same phone number, and their superior officer told them to carry on with their work as ordered by the Court, regardless of what the documents said.

This lawlessness started with fallacious charges, received, examined, acknowledged, and implemented as illegal interim measure, all within one day by bankruptcy manager, Dusan Abramovic, with illegal assistance of Stari Grad police was instigated by the president of Commercial Court and newly appointed bankruptcy manager, Dusan Abramovic. To the police who refused to give him assistance he said before the journalists and other workers gathered there: "You will have to see this through because you will get orders by phone, and you will have to act according to the orders received." He even said who the men pulling the strings behind the scene were: Uros Suvakovic, Srdjan Smiljkovic, and Ivica Dacic.

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His words were proved right only ten minutes later. The police were told that they must carry out their illegal orders regardless of the resistance they might encounter. Eight more uniformed policemen entered the offices of ABC PRODUKT at that moment. The number of plainclothes policemen was hard to determine because the offices were swarming with journalists from different newspapers and news agencies, workers of ABC PRODUKT and journalists from GLAS JAVNOSTI. It was difficult to distinguish who were the men present.

When the Court executor started again inventorying printing machines belonging to ABC PRODUKT, I stood up in front of him asked him to stop because there were no legal grounds for what he was doing, that he had no authority and that the Court Decree did not apply to ABC PRODUKT property.

Police Surrounds Me

At that moment an inspector in civilian clothes and another uniformed policemen with a rank, who said that he was Deputy Commander of Stari Grad police approached me. This man told me that he was sorry, but if I continued to show resistance they would cuff me, detain me, arrest me if necessary and even carry me out to the waiting police car.

Other policemen began surrounding me. All of a sudden, the police, who did not allow me to move or get in contact with the Court executor, surrounded me. I was shocked by the magnitude of lawlessness carried out with the assistance of police. I was prevented to throw out illegal representatives of Court and illegally appointed bankruptcy manager from my own company.

I called to all the policemen present to stop and think about God's justice, which is meted out accordingly, but certainly not through telephone lines. I asked whether they were aware that Srdjan Smiljkovic was the one who had issued the orders they were following, the same man who had tried for months to force me to hand over my company, GLAS JAVNOSTI, to him without any compensation?

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I could not believe that in my own country, among my own people I was faced with the Court of my own country together with the police of my own country, who were trying to prevent me from protecting my own property from a group of powerful men who were trying to rob me.

I shouted: "I am standing here before you, and if someone had ordered you to rob me of all I have, they would also order you to kill me, and you would do that too without any questions. I congratulate you! Have you ever asked yourselves what would you tell your descendents, once they asked you what did you do and why did you do it? Are you aware how much this firm has helped Serbian people? How much we have given to Serbian people? Why do you think that there are so many plaques from so many organizations and institutions in this country on our walls? I am especially proud of the six plaques received from six branches of service of YAF during recent bombardment of our country.

Armed Men from PROTEKT TIM

During the process of handing over the company to the newly appointed bankruptcy manager by the old Management of Printing Company, mobile phones of bankruptcy manager and members of Bankruptcy Council were ringing ceaselessly and they were giving minute by minute reports about the events taking place to someone. Immediately the formalities were over, new Bankruptcy Management brought into the building a large number of security guards, visibly armed but without any uniforms or any insignia. Bankruptcy Management, and especially the judge, Tomislav Gazevic, kept reassuring the workers of the printing company and our legal advisors that those men were Court security guards and that everything was according to the law. Very quickly after that, Bankruptcy manager and all the members of Commercial Court left the building. Company Management asked Stari Grad police to come and find out who those men were, since we were told that they were Court security guards left to guard ABC GRAFIKA equipment. It transpired that those men had neither documents nor permits for carrying guns, so police disarmed them and took their weapons to the office of GLAS JAVNOSTI Editor-in-chief.

They were immediately taken to the police station to give statements. However, very soon, a man who said that his name was Josifovic, and who said that he was from Commercial Court security team, went to the same

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police station. What exactly happened there is not known, but the same security guards armed with the same weapons returned to ABC GRAFIKA building and continued with their work.

TOMORROW: MILENA AREZINA'S DRIVER IN COMMAND

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24) Milena Arezin's Driver in Command

While I was talking, he kept interrupting me, making ironic comments to people present and the police. He was a true representative of his boss

The police only shrugged their shoulders and said: "We are only doing our duty, we are not those in command!"

Several of them told me: "This is nothing compared to some of the things we were involved in! Calm down, man! You will get a heart attack." Milena Arezin's driver, who seemed to have command over the bankruptcy manager, the judge, and the Court executor, was listening to this exchange of words.

I asked our lawyer Aleksandar Petrovic to tell me who were the people present. Nobody seemed to know who was the man who amidst all this turmoil was the central figure. Later on, we found out that he was the driver of the president of Commercial Court, Milena Arezina. While I was talking, he kept butting in, and full of irony and sneering he commented on every word I uttered. While we were trying to prevent the work of the Court executor, he even jostled me several times, as though by accident, but no doubt trying to provoke me. Possibly, that was just what his boss, Milena Arezina needed. I realized that he was there as her stand-in.

Later, we asked Post Office for the listing of telephone calls made that night and found out whom police inspectors had called asking for guidance that night. The number they had called was 761 895, the number of police commander on duty that night in 29. Novembra Street, the seat of Belgrade police. They were told to call back few minutes later. They called the same number at 7.23 pm and were told to act according to the orders received.

Abramovic knew that the police would be ordered to carry out their illegal activity. That was proof enough that it was a well-synchronized and coordinated action of all state institutions, with the aim to destroy ABC GRAFIKA, GLAS JAVNOSTI, and other firms comprising ABC PRODUKT Business System.

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Personal and Family Safety Endangered

On February 3, 2000, at 12.15, Srdjan Smiljkovic called me through his secretary over the mobile phone. He asked me to come to his office in 2, Takovska Street immediately. At 1.45 I was already in his office. He was sitting with two young men, unknown to me, when I arrived. He told them to go to the conference room so that we could talk alone.

Smiljkovic began conversation on a calm note, saying that he wanted to ask for some information, connected with our previous discussions. He said that he wanted personally to explain to me the situation, which I might have misunderstood. He said that he had thought that he would be able to reach an agreement with our firm, regarding the newspaper, since his party wanted to have their own paper. By taking over GLAS JAVNOSTI they had wanted to obtain a distinguished newspaper with a large circulation. All our contacts had that as their goal.

"I realized that I could not resolve that matter and I informed my party about that."

I reminded him that all my problems and all complications in our firms began after my contacts with him. I reminded him about our third meeting, on October 6, 1999, when he had told me that financial police had found evidence that we owed to Internal Revenue between 15 and 20 million dinars. I reminded him also that he had told me on that occasion that if we were to reach an agreement he would help me smooth things over trough his private company. I also reminded him of the threats about what was in store for me if I didn't listen to him and didn't hand over the newspaper to that same private company of his. He had told me that not only my personal safety would be at stake, but the safety of my family as well.

Mr. Smiljkovic was a different man on this occasion. We were even on first name basis: "Did you take it all so seriously?"

I replied that I took everything in life seriously, and that anything a man in his position told me I had no choice but to take seriously.

He then informed me that he had given up the whole notion, meaning GLAS JAVNOSTI take over, and had notified his party Coordination that he was unable to conclude the deal, so that his party has reached the

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decision that another Coordination would continue the task. However, he was not informed as to what the new Coordination had done in solving the problem of GLAS JAVNOSTI take over.

Unlawful Actions against my Firm

I replied that I was well aware that coordinator of the entire well-planned activity involving Financial police and Internal Revenue was he, himself. That he had used the director of Internal Revenue Office of the Republic of Serbia, Vojislav Stojakovic and the Commissioner of Financial police, Gojko Malidjan as his pawns; they had helped him create all the problems we have had with Commercial Court. I told him without hedging that I was aware of the fact that he was in collusion with Milena Arezina, the president of Commercial Court, who had rigged and engineered all those illegal actions in my firms. It was plain to anyone who had heard what was said at our meeting on November 6, 1999. As to Ministry of Information, he had Radmila Visic, the Deputy Minister there, who was in close contact with him all the while. I told him that it was clear to me that I had against myself, synchronized and well-coordinated activists from all public services, from financial police, Commercial Court, Ministry of Information to City Magistrates. At that moment Smiljkovic mentioned the "unnecessary" printing of "Changes" bulletin. I replied that we had stopped printing the bulletin in question, but that bulletin "Changes" has continued to be published by another printing company. This meant that we were prevented from obtaining financial gain. Someone else was to be paid for the job.

Peaceable Tone of Srdjan Smiljkovic

The newest meeting with Srdjan Smiljkovic was strange in many ways. At first I couldn't fathom what had happened to turn him into a courteous and pleasant conversationalist overnight. But, as conversation went on, it suddenly dawned on me what had happened. He must have had conversation with General Nikola Curcic, with whom I spoke three days before. At his request, and on that occasion, I gave him the abridged version of this same narrative. Together with the text, I gave him the complete documentation pertaining to the matter. I did not mention to

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Smiljkovic my meeting with General Curcic, but as time went by, I was more and more sure that the change in Smiljkovic's behavior was the result of those documents I have handed to General Curcic.

TOMORROW: GUNS SHOTS IN ABC GRAFIKA

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25) Gun Shots in ABC GRAFIKA

At 7.30 in the morning, when the workers were starting the shift, one of the "private eyes" from PROTEKT TIM fired a shot in color print sector

In the past few days, I tried to describe the external factors used as means of ruining our firms. However, it is important to remind our readers what were the reactions of the public to the storming of our premises by Bankruptcy Management, police and men from PROTEKT TIM (formerly Komet-tim) detective agency engaged by the president of Commercial Court, Milena Arezina.

Here is what Gordana Comic, spokeswoman of Provincial Board of Democratic Party said: "The fate of ABC GRAFIKA shows that there is no legal safety and no independent jurisdiction in this country. Court proceedings against this printing company are illegal, and the way the case was tried qualifies Milena Arezina as the worst possible judge whose cases invariably end in barefaced robbery of someone's property. As political organization, we demand from judges and their associations to prevent individuals from compromising their profession."

Embittered Public

In the statement issued by Executive Board of Civil Alliance of Serbia it was said: "Assaults on independent media continue by regime's stepping up pressure on them every day. Their target was again ABC GRAFIKA. Belgrade Commercial Court has started bankruptcy proceedings against this printing company for their debt of 82 million dinars. They have appointed Dusan Abramovic as its Bankruptcy Manager."

Kragujevac Town Board of Serbian Renewal Movement issued the following statement: "Illegal bankruptcy proceedings against ABC GRAFIKA company are yet another proof that the ruling regime is resolved to destroy any media not under their control. The decision of Commercial Court to disregard the agreement on obligatory settlement and implement bankruptcy proceedings without proper justification deserves condemnation. Unconstitutional and illegal engagement of private security

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guards, without permits for carrying weapons and proper identification is till now, an unrecorded act of state violence against its citizens and their property."

Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM) also protested against the ruling of Belgrade Commercial Court, which resulted in bankruptcy proceedings being started against ABC GRAFIKA Printing Company and especially against the illegal way in which the whole thing was done. Although three days before, at the hearing, all creditors had reached an agreement with ABC GRAFIKA on obligatory settlement of debts, Commercial Court disregarded that and started bankruptcy proceedings.

ANEM protested against Commercial Court's engaging private security guards in order to implement their illegal ruling and questioned their right to spend taxpayers' money on private security guards. They concluded that Commercial Court in Belgrade, headed by Milena Arezina had become an epitome of lawlessness, usurpation, and persecution of independent media.

ANEM demanded that illegal proceedings against ABC GRAFIKA Printing Company be stopped immediately, and that disciplinary charges be filed against the officials of the Court for breaking the law.

Forbidden to the Press

GLAS JAVNOSTI, ABC GRAFIKA, and the mother company, ABC PRODUCT become, through no wish of their own, the focal point of interest to both domestic and foreign media. Media representatives of all domestic Radio and TV stations, as well as foreign agencies, Radio and TV stations mobbed our premises in 8, Vlajkovic Street. Police brutally prevented them from reporting from the spot. They were also forbidden to write about the illegal activity and pressures our employees were subjected to, on the daily bases, by Financial police.

The following day, on February 1, gunshots were fired in the Printing Company. I was shocked. This is what GLAS JAVNOSTI reported on February 2, 2000 about this incident: "There is no end to brutal actions against individuals and property of ABC PRODUKT Business system, in 8, Vlajkovic Street. After numerous charges filed against us, and fines we

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had to pay, bankruptcy proceedings were implemented against ABC GRAFIKA on Friday. Together with Bankruptcy Manger, numerous security guards belonging to a private company, PROTEKT TIM, stormed our premises. Since then, these armed men have been on our premises day in and day out. Their presence was especially felt the night before last when Commercial Court executor arrived to implement interim measure – inventorying printing presses, the property of ABC PRODUKT, although the Decree issued by the Court specified that property of ABC ETIGRAF Company be inventoried (the company in question has premises in the township of Opovo since December 31 of last year).

Of course, security guards from PROTEKT TIM were on the premises of our company yesterday morning, as well. At 7.30 in the morning, while workers were preparing for start of the morning shift, "detectives" from PROTEKT TIM during change of men on duty, fired a shot in color print department of the Printing Company. One of the men fired a shot, which ricocheted against the tiled floor, ricocheted once again, and fell to the floor.

It All Happened very Quickly

According to the workers present it all happened very quickly. The guards forbade our employees to photograph the incident and refused to give any explanation as to what had happened. Our workers: Rosa Milenkovic and Biserka Simic were at that moment in close vicinity of the table around which six security guards were standing.

"We were sitting near-by and talking. The guards were standing around the table: the new team had just arrived on duty, and they were checking their weapons, when all of a sudden a gun went off. One of them had fired to the floor. We were terrified, but luckily, no one was hurt. In all that turmoil, we couldn't see where the bullet ended."

Stefan Gogov, one of the workers present, said that at the moment of the incident, he had been sitting behind the wall, across from printing presses.

"Six of them were standing around the table, when all of a sudden a gun shot was heard. We were startled. The bullet ricocheted from the floor into

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one of the presses, and then backs to the floor. The women were terrified," Gogov recounted.

Members of PROTEKT TIM refused to comment on the incident. Rather lamely, they tried to deny the story of one of the workers that the bullet had ricocheted into one of the presses, stressing that "the important thing was that no one was hurt," and that such things are "liable to happen to professionals too."

After the incident, only two men from PROTEKT TIM stayed on in the color print section. At 9.30 am, forensic team from Stari Grad police station arrived. The head of security of ABC PRODUKT Business System had informed them of what has happened that morning.

An Appeal for Help

We call upon all legal and other public and state organizations, media and Yugoslav public to give us support in out struggle against persecution of Belgrade Commercial Court and its president, Milena Arezina. After yesterday's demonstration of police and state brutality, one of many, and today's shooting on ABC Business System premises, the work in our newspaper GLAS JAVNOSTI and in the Printing Company, is carried out in an atmosphere of fear and tension, caused by the presence of armed "detectives."

The statement issued by ABC PRODUKT, on February 2, 2000.

They took away the bullet and the cartridge case

- At 7.30 am, a shot was fired in production sector of ABC PRODUKT Company. In the color print section, there were eight workers present, four of which were women. All the workers present were in a state of shock at what has happened - testified the chief of security of ABC Business System. At 9.10 am he reported the incident to the policeman on duty in Stari Grad police station. Some twenty minutes, police arrived on the scene in 8, Vlajovic Street.

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- In the meantime, one of their superiors spoke with the men from PROTEKT TIM. The chief of police patrol correctly conducted forensic search, bur was greatly surprised that the men from PROTEKT TIM had taken away both the bullet and the cartridge case – the chief of security added. Later on, police managed to get hold of the bullet and cartridge case.

Yesterday, Stari Grad police station did not issue a statement regarding the incident in ABC PRODUKT. It is a well-known practice of police, in cases like this one, to delay issuing statements.

TOMORROW: A SHOT OF INTIMIDATION IN GLAS JAVNOSTI PRINTING COMPANY

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26) A Shot of Intimidation in Printing Company if GLAS JAVNOSTI

One of PROTEKT TIM security guards fired a shot in the presence of eight workers of the Printing Company; luckily, no one was hurt. Furious public reaction

In a letter, which Board of Directors of ABC PRODUKT had sent to Milena Arezina after the incident of the shot being fired on the premises of the printing company, it was said, in carefully chosen terms:

"We ask of you, as the president of the Court, since you did not accept the suggested outline for obligatory settlement, to provide for protection of the capital and of interests of the creditors of ABC GRAFIKA, by reducing the expenses involved in bankruptcy proceedings. First of all, we are wondering:

1. Why does the Court doubt the ability of security guards employed by the chief creditor of the printing company, which is ABC PRODUKT? ABC GRAFIKA owes more than 80% of the money to ABC PRODUKT and was willing to pay up all their debts to the company in question as well as to all the other companies had the Court accepted the suggested outline for obligatory settlement. Why does not Court have faith in ABC PRODUKT, who has received several hundred plaques in recognition of their humanitarian work? We especially draw the attention of the Court to the plaques given by the six branches of service of Yugoslav Armed Forces for our services to the country during NATO aggression.

Mysterious Director Josifovic

We also ask of you to reduce:

2. Enormous cost of employing security guards, who say that you engaged them, and who entered our premises escorting the judge, Gadzevic, as registered in the document made when the new Management took over. Certain Mr. Josifovic, who introduced himself to us as deputy director of security of Belgrade Commercial Court, confirmed this fact. It is safe to

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suppose that, being the president of this Court, no one else could have engaged thsi agency without your consent.

3. We ask that your Court provide for the normal working of Bankruptcy Council without increasing the cost of work process, thereby impairing the interests of creditors, since you are using your security as means of intimidation and compulsion against the chief creditor, ABC PRODUKT.

4. We ask that your security desist from the way they have been behaving, causing panic and fear, so that the work process could be carried out as usual.

5. We ask that your Bankruptcy Council revoke illegal interim measures: compulsory and obligatory inventorying of the property of ABC PRODUKT, done on January 31, 2000, at 7 pm, thereby forcing the police from Stari Grad police station to illegally assist Bankruptcy Council in entering our premises. On that occasion, the property of ABC PRODUKT was bestowed upon the Bankruptcy manager without Court decree, which represents barefaced robbery of the property of the rightful owner, with the help of Court and police.

The chief creditor of ABC PRODUKT also wrote a letter to Commercial Court, entitled: "Do not Endanger our Capital!" This is the text of the letter, sent by ABC PRODUKT Board of Directors to Bankruptcy Manager, Dusan Abramovic:

"We are well aware of the fact that your ruling that interim measures, involving inventorying of our property, be implemented in our Company without proper Court orders and with the assistance of the police, represents a serious violation of the law. Since we are the owners of the property you had inventoried without our consent, and since the said property was handed over to you for safe keeping, albeit without proper documents, and although you were aware that it belonged to ABC PRODUKT, all we are asking is that you behave in a way that would not impede the normal process of work.

As the largest creditor of ABC GRAFIKA (ABC GRAFIKA owes over 80% of the money to ABC PRODUKT), we ask that you behave in accordance with good commercial customs and not create expenses that outmatch three times the sum total of salaries for all our workers, for that is

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the cost of security team you have brought with you. As the chief creditor of the printing company we are not prepared to sanction such expenditure.

We are informing you that we are prepared to buy all the other debts of the printing company, as suggested by the outline for obligatory settlement, submitted to Commercial Court. As the future sole creditor of ABC GRAFIKA, we inform you that we expect maximum of prudence as regards the expenditure. We are expecting an urgent reply to this letter."

At the time we were waging our war, there were other organizations and institutions faced with the similar problem. At that time we received the following letter from Executive Board of Trade Union of University of Belgrade School of Electronics:

"Trade Union of University of Belgrade School for Electronics is outraged by illegal bankruptcy proceedings which are being implemented in your firm, and which have made all ABC GRAFIKA workers redundant, thereby leaving their families without any means of support. What we have all been afraid of, that victims of illegal decisions of the present regime, would have no one to turn to, to protect their interests, has become reality. We wish to remind you that ever since the infamous Law on University was passed and the new Dean appointed, our School is under "protection" of the same firm of "para"-police, as your Printing Company: PROTEKT TIM. All the side entrances to the School have been closed down, while the main entrance, and some of the classrooms where "suitable" Professors give lectures are guarded (against whom?) by the employees of PROTEKT TIM. It is quite obvious that regular police force could not be persuaded to take part in such illegal actions, so the ruling regime had to employ mercenaries to implement their illegal orders.

Their aim is clear: they want to silence all those who have their own minds, to prevent the freedom of thought. In our joint fight for the better future, you have our support!"

The Independent Association of Serbian Journalists wrote:

"Independent Association of Serbian Journalists condemns brutal campaign of the ruling regime against ABC GRAFIKA Printing Company and GLAS JAVNOSTI newspaper. Terrifying repression used against this

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company, which began by illegal bankruptcy proceedings and was followed by their premises being occupied by irregular "police" from PROTEKT TIM agency and ensuing shooting there, are explicit enough. It is obvious the Law on Informing is not enough for this regime to close down all independent media, so they have to use additional, more violent measures to achieve their aim. Shooting has created an atmosphere of chaos in which anything is possible, and all those who do not think the way the regime wants them to, are intimidated. By closing down of ABC GRAFIKA Printing Company, our media are deprived of several newspapers that were printed there, but especially of one of the few independent newspapers – GLAS JAVNOSTI." this letter of Independent Association of Serbian Journalists (NUNS) was signed by their president, Gordana Susa.

Armed Dilettantes

Who were actually the armed men who had stormed the premises of GLAS JAVNOSTI without any documents or credentials? This is what our researchers have uncovered:

"Agencies for protection of 'individuals and property' are becoming more and more numerous with every passing day. The number of agencies founded by all kinds of people with all kinds of pasts is growing: they manage easily to convince credulous people that their men are 'efficient protectors.' Bankruptcy proceedings against ABC GRAFIKA and appointment of Bankruptcy Manager are carried out under the protection of PROTEKT TIM agency. Men from the said agency forced their way into the building, but it was found out that very evening that they did not have licenses for carrying weapons. We overlooked that. However, the shot fired on the premises of ABC PRODUKT showed plainly that some of those men did not know how to handle deadly weapons. No one knows how those 'modern Belgrade bodyguards' were recruited or trained. It transpired that at the time when public security is endangered by everything happening here, some people willing to earn 'quick bucks' are prepared to send out dilettantes and dabblers of all kind, who are a threat to themselves as well as to others and the job they are supposed to do. We don't even want to think that the shot fired in the printing company was meant to intimidate, though it looked that way. However, among the staff of GLAS JAVNOSTI there are enough trained men who know how to

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handle guns and could teach those guys how to be 'bodyguards,' without any monetary compensation, so as to prevent accidents happening in future.

There is no escaping fate

At the moment I was informed about a shot having been fired in the printing firm, I believe that for a moment, the whole of my life went through my head. I was reminded of the threats of Ratko Krsmanovic, Srdjan Smiljkovic, and hajji Dragan Antic. I remembered their telling me that they had well-organized methods of intimidation and that unless I cooperated the worst would happen to me. The lives of my family and myself would be at stake.

However, when a man crosses that thin line of fear once, there is nothing one can do, but continue fighting to the bitter end. I realized that fighting was my fate and that there is no escaping one's fate.

Embittered workers of ABC GRAFIKA

We survived bombardment only to be expelled from work

Today, on February 1, we were told that since Thursday last, when Belgrade Commercial Court started bankruptcy proceedings against ABC GRAFIKA, we have been laid off. The Bankruptcy Manager, Dusan Abramovic informed us of this on Tuesday, although on Friday last, when he first came to our firm he promised that there would be no firing of the workers.

We protest against the decision of the Court by which we were left without work, although during the past ten years we had worked very hard to keep the company out of the red. We have managed to survive hyperinflation, wars, bombardment and all the other troubles we have been faced with during the past ten years, now we are in a situation that bankruptcy manager showed out of the blue to give us notices.

Is there anyone who could protect us from illegal Court order by which we have been thrown out into the street? Is there anyone who can protect us

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from armed men, who have occupied our building with bankruptcy manager's permission? This morning they even fired over our heads.

We appeal to the public for help, because we don't know to whom to turn for help!

Trade Union of ABC GRAFIKA employeesVera Ristic, president

TOMORROW: UNRECORDED BEFORE: COURT HELPS WITH ROBBERY

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27) Unrecorded Before: Court Helps with Robbery

By implementing interim measure as ordered by Court, all printing equipment was inventoried and taken away, although it did not belong to the indicted party

Despite the pressures and illegal activities against GLAS JAVNOSTI, we did not give up. Very soon, ABC ETIGRAF and RONAKO Ltd companies submitted an appeal to Commercial Court demanding that the interim measure be revoked. We stressed over and over again that the owner of printing equipment was ABC PRODUKT and not the indicted company, ABC GRAFIKA. This is what we said in the appeal:

"Attorney of ABC ETIGRAF and RONAKO Ltd from Opovo have submitted to Belgrade Commercial Court an appeal against their decree about implementing interim measures No P – 215/2000, from January 31, 2000, because the defendant, ABC GRAFIKA, has never brought into indicted companies any equipment or machinery as founding capital or upon any other legal basis.

It is not Important that there is no Evidence

In that respect, the Prosecutor did not bring forward any evidence to the contrary. The Court argumentation that ABC GRAFIKA, upon founding of ABC ETIGRAF Company had given 40% of founding capital is correct but legally irrelevant. ABC GRAFIKA Company has only transferred the sum of 9 846 000 dinars, in order to square the company which they founded in 1993, with Law on Firms. As evidence, we submit Xerox copy of decision No Fi – 8483/88, issued on April 30, 1999. ABC GRAFIKA Company has never invested any machinery into ABC ETIGRAF as shown by evidence submitted.

The payment of 9 846 000 dinars is so insignificant as compared to the charges brought against the defendant, that it cannot be expressed in percentages. The payment in question was made on October 13, of 1998, and since more than a year has elapsed since then, it can no longer be refutable. Claims that the said payment has caused damage to the present creditors and that it presents violation of the law (as quoted in the

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indictment) is nonsense and serves only to raise doubts of the defendant as to the legal knowledge of the person who has written the indictment. Regarding the second defendant, they have no connection with the first defendant. They have never invested any capital into the second defendant's company. The sole founder of the second defendant is ABC PRODUKT Company from Belgrade.

The attorney of ABC ETIGRAF and RONKO Ltd has submitted to the Court document of registration from Pancevo Commercial Court, No Fi – 2051/99, issued on November 9, 1999, as evidence.

Implementation of interim measures meant inventorying of printing equipment and handing it over to the plaintiff, although the equipment in question has never been the property of the defendant. The interim measures were implemented on the premises that don't belong to the defendant, and none of the things listed during the inventory belong to the defendant. The owner of the property inventoried, as part of interim measures on January 31, 2000, is ABC PRODUKT from Belgrade.

There was not a single valid reason for ruling implementation of interim measures. The defendant did not induce the Court to believe that equipment in question belonged to the defendant, nor was there any indication that irreparable damage was to be caused to the property in question. The ruling that interim measures be implemented is without any legal grounds, because it applies to the equipment, which is not specified, only the premises where the equipment is to be found are. The plaintiff did not explain in any way why their property was on the premises of the third party. Interim measure is contradictory to the charges filed, because it pertains to the sale of all movable property to the plaintiff. In section III, it is said that it is in connection with movable property as cited in section I, however in section I no movable property was mentioned. The similar situation is with section II. In view of everything mentioned above, the defendant suggests that interim measures be revoked in full, based on the objections cited here.

The defendant asks that the Court be as prompt in resolving the matter of interim measures as it was in implementing them."

Despite all we had tried, this is what Bankruptcy Manager, Dusan Abramovic did: he simply filed charges against ABC ETIGRAF and

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RONALKO Ltd, and indicated that ban on the disposal of machinery be ruled. This is how it happened:

"Bankruptcy Manager of ABC GRAFIKA, Dusan Abramovic, as representative of this company situated in 8, Vlajkovic Street, in Belgrade, has filed charges to Belgrade Commercial Court against ABC ETIGRAF and RONALKO Ltd Printing Companies from Opovo, demanding surrender of their property.

Abramovic suggested to the Court that another interim measure be implemented by which defendants would be forbidden to sell, indebt, or otherwise dispose of printing equipment situated in 8, Vlajkovic Street in Belgrade, "on the premises outside of which the names of the said companies are hung up." The interim measure was to last till the bankruptcy proceedings were completed: till inventory of defendant's property was made and handed over for safe keeping to the plaintiff."

The Prosecutor Writes Down Charges

In the charge, it was said that defendants are using the plaintiff's printing presses in the printing firm in 8, Vlajkovic Street, in Belgrade where the business unit was situated. The plaintiff is the founder of the first accused, having invested 40% of the total sum of invested capital in the firm. By founding and investing the property of the plaintiff, in form of founding capital, the misbalance in reimbursement of the creditors has been created. This meant that the right of the defendant to establish a firm had violated the interest of the creditors of the plaintiff. As evidence, Abramovic submitted the decree of Belgrade Commercial Court – IV ct. 5908/99, issued on January 12, 2000, based on which bankruptcy proceedings in ABC GRAFIKA were started.

Abramovic also suggested that after the hearing and based on the evidence submitted, the Court rules that defendants hand over to the plaintiff the printing presses, which were in the printing firm in 8, Vlajkovic Street, in Belgrade within eight days. Besides that, Abramovic as the plaintiff, demanded that the defendant pays all court taxes within the same period of time.

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I case Court found the request of the plaintiff groundless, Abramovic asked that Court rule that founding of the first defendant's firm was of no consequence as to bankruptcy capital funds of the plaintiff, and that the defendant be obligated to return to bankruptcy capital funds all printing presses, which were in the printing firm in 8, Vlajkovic Street, in Belgrade, within eight days."

On the same day that ABC GRAFIKA Bankruptcy Manager, Dusan Abramovic filed charges against ABC ETIGRAF and RONAKO Ltd Companies from Opovo, Belgrade Commercial Court presided by the judge Vladimir Kozar, ruled that interim measures be implemented in those two companies: in that way defendants would be forbidden to sell, indebt, or otherwise dispose of printing equipment situated in 8, Vlajkovic Street in Belgrade, "on the premises outside of which the names of the said companies are hung up." Although charges were filed only against ABC ETIGRAF and RONAKO Ltd Companies, the Court decree mentions an inexistent, phantom company called ABC BEOGRAD Printing Company.

Defendants were forbidden the use of printing presses in the meantime. The interim measure was to last till the bankruptcy proceedings were completed: till inventory of defendant's property was made and handed over for safe keeping to the plaintiff.

In justification of the decree passed, the Court stated that founding a company and investing the funds of the plaintiff, in form of founding capital funds, have created the misbalance in reimbursement of the creditors. This meant that the right of the defendant to establish a firm had violated the interest of the creditors of the plaintiff. As evidence, Court draws attention to their decree IV CT 5908/99, issued on January 12, 2000, based on which bankruptcy proceedings in ABC GRAFIKA were started. The plaintiff (it is said in the decree) based their demand for implementation of interim measures on the fact that defendants are using printing presses without any legal ground, thereby causing irreparable financial loss to the plaintiff; therefore, inventorying of the property was necessary in order to form the sum total of the bankruptcy capital funds and prevent possible sale of the property by the defendants.

The Court accepted plaintiff's demand for implementation of interim measures, because, according to them all conditions for this measure, as proscribed by Law on Court Procedure, article 267 werefulfilled.

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TOMORROW: DREAM TEAM: AREZINA – ABRAMOVIC IN ACTION

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28) Dream Team: Arezina – Abramovic in Action

Engaging men in whom Mrs. Arezina had confidence was of utmost importance, because once bankruptcy proceedings were started, someone has to see it trough till the end, as ordered

Ever since Milena Arezina has become the president of Belgrade Commercial Court, Dusan Abramovic's star was on the rise: he was once again very busy with "big" cases which were of great importance to the regime. However, Mr. Abramovic had apparently time to spare, because he was at that time still the executive director of Slavija bank, where he had worked for many years. He held that same position even during the troubled times this bank was passing trough.

He Started with JUGOSKANDIK

Dusan Abramovic started his career as bankruptcy manager in JUGOSKANDIK (a pyramidal savings bank) while the scent was still hot. The then president of Commercial Court, Rade Lazarevic, soon replaced Abramovic, but when Milena Arezina became the president of Commercial Court, he was once again reinstated. He was returned to solve the problems of JUGOSKANDIK bankruptcy, and later DAFIMENT bank (another pyramidal savings bank), and finally he was appointed bankruptcy manager of ABC GRAFIKA.

Tomislav Gazecic was appointed as bankruptcy judge for our firm. His wife just happened to be Commercial Court president's secretary. It is a well known fact that big cases where a great deal of money or important political interests were involved, were handled by close and trusted associates of president Arezina, either as bankruptcy judges or as bankruptcy managers. According to unofficial sources, GLAS JAVNOSTI found out that after the bankruptcy proceedings were started in ABC GRAFIKA, the judge Gazevic went into retirement, but was recalled back to active duty, and returned to retirement again, leaving Abramovic as bankruptcy manager to finish the business.

Engaging men in whom Mrs. Arezina had confidence was of utmost importance, because once bankruptcy proceedings were started,

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Bankruptcy Council and Bankruptcy Manager were given authority to dispose of the capital funds of the bankrupt company and have free access to the special account opened at Department for payment operations (ZOP). All bankruptcy expenses, including those of the bankruptcy manager and his team were paid out of the total mass of the capital funds of the bankrupt company. Lawyers are prone to say, off the record, that having management of several bankrupt companies is a very lucrative job.

Editorial staff of GLAS JAVNOSTI has asked some of the distinguished lawyers in this city to give their views on the events in ABC GRAFIKA and GLAS JAVNOSTI. Lawyer Milenko Radic was of the opinion that both bankruptcy proceedings and preliminary actions were unconstitutional:

"The manner in which bankruptcy proceedings are carried out in ABC GRAFIKA is illegal, because no account was taken of previous actions of the Court. The Court had fined the firm so many times, albeit illegally and unconstitutionally, so that the present situation in which the firm has found itself is the result of previous activities of the Court," maintained lawyer Milenko Radic.

According to him, the judge who ruled the beginning of bankruptcy proceedings, had to take into account Constitution, Federal and Republic's laws. That meant that if he had any doubts as to the legality of the actions and previous decrees, or if he had knowledge that some of the regulations and ordinances were under revision before Constitutional Court, he had to stop the proceedings until ruling from higher courts became final.

He reminded readers that Fund for Development of Democracy had started proceedings before both Federal and Republic of Serbia Constitutional Court, for determining legality of several articles of Law on Informing (according to which our firm had been fined more than once), and two articles of Law on Violation of Court Procedure. Those very articles of Laws mentioned above, which were under revision, were responsible for the financial difficulties in which ABC GRAFIKA found itself.

The articles under revision before Constitutional Court, made it impossible for lawsuits based on violation of Law on Informing to be presented before regular courts, whose judges are appointed by the Parliament. Instead, Magistrates, who are appointed by the Government, that is, by ruling

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parties, were given authority to try those cases. Even if Federal Constitutional Court were to rule that those articles were not in accordance with Constitution, some of the decrees passed, based on the defective articles, could not be annulled without causing irreparable damage.

We are Sorry for ABC GRAFIKA

As regards ABC GRAFIKA, decrees ruled by the Magistrates, based on controversial articles of Law on Informing, have resulted in the property of the company having been confiscated, considerable financial losses, and workers loosing their jobs.

We asked Dr. Vojislav Seselj, who is a lawyer by profession for his opinion. This is what he stated:

"It is not true that Serbian Radical Party wants to take over ABC GRAFIKA. We have had good business relations with them, and we are sorry that they are having financial troubles following lies printed in their newspaper, GLAS JAVNOSTI, against the leaders of our party – said Vojislav Seselj, the president of Serbian Radical Party, at a press conference. "For that reason we had sued them several times. This has caused our relations to deteriorate. We no longer print books and newspapers in their printing company," Seselj added.

In an answer to the question of GLAS JAVNOSTI journalist, as to why private police force, or private detective agencies work in courts and Departments of Belgrade University, taking over the work of regular police force, the Deputy Prime Minister replied:

"Existence of private detective agencies is another proof of liberalization of our society. The agencies in question have to work in accordance with our Constitution and laws of the country and cannot take over the authority of police force."

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Dacic Said that Everything was All Right

When asked to explain why they (private guards) returned to the building when police had already expelled them once, Seselj said: "Call the police again!" Pointing out that truth is never one-sided, Deputy Prime Minister stressed that private security guards were protecting interests of the creditors in a lawsuit against ABC GRAFIKA, adding that ABC Business System, themselves, have used services of similar agencies in the past.

"In societies where such agencies are novelty, they are always considered a problem at first."

For his coalition partner Ivica Dacic, everything was normal. When asked to comment on the situation in ABC GRAFIKA, SPS spokesman, Ivica Dacic said:

"It is simply the question of bankruptcy proceedings, and there is nothing to be added. So many firms in Serbia have been subjected to bankruptcy proceedings, but your newspaper did not find it interesting enough to devote so much space and time to them."

We asked Belgrade lawyers to give their views on occupation of ABC GRAFIKA.

The lawyer Rajna Andric believed that Commercial Court, in their proceedings against ABC GRAFIKA, had to show more understanding and tolerance.

"Pre-bankruptcy proceedings usually last over a year. In this case, the Court showed unnecessary hastiness. It is customary to try everything possible before staring bankruptcy proceedings. In any case, the Court had to honor the period of time allowed by Law on obligatory settlement; that is, the first thing the Court should have done, was to revise financial documentation. Therefore, there was no need for staring bankruptcy proceedings in hurry," said Rajna Andric.

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Intransigence of the State

"Bankruptcy proceedings are started when a legal person is in debt. However, if creditors do not demand payment, if they have agreed on the postponement of the payment or have decided to give up their demands for payment, the state has no right to prevent the debtor from remaining in charge of their property. It is the matter of free will of the two parties," said the lawyer Vojislav Vukcevic, stressing out that state has no business involving itself in mutual relations between the debtor and creditor, unless one of them has broken law.

As regards the storming of ABC GRAFIKA Printing Company premises by armed men from a private agency, Vukcevic said:

"This society is swarming with paramilitary and private armies. It is not customary for Court to engage such men for the simple purpose of handing a decree on starting bankruptcy proceedings. In cases when protection is needed, regular police is asked by the court to assist their officials in carrying out their duty."

TOMORROW: UNPARLLELED LEGAL BARBARITY

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29) Unparalleled Legal Barbarity

All private security agencies, some 50 of them in Serbia alone, are illegal, including PROTEKT TIM, said for GLAS JAVNOSTI Dragoljub Tatomirovic

The lawyer, Toma Fila, believed that what was happening in ABC GRAFIKA was really ugly, but if that was the way to pay debts, then it was all right. However, if it were the matter of inter-political moves, then time would show what was really going on.

As regards forced entry of members of detective agency, PROTEKT TIM, Fila pointed out:

"If they did not have the Court order, police should have thrown them out and you should have filed charges against them for trespassing. It would be necessary to determine at whose orders they came to the Printing Company, and whose interests they are protecting."

"Court is a state institution and only state organizations in the name of the state, can implement court decisions. It is only in quasi states that quasi organizations, that is, private detective agencies, can implement court decisions," said for GLAS JAVNOSTI Belgrade lawyer, Nikola Barovic when asked to comment on the engagement of PROTEKT TIM by Belgrade Commercial Court in implementing the Court decision against ABC GRAFIKA.

Implementation of state authority, which is comprised of legislative, executive, and judicial authority, belongs solely to state organizations, for example Ministry of Interior. Engagement of private agencies to do the job of police is not only legally without any grounds, but is also unconstitutional," Barovic explained.

"Courts have their guards, as well as court executive officials, whose duty it is to implement court decisions. In case these people are unable to carry out court decisions, the court has authority to call in police, but not private security guards," pointed out Barovic.

"It is absolutely unacceptable for private security agencies do the work of police and it is certainly not according to the law," said Dr. Kosta Cavoski,

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the professor at University of Belgrade School of Law. Commercial Court or any other court can provide, in their Operating Procedure, that beside police, a private security agency can be engaged to provide protection within the Court building during some precarious trial. However, it is quite unacceptable that private security guards accompany court officials when they have to implement court orders," said Dr. Cavoski.

"I am surprised that ABC GRAFIKA security allowed anyone besides bankruptcy manager to enter the premises of the company," added Professor Cavoski.

Belgrade lawyer Tihomor Konstantinovic's reaction to illegal entrance of members of private detective agency into ABC GRAFIKA Printing Company said:

"Lamentable, unconstitutional and illegal behavior of representatives of Commercial Court towards ABC GRAFIKA Printing Company represents denigration of Yugoslav judiciary as a whole. Every country has three foundation pillars: army, police, and judiciary. Denying its own judicial system in this way, the country is denying its own existence.

By whom and why was PROTEKT TIM agency engaged.

By what law of this country were they given authority to carry weapons and possibly use them? Who controls their work and to whom they owe their allegiance?

"The answer to all these questions is clear: the whole matter is illegal and unconstitutional, therefore besides disciplinary violations we have here elements of criminal activity against ABC GRAFIKA," concluded Tihomir Konstantinovic.

Konstantinovic believes that there are grounds for filing criminal charges against the judge, for the abuse of official position, for trespassing, and for other activities that were undertaken against ABC GRAFIKA Printing Company, which were illegal and unconstitutional.

"What is happening to ABC GRAFIKA has nothing to do with law or common sense. The actions undertaken against the printing company are illegal, unlawful, and barbarous. I have met with a similar situation in my

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capacity as a lawyer in NASA BORBA (newspaper) lawsuit and during ownership transformation of Studio B (TV station)," stated for GLAS JAVNOSTI distinguished Belgrade lawyer, Branislav Tapuskovic.

He said that there was no legal rule, which could not be violated when suppression of independent media was in question.

"It is useless bringing up legal arguments against behavior like that, because those who carry out those actions don't care about the law.

However, I can safely say that the attempt to add the property of ABC PRODUKT (printing presses) to the sum total of ABC GRAFIKA capital funds, although ABC PRODUKT is the chief creditor of the printing company, is an action unrecorded in legal practice," said Tapuskovic.

Commercial Court's Task

"All private security agencies, some 50 of them in Serbia alone, are illegal, including PROTEKT TIM," said for GLAS JAVNOSTI Dragoljub Tatomirovic, who holds degree in security law and is the founder of the first private Criminology School in Yugoslavia.

However, the fact that PROTEKT TIM was an illegal agency did not prevent Belgrade Commercial Court, an institution supposed to protect the law, to engage this agency, instead of asking police to assist the bankruptcy manager when entering the premises of ABC GRAFIKA Printing Company in 8, Vlajkovic Street. The fact that one of the men from PROTEKT TIM discharged his gun inside the printing company, endangering lives of eight workers present, is proof enough of how well-trained and skilled are men from such agencies.

Unskilled Men Fooling Around

Tatomirovic qualified this event as "untrained men fooling around." "In Serbia, the work of private and other detective agencies that are not part of criminal police, is illegal. According to Law on self employment, founding of private stores, private institutions or private companies for conducting security or protection work of individuals or property, or any other kind of

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protection and security work is forbidden. Founding private detective agencies is allowed in Montenegro and Macedonia and their work there is regulated by law," said Tatomirovic, former commander of the operative unit for prevention of smuggling and forgery in Serbian Ministry of Interior.

Such behavior of the judiciary surprised the public, as well as all the employees in 8, Vlajkovic Street, but also the police who were called by our security guard. However, although police found out that those men from PROTEKT TIM did not have licenses for carrying weapons, at someone's intercession, the weapons were returned to them very quickly and they returned to ABC GRAFIKA to protect the interests of those who had hired them.

According to the findings of GLAS JAVNOSTI, Belgrade Commercial Court has not to this day given permission for founding a single agency of that kind. Permission of that kind would enable such companies to purchase freely weapons for their needs, which is in collision with the law. In Serbia, police is the only organization authorized to purchase weapons and collect evidence and information about citizens.

Many so-called detective agencies have appeared during the past years, founded by mechanics, radio technicians, or individuals who wanted to work in the police but were not accepted; but also by individuals who wanted to do it for thrills or similar frivolous reasons, and sometimes as a way of concealing certain criminal activities.

"Although these firms are illegal, simply because there is no legal frame for their existence, the state has been tolerating their existance because there is need for their services, but only services of those who are willing to protect interests of the ruling regime. In reality, there is great demand for agencies of that type. The main criterion for obtaining work in one of those agencies is that the applicant has his own weapon, because these "shady" agencies have no legal way of obtaining weapons for their employees," said Tatomirovic, "so it often happens that former officers of YAF or Police forces are working in the agency opened by, say a tradesman. On the other hand, there are quite a few agencies that employ only amateurs.

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They are usually young men who have some knowledge of martial arts and nothing else. They have no knowledge of Criminal Law, they have no experience in handling weapons, and sometimes they are men who even have criminal records or connections with the criminal world," concluded his narrative Dragoljub Tatomirovic.

Finally, we wanted to know the cost of having armed security guards from PROTEKT TIM on our premises, starting Friday afternoon.

If we took the highest rate paid for guarding premises or persons whose protection involves high risk, the price per hour, per security guard is ten German marks; therefore, by the time this edition of the newspaper is on the news stands, the cost of having private "detectives" in our printing company has reached the sum of 13 000 German marks, or 260 000 dinars, according to the black market exchange rate.

The price-list sent upon inquiry to GLAS JAVNOSTI by several agencies for protection of individuals or property, offers lower prices to customers who are not too particular about their safety. The lowest price per hour, per security guard in such cases is 40 dinars.

In the end, the question as to who would have to pay for PROTEKT TIM security guards – bankruptcy manager Dusan Abramovic (out of the bankruptcy sum total of the capital funds), or Belgrade Commercial Court's president, Milena Arezina – remained unanswered.

Upon Inquiry in Commercial Court We Found Out:

There is no record of PROTEKT TIM ever having been entered into their Register of firms

PROTEKT TIM firm, whose employees give protection to the bankruptcy manager on the premises of ABC PRODUKT Business System, has not been entered into Register of firms in Belgrade Commercial Court. At the request of GLAS JAVNOSTI journalist, Court Registrar has searched through his computer archive for PROTEKT TIM firm, but in vain. This firm has not been entered into their Register.

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For a week now, members of this agency are on duty in ABC PRODUKT, in 8, Vlajkovic Street. One of them has fired a shot this morning in the presence of eight workers of the printing company. After repeated calls to PROTEKT TIM, a kind employee informed us that there was no one in charge who could give us information as to who had engaged them and why they have not been registered in Commercial Court as a firm.

In Belgrade Palace of Justice, we were told that PROTEKT TIM detective agency had never been engaged for security work. Palace of Justice chief of security explained that only Court security has access to the building and that only upon special occasions they have engaged private security guards to assist their own men.

TOMORROW: MEN FROM WANTED CIRCULAR CONFISCATE PROPERTY

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30) Men from Wanted Circular Confiscate our Property

They showed up in the guise of Court supervisors and experts, accompanied by the police, although that same police and that same Court were looking for them

We just managed to settle down after all the turmoil created by bankruptcy proceedings, confiscation of property and numerous police descents upon us when new interim measure was ruled by the Court, based on the charges filed by bankrupt company IMPRES against us. The whole fracas started all over again: police, Court executors, and bankruptcy manager.

On Friday, February 18, 2000, at 5.30 pm I was just about to conclude the business of the day with my associates, when the receptionist called me to inform me that a group of policemen from Stari Grad police station, the bankruptcy manager, Belgrade Commercial Court executor, and private security guards engaged by the Court had arrived accompanying the alleged plaintiffs – people who had swindled our company out of several million dinars. The owners of a bankrupt company, IMPRES, former journalist working for NOVOSTI daily, Andrej Dornik and his wife, Jasmina Jezdimirovic. When I came down, they were already in Department for electronic preparation of print, on the first floor. On Court order, the couple: Dornik-Jezdimirovic were trying to identify some property allegedly belonging to them, which was to be confiscated and taken to the premises on the fifth floor, to be placed under safe keeping of bankruptcy manager of ABC GRAFIKA. In the presence of GLAS JAVNOSTI journalists and Dragan Vlahovic, the Editor, I demanded that police stop illegal confiscation, since the property in question belonged to ABC PRODUKT. The man, who told us that he was Milena Arezina's driver, was standing aside, keeping things under close observation.

It would be Wiser for You to Keep Quiet

I approached the bankruptcy manager and Court executor and asked them why they were doing that. The highest-ranking policeman present (there were eight of them) asked why I was shouting, who I was and whether I wanted to be detained by the police. I told him who I was and demanded to

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to be told his name. He replied that it would be wiser for me to keep quiet and that he was only doing his job. Of course, I knew that someone else had organized the whole thing, but I couldn't help but ask the bankruptcy manager, Dusan Abramovic, how it was possible that those people from IMPRES, who had swindled our company, could appear on our premises in triumph. For over two years Dornik and Jezdimirovic were not available to either the Court or police. There were several Court orders for their detention and Stari Grad police station had them on their wanted list, but whenever we inquired, the answer we received was that they could not be found. Yet they showed up, accompanied by the police, although that same police and that same Court were looking for them.

At that moment, I was convinced that, were a passer-by to point his finger at ABC PRODUKT, it would be reason enough for the president of Commercial Court, Milena Arezina to rule an interim measure against our company; I said that to the people assembled there.

"Do not resist implementation of Court order, or you would have to deal with police. You should know that none of this is my doing," said the bankruptcy manager, Dusan Abramovic.

"Whose doing is it then, if not yours?" I asked.

"You go and ask Milena Arezina, Ivica Dacic and Srdjan Smiljkovic. They know the answers."

Court executors found one scanner and one monitor that looked like the ones they were looking for, thought Andrej Dornik, but was not sure. Despite my protestations, they confiscated them without proper identification, and carried them to the fifth floor. It was important to them to prevent electronic preparation of printing of GLAS JAVNOSTI. Their aim was to prevent GLAS JAVNOSTI appearing the following day and to stop the printing company from working. In that view, the whole police action looked, needles to say, ridiculous.

Next, the whole group demanded to be allowed to inspect the rest of the building. They visited all offices, inspected all the computers and equipment in GLAS JAVNOSTI, but could not find what they were looking for. All the equipment was then summarily confiscated despite our

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plea that we had documents proving that the equipment was legally bought and that it belonged to us. No one cared about our objections.

If there had been rule of law and order in Serbia, the most natural thing for Court representatives would have been to write an order to police, then and there, for detaining Mr. Dornik and Mrs. Jezdimirovic together with the bankruptcy manager, Dusan Abramovic, because the three of them had managed for years to evade the law by not being available to them. We had tried in vain for years to obtain payment of debts owed to ABC GRAFIKA by Dornik and Jezdimirovic, but to no avail. However, neither the Court not police undertook any measures.

Mixed Roles

IMPRES Company was our customer; we printed their newspaper, 24 HOURS. For over two years IMPRES had owed ABC GRAFIKA more than one million dinars. We are still engaged in a lawsuit with them. Court proceedings are currently frozen, because the defendants are not available for questioning. Now, they showed up in the guise of Court supervisors and experts, accompanied by the police, although that same police and that same Court were still trying to find them.

What was ABC PRODUKT asking for:

Proposal for resolution of difficulties in our company, sent to Milosevic family at the instigation of their personal friend, Secret Police General, Nikola Curcic:

Based on previous events and conversations we have had, and especially the last conversation we had, I am convinced that it would be best if you, personally, were to take part in obtaining legal protection of our interests in lawsuits that were instituted against us:

1. In Commercial Court in Belgrade:

- To insist that the appeal ABC GRAFIKA has lodged against Court decision that bankruptcy proceedings be started, No CT 598/99, is

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forwarded to Senior Court for revision as to legality of Commercial Court's ruling (which they are obliged by law to do);

- To insist that Belgrade Commercial Court revokes their decision about interim measure No P – 212/2000, by which property of ABC PRODUKT was inventoried (and confiscated), although this company has nothing to do with ABC GRAFIKA.

2. To insist with Republic of Serbia Financial Police that the appeal submitted by ABC GRAFIKA is taken under consideration because there are legal ground for repealing it: workers were paid wages by Workers' Trade Union (payment subject to added taxation), with funds that are in no way connected with ABC GRAFIKA.

3. To insist that City Magistrate – Council for Violations –accept evidence upon which ABC GRAFIKA based their appeal. The decree ruled by City Magistrate denied renewal of proceedings, although ABC GRAFIKA has submitted evidence that "Changes" bulletin was printed by ABC ETIGRAF Printing Company: contract signed by the company and the customer, affidavit signed by the customer, affidavit signed by the director of ABC ETIGRAF, documents of payment to ABC ETIGRAF and other documents proving without any shred of doubt that ABC GRAFIKA was in no way involved in printing "Changes" bulletin.

As soon as our proposal, stated in section 1 has been realized, we can start direct and constructive negotiations; while proposals stated in sections 2 and 3 can be resolved during negotiations. I believe that an agreement could be reached through dialogue, because the way matters are developing right now, there can be no satisfactory outcome for either of the parties involved. There is no reason for making problems where there are none, and making enemies when there are none.

The whole thing could be done in such a way that integrity of judiciary, Magistrate, Financial Police, Internal Revenue Office and all the other participants is preserved, because all of us belong to the same People, we are all citizens of the same country and are loyal to that country.

Hoping that favorable solution to the problem could be found, I remain respectfully yours,

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for ABC PRODUKT

Radosav Rodic

Belgrade, February 7, 2000.

TOMORROW: NO END TO LAWLESSNESS

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31) No End to Lawlessness

The intention of Milena Arezina was to stop all work and prevent printing of any of ABC PRODUKT editions

All illegal actions of Belgrade Commercial Court was instigated by its president, Milena Arezina, who when all is said and done, was only an instrument of brutal repression exercised against ABC PRODUKT by the ruling regime. It has long since become quite clear to me that the regime had decided to destroy my company; however, I was afraid for the life of my family and my own and I was wandering for how long they would wait. The decision of Commercial Court to implement interim measures in ABC GRAFIKA, albeit illegal, did not discourage me. It was a fact remained that the regime was against the company I owed and me. I knew that, but I was resolved to fight it out and see how far they were prepared to go. The way in which the bankruptcy manager, Dusan Abramovic accompanied by PROTEKT TIM (formerly KOMET TIM), private YL police force, stormed our premises on January 31, 2000, and the interim measure by which our property was inventoried and banned from use, was evidence enough of what the big plan was.

Inventorying of Machinery without any Legal Grounds

Commercial Court decided, without any legal grounds, to make an inventory of the machines, which were the property of the major creditor of ABC GRAFIKA, ABC PRODUKT Company. In other words, the real intention of Commercial Court was not to protect the interests of the creditors of ABC GRAFIKA (provided that their bankruptcy was regularly determined in the first place), they wanted to destroy the mother company, ABC PRODUKT, and thereby the whole Business System. We lodged an appeal with Commercial Court, asking for protection of our interests the very institution that was trying to destroy us!

There was one episode that happened after the interim measure No P – 215/2000 was implemented on January 31, 2000 that should not be forgotten. The story goes like this: although all printing presses were

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inventoried, ABC PRODUKT continued to print all the daily and weekly newspapers we had printed before.

This situation, like many others, was not to Milena Arezin's liking. Her intention had been all this time to ban the use of the printing machines completely and to stop printing all the editions of ABC PRODUKT. Wrongly convinced that there must be some other printing company where we were doing the printing, Arezena was doing all in her power to discover that phantom printing company, ordering over and over again the bankruptcy manager, Dusan Abramovic to file charges based on which Court executors spent nights visiting different sections of ABC PRODUKT in Opovo (village near Belgrade), in Revolucija Boulevard in Belgrade, and elsewhere where we had business premises. To their great dismay, no printing machines were found, because there were none!

Banning of all GLAS JAVNOSTI Newspapers On the other hand, we knew that they were waiting for the ruling of the judge Vladimir Kozar upon our appeal regarding the interim measure brought against ABC GRAFIKA on January 31, 2000. But, there was surprise in store for Milena Arezina. The judge Vladimir Kozar ruled that the interim measure he had brought was valid and legal and rejected our objections. But in the Justification of his decree, printed in bold type, it said that interim measure did not mean prohibition of use of printing machines.

That one key sentence prevented Court executors and Milena Arezina to close down the printing company. This attitude of judge Vladimir Kozar, coupled with the fact that he could not renew interim measure against ABC PRODUKT because Senior Commercial Court had ruled that the previous interim measure against this company, and brought by this judge was invalid, had cost him dearly.

Transferred to Minor Cases

The ruling of Senior Commercial Court did not interest Milena Arezina, but judge Kozar was resolved not to give in to her pressuring, and refused to bring decree about interim measure, which Senior Court had ruled out.

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The result of this situation for ABC PRODUKT was as follows: the printing presses did not stop working, but another judge willing to bring new interim measure regarding the case No P – 1429/99, was found.

Dangerous Encounters

Judge Kozar got what was coming to him: he was ousted from Litigation Council and transferred to registrar section; he had to leave his judge's chambers and move into an office with other Court clerks. Court security guards were given orders that this judge had to pass through metal detector gate every time he entered the building. Other judges avoided being seen in his company because there was danger of their suffering consequences for being friendly with him. This state of affairs lasted till the end of Milena Arezina's stay in Commercial Court.

It should be noted that after October 5, 2000, judge Vladimir Kozar was given back his position in Litigation Council. On October 25, he abolished completely the interim measure he himself had ruled on January 31, 2000.

Night Assault in Opovo

Just after midnight on May 19, 2000, members of Financial Police from Pancevo and Novi Sad, accompanied by regular police from Belgrade and a judge of Belgrade Commercial Court, appeared outside our production unit in Opovo. The brother of the author of this serial, Milisav Rodic, lives in the vicinity of that unit. They asked him to open the premises, convinced that they had finally found the mysterious printing company, the figment of Arezina and YL's imagination. According to the testimony of Mr. Milisav Rodic, judge Biljan Lukic Slijepcevic insisted that Court executors open all the offices there, in their zest to find the printing company. However, local police and Court executor were not very keen in assisting, obviously illegal proceedings, so they stalled. Impatient Milena Arezina waited in Commercial Court till morning hours for them to return empty handed!

TOMORROW: CONDEMNING CONVICTION

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32) Condemning Verdict

Confiscation is the right word for what was being done at that moment (June 2000) on our premises

Whenever ABC PRODUKT appeared before a Belgrade court, although we represented foreign capital invested in the country, we were subjected, without fail, to "special treatment." Perhaps the most illustrative example of what I am talking about is the statement made by a judge (a woman), who, despite all the evidence in our favor had said that she would not do anything to protect foreign capital invested in her country because "she was a great patriot!" The same thing happened with all the other lawsuits and court decrees involving our Business System: there was always more ideology and passionate nationalism than law and order.

The newest example of legal insecurity propagated by court decisions was the latest ruling of Belgrade Commercial Court by which ABC PRODUCT was being expelled from their own premises. In order to carry this decision out, the Court has worked with remarkable speed, violating basic principles of Litigation Procedure, to abolish a series of contracts that have been signed at the beginning of the decade.

"Various events that happened during the work on this case are hard to explain. The way in which the Court conducted the case and their attitude to the parties involved in the case, raise the doubt that there is legal system existing in this country," it is said in the appeal ABC PRODUKT lodged against the Court ruling.

What was the Court ruling? By that ruling, Belgrade Commercial Court has determined that contracts which ABC PRODUCT had made with the former Public Company GLAS, to increase capital funds (add both foreign and domestic capital funds to the already existing capital funds of the public company in question), were no longer valid. We should remind our readers that ten years ago, Public Company GLAS, was on the verge of bankruptcy because of financial difficulties in which they found themselves. They had outdated technology, no work, no funds, and no future. At that moment, ABC PRODUKT offered them funds, equipment, programs for development, and other necessary support so that Printing

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Company GLAS would not go bankrupt. Contracts to that effect were signed at the beginning of the decade and registered with the Court, in accordance with the law. Based on those contracts, during the past ten years, large capital funds were invested in the Company – not only money, but equipment and programs as well. Ten years later, Belgrade Commercial Court ruled that all those contracts were invalid and abolished them. Based on the ruling, all rights that ABC PRODUKT had to former Public Company, GLAS, were revoked, and it was demanded that ABC PRODUKT and all its firms be expelled from their business premises. The Court did not even attempt to base their Justification on law, but on their doubt (unsubstantiated by evidence) as to the real capital funds invested in the past ten years. It actually said in the Justification that those were "bogus contracts," based on "minimal investments, provided that those investments were made at all."

It would have been best if the Court could have explained what has happened to Public Company GLAS that went bankrupt ten years ago and how it could continue to exist (first under the name of GLAS, and later as ABC GRAFIKA) had there not been any investments, let alone had those investments been bogus. How was it possible that Public Company GLAS managed to survive during last ten years, the worst ten years in Serbian economy, how did it manage to preserve its public capital funds in full, develop production, keep all its workers and make a break through in the market, thanks to the most up-to-date technology and programs? Maybe the Court thought that such results are obtained by waving a magic band. However, anyone who has ever managed to earn a single dinar, knows that there is no success in business without investment of capital and hard work.

Barefaced Robbery

What was the point of such condemning verdict against ABC PRODUKT? The point was to rob us of everything we had invested in rebuilding Public Company GLAS in the past ten years. Beside that, all the employees working in the company building in 8, Vlajkovic Street in Belgrade would be laid off: this is the building where the printing company is situated, where many popular and renowned newspapers are published, and where Editorial offices of GLAS JAVNOSTI are situated. Were the verdict of Commercial Court to be carried out, two tasks would have been fulfilled:

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robbery of foreign capital funds invested, and attempt at closing down several independent newspapers. Who needed that?

After several years of financial exhaustion to which ABC PRODUKT and its firms had been subjected, by means of countless fines, confiscation of their property and equipment, and avoiding to protectf ABC PRODUKT's interests as the major creditor, the last phase of destruction of the company began; the company that in the past decade had invested into Serbian economy substantial capital funds, both domestic and foreign, was on the verge of ruin.

Confiscation is the right word for what Commercial Court was trying to accomplish in 8, Vlajkovic Street at the time when, beside GLAS JAVNOSTI many other publications of different independent publishers were being printed there.

The Rope around our Neck Tightens

The newest action of Belgrade Commercial Court was their verdict by which, not only was a series of contracts regarding ABC PRODUKT's investments, signed during the past ten years abolished, but we were asked to leave the premises in 8, Vlajkovic Street, although we have been entered into the register as co-owners for years.

This request for vacating the premises was preceded by a series of Commercial Court actions that represented the "tightening of the rope around out neck." The Commercial Court inventoried all our printing equipment and pronounced it to be state property, despite all documentation proving that the equipment was paid for, imported and installed by ABC PRODUKT. This interim measure was implemented solely to "strip us naked" financially. The appeal lodged by our attorneys was not processed but kept apart; interventions of ABC PRODUKT attorneys were to no avail. Their action not only violated the law but was also meant to give the appearance of legality to an otherwise illegal proceeding.

On the other hand, the same Belgrade Commercial Court passed a verdict by which we were requested to vacate the premises of our business building. Together with the interim measure mentioned, it meant that the

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Court had ruled that all the employees be thrown out of their place of work without being allowed to continue working.

At that moment, bearing in mind previous behavior of the Court, there was no way of predicting when their intention would be implemented, so the workers lived in constant atmosphere of fear and uncertainty, not knowing when they would be laid off.

The behavior of Belgrade Commercial Court could not be explained in any other way than as bad intention, or error; whatever it was, the outcome was to be the same: ruin of the printing and publishing firms. Whether they had bad intentions, the future was to tell. As to the errors in judgment, that was obvious, as seen in the Justification of the above-mentioned verdict by which ABC PRODUKT was being expelled from their premises in 8, Vlajkovic Street.

Erroneous Judges

"Public Company NIGP GLAS, through merger, without any compensation, became part of the newly founded Company (ABC GLAS Joint Stock Company)..." it is said in the Justification of the verdict passed on April 20, and signed by the judge of Belgrade Commercial Court, Jasmina Stanojevic. The president of Belgrade Commercial Court, Milena Arezina stated the same thing in an interview for Belgrade daily POLITIKA, three months before: "Public Company GLAS transferred their property to the newly formed Company without any compensation." For Milena Arezina, there were no foreign or domestic capital funds invested. She did not want to recognize that.

Based on these errors in judgment, both the president of the Commercial Court, Milena Arezina, and the judge of the same Court, Jasmina Stanojevic drew identical conclusions: that public capital funds were transformed into private.

It is obvious that Belgrade Commercial Court tried to present themselves as protectors of public capital funds at the expense of foreign and domestic private capital funds, proving that the issue was not protection of law but protection of ideology. Cedomir Prostran, the president of Senior Commercial Court was faced with the same problem. Someone had to

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sanctify this new lawlessness. The solution was found quickly; the same group intervened: Uros Suvakovic, Ivica Dacic and Srdjan Smiljkovic.

The Court Registry has documents, which provide proof of the fact that ten years ago, public capital funds were brought into a newly founded Joint Stock Company (now called ABC GRAFIKA), together with private capital funds. That is the truth, all the rest are speculations. Public capital funds brought to the Joint Stock Company ten years ago have been preserved in total, which very few Public Companies, who had managed to survive during the past ten years, can boast of.

Perhaps, all the hardships to which ABC PRODUKT, its firms and employees had been subjected in the past ten years could have been avoided, had the judges of Belgrade Commercial Court been capable of finding out how bankrupt GLAS Public Company had managed to transform into ABC GRAFIKA Joint Stock Company.

These ambiguities could have been resolved in other, different ways, had the judges of Belgrade Commercial Court been able to find answers to two questions: what was the value of the bankrupt company, and how could a bankrupt company, through a merger with a joint stock company, preserve the value of its capital funds during a ten year period.

However, the question that should perhaps be asked is: whose interest was Belgrade Commercial Court protecting by ruining a publishing company and a printing company, as well as ABC PRODUKT Business System, and depriving their workers of employment?

TOMORROW: MACHINATIONS IN PAYMENT OPERATIONS SERVICE

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33) Machinations in Palilula Payment Operations Service

I was told that the fact that we were paying our debt to Republic of Serbia Internal Revenue Service would be of no significance, and that it was our affair. We parted on a more official note then during previous meetings.

Upon information received about the plan of action of Milena Arezina, I scheduled a meeting with Mr. Misa Sforcan, the director of Palilula Municipality Payment Operations Service, to see what we could do.

The director Sforcan, his deputy, Moma Perunicic and his team of expert received us in a professional manner. We had worked together for more than ten years. We informed him about pending interim measures and asked for their advice. He immediately asked his deputy, Perunicic to obtain the listing of our monetary transactions. The listing showed that our account with Payment Operations Service was blocked only because of the interim measures of the Commercial Court to the amount of 7 372 211, 11 dinars, which we couldn't touch. We also had obligation to the Serbian Internal Revenue Service to the amount of 3 959 213, 40 dinars, separate from the amount mentioned above. All this meant that ABC PRODUKT Company did not have outstanding debts it could not honor, but, on the contrary enough money to keep us in business. However that money was blocked by the interim measure pending the decree of the Commercial Court.

Misa Sforcan told us that in the thirty years of his practice, he had never come across a case where a firm was condemned to bankruptcy only because of interim measure, which forbade them the use of their funds. His associates confirmed his words. Interim measures are not Court decrees, they are just measures to protect a certain property from being disposed of until the final decree has been ruled. Therefore, interim measures do not provide any legal grounds for bankruptcy proceedings being implemented. We thanked Misa Sforcan and his associates and scheduled the second meeting for the following day. On June 16, 2000, we came once again to see Misa Sforcan. The first thing that we noticed was the change of atmosphere. They did not explain why, all of a sudden, they had become reserved towards us. However, when they said that they could not help us,

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I realized that they had been subjected to very strong political pressure, and that something crucial had happened in the past 24 hours.

We told them that we would pay the total amount of 3 959 213,40 dinars, owed to Serbian Internal Revenue Service that very day, and that on the following Monday, June 19, 2000, we would ask them to issue us the official document stating the financial situation of our Company's account. I was told that the fact that we were paying our dept to Republican Internal Revenue Service would be of no significance, and that it was our affair. We parted on a more official note then during previous meetings.

ABC PRODUKT's influx was such that we could fulfill our real obligation which was 60 947,88 dinars without any problems. However, Moma Preuncic, Sforcan's deputy in Payment Operations Service explained that we had to fulfill our obligation as per interim measure first. We demanded that they give us an official document proving that we had paid taxes we owed and that ABC PRODUKT was solvent, but Moma Peruncic refused to issue such a document, so we left. At that moment we were not aware that Moma Peruncic had issued certificate as to our financial standing on June 17, 2000, on previous Saturday, together with demand that bankruptcy proceedings be started in our firm. It was only during the hearing on pre-bankruptcy proceedings that we found out what he had done. He did not wait to obtain the real situation about our financial standing, but on the sixtieth day after ABC PRODUKT's account had become blocked, he submitted a request to the Court that bankruptcy proceedings be started without realizing that we had fulfilled our obligation towards Serbian Internal Revenue Service in the meantime, although that was the reason why our account was blocked in the first place. The document he had issued on Saturday, June 17, 2000, was therefore false, but since political pressures were at play, it was proof enough for the Court to start pre-bankruptcy proceedings. It was proven later that all the troubles ABC PRODUKT was to have in future began with that one false document.

On Monday, June 19, 2000 we met again with Moma Peruncic and asked him to postpone sending the document about our financial standing to the Court for a few days. However, Peruncic had already sent it, exactly sixty days after our account had been blocked, although it was Saturday and his Department was not working. As a conscientious executor, Perucic had

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done that, most probably as ordered by their party and with full knowledge and approval of his boss, Misa Sforcan.

All future difficulties of ABC PRODUKT regarding pre-bankruptcy and bankruptcy proceedings began with issuing that false document. Illegal activities of Belgrade Commercial Court instigated by its president, Milena Arezina, against ABC PRODUKT were now in full swing.

It had long ago become quite clear to me that rulers of this country had decided to ruin my Company.

I only feared for the lives of my family and my own.

I only wondered how long it would take before it came to that.

The decree of Commercial Court implementing bankruptcy proceedings in ABC GRAFIKA, although absolutely illegal, did not discourage me. I knew that authorities were against the Company whose president I was, and against me personally, I knew that. But I also knew that I had to fight, I had to see how and when that lawlessness would end.

The storming of our premises by bankruptcy manager, Dusan Abramovic, accompanied by private YL police and uniformed police from Stari Grad police station on January 31, 2000, and who brought with him interim measure decree, as a result of which property of ABC PRODUKT was inventoried and we were forbidden to use our machines, was proof enough of the lawlessness.

Commercial Court found it necessary, without any legal grounds, to inventory the machinery, which was the property of the major creditor of ABC GRAFIKA, ABC PRODUKT, thereby showing plainly that their true intention was the ruin of ABC PRODUKT Company. Had everything they had done been according to the law, their primary interest would have been to protect the interest of the major creditor of the bankrupt company, instead of trying to ruin it without any dissimulation, with the help of a political party.

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New Meeting with Rade Markovic

On June 19, 2000, at 10 am I had a new meeting with the chief of Serbian State Security Service, Rade Markovic.

The reason for this meeting was the situation in which we found ourselves: constant pressures and unbelievable threats to which we were subjected by all state institutions in which the leading positions were held by YL members.

On that occasion Rade Markovic told me: "You must realize that I, personally, and my Service have nothing against you. You are of no interest to us. You should feel happy for that. Your problems are connected with politics and politicians. That is something in which I cannot and don't want to get involved."

I replied: "Could you put me in touch with the Minister (of Interior), Vlajko Stojiljkovic?"

General Markovic said that their staff meeting was scheduled for the following day and that he would apprise Stojiljkovic of my case. He said that he thought that Minister Stojiljkovic would receive me. He gave me his telephone number and urged me to call the Minister without fail.

I did that as soon as I was back in my office, but to no avail. I spoke with one of Stojiljkovic's secretaries, but she kept putting me off and telling me to call his personal secretary.

The Letter to the Minister

Finally I sat down and wrote a short letter to Minister Stojiljkovic, asking him to receive me. I had one of our men take it to the Ministry in person.

I was aware of the fact that the rope was tightening around our necks more and more, since express hearing regarding implementation of bankruptcy proceedings in ABC PRODUKT was scheduled for June 27, 2000, only seven days after Moma Peruncic, in the name of Payment Operations Service, had sent a false document requesting determination of conditions

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for implementation of bankruptcy proceedings. I realized that it was going to be a rigged trial.

We Wanted Clear Situation On June 19, 2000, we went to Payment Operations Service again, to Misa Sforcan, and asked him to issue a document showing the state of our account (which every business has to keep with Payment Operations Service). Since we had paid our debt to Internal Revenue on June 16, 2000, we had no outstanding debts. Commercial Court blocked the rest of our means until the final decree was reached. Therefore, on June 17, 2000 we had 7 372 211. 11 dinars on our account, out of which:

- 1 349 441.13 dinars were blocked as per interim measure No. 1552/2000, issued on May 31,

- 197 636.60 were blocked as per interim measure No. 2264/2000, issued on June 8, 2000,

- 5 764 185.50 dinars were blocked as per interim measure No. 1728/2000, issued on June 15, 2000,

The total sum of money that was blocked on our account was 7 311 263.23 dinars.

- Other court charges and commission owed to Payment Operations Service totaled 60 947.88 dinars.

TOMORROW: YL ASSAULT TROOPS DON'T GIVE UP EASILY

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34) YL Assault Troops Don't Give up Easily

Despite everything said and done, Yugoslav Left cannot take everything under their control, said the then Serbian Deputy Prime Minister, Vojislav Seselj

I didn't know how to get out of this situation. I took under consideration all possible ways of stopping that lawlessness, instigated by Milena Arezina and YL assault troops who were prepared to do anything to ruin ABC PRODUKT and its firms.

Bearing in mind that political pressure had been exercised on Payment Operations Service and that the Interior Minister, Vlajko Stojiljkovic was not willing to receive me, I called the president of Serbian Radical Party, Vojislav Seselj, who was at that time Serbian Deputy Prime Minister, and asked him to see me.

Meeting with Vojislav Seselj again

Seselj scheduled the meeting for the following day, Thursday, June 22, 2000 for 12.30. We were to meet on the premises of Serbian Radical Party in Zemun. Our driver took me to Zemun. When I entered the office of Vojislav Seselj, I saw Aleklsandar Vucic, the Minister of Information, Maja Gojkovic and Toma Nikolic there.

Seselj asked me: "What is the matter, Rodic?"

I replied: "The same thing I was telling you about last autumn: your coalition partners are resolved to ruin ABC PRODUKT condemning it to illegal bankruptcy. That is why I came to you, to inform you about what your coalitions partners are doing; after all you are the Deputy Prime Minister of Serbia. I am glad to see Mr. Vucic here, him being the Minister of Information, the Ministry that deals with these matters."

I told him the whole story, all the machinations of Milena Arezina and her party colleagues from YL, who did everything in their power to bring ABC PRODUKT to bankruptcy, thereby enabling Srdjan Smiljkovic to take over

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GLAS JAVNOSTI newspaper and the Printing Company without any compensation.

Seselj heard me out, then he said: "It is good that you have told me this. That is too much! YL cannot take everything under their control. We are just about to have a meeting with them. Vucic and I would see what is happening and how far they have gone. Anyway, we won't let them take whatever they like. I cannot tell you anything definite now. Come here tomorrow at the same time. I'll have some answers, because I am going to contact all the leading men both in YL and SPS."

At our parting he reminded me: "Despite everything said here, you should know that our party has adopted the program for ruining your newspaper, you should know that..." He gave me one of their brochures entitled "Serbian Free Thought" and another one where all he had told me was printed. In the end he repeated once again that despite everything, YL could not take everything under their control.

Dacic Plays the Role of Chief Prosecutor

The following day, Friday, June 23, at 12.30 as I was driving to our meeting, Seselj called me over the mobile phone to tell me that he had an urgent meeting of the Cabinet but that Vucic would see me and tell me what had happened. Seselj had given him the instructions.

The next day around 9.30, General Branko Djuric called me to tell me that he had set up a meeting for me with Ivica Dacic for 2 pm in SPS Headquarters.

I didn't know where their premises were, so he explained that they were situated in the building of the former City Committee of Communist Party of Belgrade.

At 2 o'clock I entered the office of Ivica Dacic. His chief of staff met me. I found out later that that man's name was Premovic.

Ivica Dacic came out to meet me. When we entered his office I could not help but notice that it was a lot like the office of the director of GLAS

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JAVNOST, Slavoljub Kacarevic: his desk was covered with papers, but it was apparent that despite all that he was well organized.

Our conversation began by his asking me whether we were really interested in selling the newspaper, as it was announced in GLAS JAVNOSTI the previous day.

I replied that we were selling only some of our stock in order to obtain additional capital, so as to stabilize financial situation in the newspaper and the printing company, because we were brought to the brink of ruin by fines we had been paying during the previous year.

Milosevic Would be informed about everything

He said that his party was considering buying not only the newspaper but the printing company as well.

"Is that possible?" he wanted to know.

"There is no problem, everything is for sale provided we agree on the price."

"Do you have any debts? Do you have any outstanding obligations towards state institutions and if you have, how much do you owe?"

"I don't think so, but let me check with my firm."

At that moment Dacic called his secretary and told her to call Andrija Milutinovic, Belgrade District Prosecutor and Voja Stojakovic, the Commissioner of Financial Police.

I took his action to be demonstration of power on Dacic's side. He wanted to show me who was in charge – who realy controlled both the District Prosecutor and Commissioner of Financial Police.

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Aleksandar Vucic: When we make a deal with YL, we would let you know

I talked with Vucic. He told me that they were in constant contact with both YL and SPS. Negotiations were underway, but I must understand that such matters could not be resolved in one day. They have begun discussions and a solution would be found. YL had no right to behave in the way they did. As soon as a deal was struck with their coalition partners, they would let me know.

We parted with his promise that he would let me know, as soon as he had more information.

TOMORROW: HAJJI DRAGAN ANTIC: I AM VLAJKO STOJILJKOVIC TO YOU

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35) Hajji Dragan Antic: I am Vlajko Stojiljkovic to you

You must talk with me. I am authorized by Vlajko; actually, for you I am Vlajko, don't forget that! Where did you get the idea that you could talk with Vlajko, that you could talk with the Minister, you talk with a Minister?!

After speaking with my people, I told Dacic that we had no outstanding debts towards state institutions.

Dacic had gone to his secretary in the meantime. When he returned, he asked me what would be the fair price for the newspaper and the printing company, because the deal included both firms.

I replied that it would require time to determine the value of the firms and that I would send it to him in writing. However, he told me: "You should take this conversation very seriously, because the president Slobodan Milosevic will be informed about everything that was said here. Keep that in mind..."

I thanked him on that information. At that moment I was reminded of the verdict that was handed down to me in Smederevo in 1979, not because there had been any guilt on my part, but because of ideology and because of the direct order of Dragoslav-Draza Markovic, a powerful political figure at that time. The verdict said: "According to the Public Prosecutor's opinion, Radisav Rodic is sentenced to three years and three months imprisonment for working in the capacity of a manager, in such a way and to such an extent that he was able to obtain financial gain to such an amount, that it is not in accordance with either the effort invested or his level of education."

Back in 1979, I paid all the taxes on my income, only to have that verdict annulled in 1988 when the political climate in Serbia changed.

However, all that had nothing to do with the present reality: with political persecution, with torture and terrorizing to which my firm and myself were subjected.

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I suggested to Ivica Dacic that I write down all that we had talked about and give it to him. He accepted my suggestion, but insisted that I hand it to him the following day.

The next day, Saturday, was the funeral of my friend's son. I interrupted my writing to go to the funeral. When I returned from the funeral, I finished the offer that Ivica Dacic requested. During that day, his chief of staff, Premovic, had called me several times, inquiring when the offer would be finishes and when I would be able to send it to them. I finished it about 4 pm and called Premovic. He told me to bring it to the parking lot of Pionirski Grad in Kosutnjak. My eldest son drove me there and I handed the envelope to Premovic. He told me that I would be informed very soon about what was to be done.

Vlajko authorizes hajji Dragan Antic to be his deputy

June 26, 2000 was the day preceding the hearing on pre-bankruptcy proceedings against ABC PRODUKT, the parent company, before Belgrade Commercial Court. I called Vojislav Seselj to ask him whether he had any information regarding the outcome of the hearing. He replied that he was busy but would tell Vucic to inform me.

Several hours later, it was already afternoon, Vucic called me back and informed me that no bankruptcy proceedings would be started in ABC PRODUKT the next day. I thanked him for the information.

I spent the better part of that day trying to get in contact with Serbian Interior Minister, Vlajko Stojiljkovic. I needed to know why those things were happening to me.

It was to no avail. Finally, I was told that Minister Stojiljkovic had authorized hajji Dragan Antic to talk with me. I was to call hajji Dragan Antic at Stojiljkovic's request.

I called hajji Dragan Antic and we set up a meeting.

I was at my wits end. The day when the destiny of ABC PRODUKT was to be decided was drawing near. Bearing in mind all the events connected

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with ABC GRAFIKA, all the lawlessness and arrogance of Milena Arezina, I was in fear of what the next day would bring me.

On June 27, 2000, hajji Dragan Antic called me and asked me to come to him at 6 pm. When I entered his office he asked me straight away: "Well, well, what have I been telling you? Why didn't you listen to me? How do you expect me to help you, when you won't listen to me? I keep telling you that you have to do what I tell you! But, no, you do what you like and when you get into trouble you whine! Why do you want to talk with Vlajko? You must talk with me. I am authorized by Vlajko; actually, to you, I am Vlajko, don't forget that! Where did you get the idea that you could talk with Vlajko, that you could talk with the Minister, you talk with a Minister?!

I could not but feel hajji Dragan Antic's animosity towards GLAS JAVNOSTI and myself, since he could hardly contain it. It was especially apparent after he continued:

You have public enemies in your employment

"Raja, what are you trying to do? You want a Minister to see you while you have in your employ every renegade and traitor, every journalistic trash that could be found in Belgrade. You protect them, while they make an enemy newspaper, a fascist newspaper, and then you come running to us for help. Do you think that we are all crazy? Do you realize that you should be happy that you are still alive? Who knows how long you would remain alive. You are a public enemy; do you know that? Your newspaper is an enemy newspaper, and still you dare ask to be received by a Minister!"

I listened to this monologue unable to believe what was being said to me. I couldn't believe that that was the way to treat an owner of a prestigious newspaper, despite the fact that I was not politically engaged in any way. I couldn't think of a single country where someone who was acting on the authority of an Interior Minister could subject a newspaper owner to such a tirade.

Finally I told Antic that I thought it quite normal to ask to see Minister Stojiljkovic whom I had know way back when he was the president of

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Belgrade Chamber of Commerce and Industry. I said that I saw no reason why he should be at such pains to avoid seeing me. However, if he didn't want to meet with me, I accepted that.

Hajji Dragan Antic changed the tune after that and said that he would meet with some people who were more powerful than Minister Stojiljkovic and find out what it was that they wanted from me, and then inform me, adding that we should henceforth be in daily contact.

In the end, he asked me whether I knew that bankruptcy proceedings were not started in ABC PRODUKT. I replied that I didn't know. After that we parted.

Our attorneys informed me on that day that bankruptcy proceedings were not implemented in ABC PRODUKT, and that the hearing regarding that matter has been postponed for a fortnight, which was unusual for that kind of litigation. The usual postponement was between one and three months. Two days later, we were told that the new hearing was scheduled, not for a fortnight but for seven days, for July 4, 2000 without any explanation or justification.

I called Dacic to see what it was all about.

TOMORROW: "UDARNIK" BEARS THE BRUNT OF THE OMNIPOTENT

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36) "Udarnik" bears the brunt of the omnipotent

Some ten years ago, Belgrade Commercial Court refused the request of ABC PRODUKT for sanctioning the breaking up of their merger with Public Company UDARNIK (because of enormous concealed debts). Four years ago, the same Court decided to annul that same merger, although, in the meantime several million of foreign capital funds were invested in that company

The story about the foreign investment into former Public Company, UDARNIK, trough ABC PRODUKT, is the story about fraud orchestrated by the authorities. Some ten years ago, UDARNIK Public Company published a Tender asking for a partner to whom they could sell their complete property with a proviso that their employees remain in the employment. ABC PRODUKT was one of the companies that sent their offer for the purchase of UDARNIK. After the first few tentative meetings, the Management of the Public Company demanded, as a gesture of good will, that we transferred them money for some immediate expenses, such as payment of several months' outstanding wages for nearly two hundred workers, bills for telephones, electricity, registration of vehicles, diesel fuel for the vehicles, spare parts for their derelict motor pool. ABC PRODUKT as representative of foreign capital funds obtained the necessary money; in the meantime the process of assessing the offer for merger was underway. According to the procedure stipulated by the law, a referendum on merger of UDARNIK and ABC PRODUKT was organized. More then 90% of the employees voted for the merger. Since the merging procedure was taking a long time (it was the first of such arrangements in accordance with the then newly adopted Law on Companies), UDARNIK Public Company needed more money for wages and other expenses, since they were losing money all the time. ABC PRODUKT kept supplying them with more and more loans. After months of procedures, finally the merger of UDARNIK Public Company and ABC PRODUKT was registered with the Court. Immediately after the registration, ABC PRODUKT received a decree of Belgrade Commercial Court on bankruptcy proceedings that were started in UDARNIK Public Company. Since, through merger, ABC PRODUCT had become a legal successor of the Public Company, it became responsible for their concealed debts as well.

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Court refuses separation upon ABC PRODUKT's request

When creditors of UDARNIK Public Company found out that they have merged with ABC PRODUKT (who obviously had money), they hurried to demand payment of debts through the Court. Since these debts were concealed from ABC PRODUKT before the merger, ABC PRODUKT demanded from Belgrade Commercial Court annulment of merger of UDARNIK Public Company and ABC PRODUKT. However, at that time (it was the beginning of 1991) Belgrade Commercial Court refused to annul the merger with enormously indebted UDARNIK Public Company with explanation that such validation was not provided for by the law.

In this way, by Court decree, ABC PRODUKT was forced to continue paying all obligations of the former UDARNIK Public Company, which were made before the merger with ABC PRODUKT. Since ABC PRODUKT managed to fulfill all obligations of UDARNIK, bankruptcy proceedings against the former public company were revoked. ABC PRODUKT decided to form a new transport and transfer company, using the remaining capital of the Public Company and new capital, which ABC PRODUKT was to provide. The new company took over all the employees of the former Public Company; it was registered in the Court Registry of Belgrade Commercial Court and began working without any outstanding debts.

Using Program for revitalization, new company managed to obtain capital for complete repair and servicing of the equipment of the former Public Company, since their motor pool was almost totally ruined. Beside that, the new company, backed by foreign investors, submited a request to the Federal Ministry of Foreign Economic Relations for a permit to import necessary transport vehicles. In that way, in 1991, foreign investment to the amount of nearly five million dollars was obtained and until sanctions were implemented against Yugoslavia, nearly 200 transport and construction vehicles and machines have been imported. Further imports were brought to a close by UN sanctions against Yugoslavia.

At the same time that the new company was repairing their old vehicles and machines and importing new ones, the Yugoslav market was disrupted by implementations of UN sanctions. All business came to a stop. Most of the workers from the transport company were left without work, so new

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reorganization was made and workers were transferred to other firms of ABC PRODUKT Business System, including ABC PRODUKT. Although the average age of the workers was over fifty, although most of them were invalids and their working skills poor, no one was dismissed as redundant. ABC PRODUKT decided to honor their original contract with the workers and to keep them all, although younger and better skilled workers would have been more productive.

However, among the worker there were those who could not adapt to the new way work process had been organized and carried out. Several workers were caught in attempted stealing or actually while stealing. They were dismissed. The same thing happened to the director of the newly-founded company: it was discovered that he had been selling old vehicles of the transport company without authorization or without proper auctioning, causing large financial loss to the company so that criminal charges had to be brought against him.

Three years after the merger of UDARNIK Public Company and ABC PRODUKT, the group of workers who had been dismissed for stealing, with the help of their former director, filed a demand to the Court for the merger to be annulled.

Verdict after six years

The Commercial Court refuted this demand twice as groundless, but each time the Senior Commercial Court returned it to them for revision. The judge in charge of the case at that time was forced to request to be excused from the case because it was legally impossible to do what was expected of him. The new judge (during the third trial regarding the same matter) ruled in favor of the group of former workers of the public company, without determining whether they were working for the company at the time they filed demand for annulment. Still greater injustice was that the judge in Justification of his ruling quoted the Law that had not existed (and therefore could not be applied) at the time of the merger. The Court simply disregarded the fact that during the past five years (1991 – 1996), ABC PRODUKT had invested large amounts of money in revitalization of the bankrupt UDARNIK Public Company, in payment of concealed debts and in buying new equipment to the amount that represented ¾ of the value of the Public Company.

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The ruling of the Court, by which the merger of UDARNIK and ABC PRODUKT was annulled, enabled UDARNIK Public Company to be registered with the Court once again. All our appeals against the ruling were to no avail. This group of former workers of the Public Company registered UDARNIK Public Company at Commercial Court Registry Office. However, Commercial Court with the help of Milena Arezina, instigated by YL, and using a convenient legal loophole, first erased the registration and then enabled the group of workers dismissed for stealing nearly ten years before, to register themselves as UDARNIK Public Company. Milena Arezina instructs them how to do that: they counterfeit the company seal and they formed pretence Management. In that way some ten of them, none of whom were employed by UDARNIK, became legal representatives of that company, instead of 116 former workers of UDARNIK who had worked hard all those years as part of ABC PRODUKT Joint Stock Company.

Parallel to this lawsuit, in 1999, the same group of workers sued ABC PRODUKT for the return of UDARNIK property. This lawsuit was conducted in the same way as all the others against ABC PRODUKT: charges consisted of the demand that interim measure be implemented in ABC PRODUKT only, while as to evidence, it was was practically non-existent. The Court ruled immediate implementation of the interim measure, adding that the appeal would not postpone implementation of the measure. The accused were not given the chance to defend themselves or give evidence in any way. Beside that, the accused were not allowed to see documents, which constituted charges and evidence against them, a procedure allowed by the law; the documents had vanished – they were neither in the Registration Office, nor in the typing pool, nor in the Forwarding Office. Although this lawsuit was about a large sum of money – several million dollars – the interim measure was implemented in ABC PRODUKT forcing them to hand over their property to a group of former workers of UDARNIK without them even having had to pay the Court tax.

Judge Rules without documents

There was no end to absurdities. According to Court verdict, UDARNIK Public Company had to be restored to its previous status, which meant a company with derelict motor pool, with months of unpaid wages and on

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the verge of bankruptcy due to numerous other debts. This also meant that all the employed would have to be dismissed from work. For over a year, it was impossible to see registration documents of the companies involved in this lawsuit, although such documents are public property. Even at the final hearing, held on December 9, 1999, THE JUDGE DID NOT HAVE BEFORE HIM DOCUMENTS REGARDING THE CASE HE WAS JUDGING. This lawsuit presents a notorious precedent in our jurisdiction. A whole series of (secret) interim measures and Court decrees without proper evidence or any legal grounds, were nothing but barefaced robbery of the property of ABC PRODUKT, of everything they had invested in the past decade into bankrupt Public Company, UDARNIK to save them from bankruptcy and give work to their employees.

TOMORROW: DOSSIER OF LEGAL ABSURDITIES

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37) Dossier of Legal Absurdities

There have been so many absurdities regarding our cases that a whole book could have been written only about them

Merger, and ten years later annulment of merger between ABC PRODUKT and former Public Company, UDARNIK, represented robbery and destruction of everything that ever belonged to the Public Company and what ABC PRODUKT and its firm, RONACO SYSTEMS, from Delaware, USA, had invested in the meantime. Evidence of that is voluminous court documentation, which we had gathered during the past ten years – evidence of legal insecurity in Serbia in general, and discrimination of ABC PRODUKT Business System in particular, by Belgrade Commercial Court.

Ten years ago, at the time of merger of UDARNIK Public Company and ABC PRODUKT, it was revealed that UDARNIK had concealed enormous debts, which were preventing them from conducting their business. ABC PRODUKT appealed to Belgrade Commercial Court on February 22, 1991 (decree Fi – 15023) asking for the annulment of the merger. However, Commercial Court denied our request for annulment by their decrees No. 15022/90 and 15023/90.

In that way, ABC PRODUKT, as legal successor, was forced to fulfill UDARNIK obligations created before the merger under threat of forced payment. Forced to accept financial obligations of UDARNIK, ABC PRODUKT informed Belgrade Commercial Court about the measures they had undertaken, so that the Court revoked bankruptcy proceedings (No. ST 156/91) started in UDARNIK.

Investments Continue

Beside numerous loans which ABC PRODUKT obtained for UDARNIK Public Company before the merger – for payment of outstanding debt owed to workers in wages, as well as many other debts – real investments began after the merger. In order to revitalize the bankrupt Public Company, whose vehicles had to be repaired and registered and at the same time,

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foreign capital had to be invested into buying new transport vehicles and construction machinery, ABC PRODUKT managed to obtain a permit from Ministry of Foreign Economic Relations, No. 284/1, and dated February 11, 1992 for import of transport vehicles, based on foreign investment into a Yugoslav company, worth over seven million dollars.

Until UN implemented sanctions against Yugoslavia, three months later, ABC PRODUKT had managed to import some 200 transport and other necessary vehicles and equipment. Further imports were then stopped.

Workers and Frauds

The Yugoslav market was disrupted by implementations of UN sanctions. All business came to a stop. Most of the workers from the transport company had no work, so new reorganization was made and workers were transferred to other firms of ABC PRODUKT Business System, as well as to ABC PRODUKT. Although the average age of the workers was over fifty, although most of them were invalids and their working skills poor, no one was dismissed. ABC PRODUKT had decided to honor their original contract with the workers and to keep them all, although younger and better skilled workers would have been more productive.

However, during the first few years (1991-1994), it became obvious that among the workers of the former UDARNIK Public Company, there were those who had police files; some were caught stealing or during attempts to steal. Disciplinary measures were undertaken against those men and some of them had to be dismissed for serious violation of their duty (stealing of fuel, spare parts, and scraped vehicles). The director of the newly-founded company was discovered to have been selling scraped vehicles of the transport company without authorization or without proper auctioning, causing large financial loss to the company so that criminal charges were brought against him (No. 96, filed on June 24, 1995). Until today, he has not been arrested.

Three years after the merger, a group of workers filed charges demanding the annulment of the merger between UDARNIK Public Company and ABC PRODUKT. The Commercial Court refuted this demand twice as groundless (decrees J-P-3260/94 and H-P-7700/94), but each time the Senior Commercial Court, presided at that time by Jezdimir Mitrovic (who

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played an important role in investment of foreign capital into paper factory in Stragari, near the town of Kragujevac through ABC PRODUKT), returned it to them for revision (decrees Pz-2-601/94 and Pz-695/95). The judge in charge of the case at that time was forced to request to be excused from the case because it was legally impossible to do what was expected of him.

The new judge, Tomislav Gazevic, who played an interesting role in investment of foreign capital into GLAS Public Company through ABC PRODUKT, ruled in favor of the group of former workers of the public company (decree P No.-6101/95-94) after a three-year long trial. With his ruling he had annulled the merger and also all the investments ABC PRODUKT had made into UDARNIK Public Company.

This judge ruled in favor of a group of the alleged workers of UDARNIK Public Company, without determining whether they were working for the company at the time they had filed the demand for annulment (which they were not). The greatest absurdity was the Justification, in which the judge wrote, explaining his ruling, in which he said that the reason for the annulment was the merger of a public and a private company, only to contradict himself later on when he states that the merger was between UDARNIK Public Company and ABC PRODUKT Joint Venture Company (registered in Commercial Court under the number I-3420-00).

It meant that the judge thought that the merger would have been legal had ABC PRODUKT been a Joint Venture Company, overlooking the fact that he himself had found out and written down that ABC PRODUKT was a Joint Venture Company!?.

His Justification had no legal standing because there is no law forbidding merger of public company and private company regardless of the fact whether the private company is a joint venture company or not. According to Law on Companies, article 2, paragraph 5 it is said that all companies, be they public, private or joint venture, are equal as to their status before the law. Still greater absurdity was that the judge in Justification of his ruling stated that a company could transform its ownership only in accordance with Law on transformation of public ownership into other forms of ownership. The Law in question had not existed (and therefore could not be applied) at the

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time of merger. The registration of the merger had begun on December 5, 1990 and was concluded on February 15, 1991, while the Law in question was adopted seven months later and published in Republic of Serbia's Official Courier on August 5, 1991. Had this Law existed at the time of the merger, it would not have impeded merging of the two companies. On the contrary, in article 34a, paragraph 22, it is said that companies that have changed their status since January 1, 1990, are to determine the value of the capital of each and every party in the deal...about which they are to inform the Agency for estimation of the value of the public capital, and if the Agency were to discover any fallacy which could not be righted in the time given by the Agency, the further procedure would be undertaken by the Agency. The Agency would bring the decree regarding the matter. In other words, only Agency for estimation of the value of the public capital could, according to Law (article 34a, paragraph 3), start proceedings before Commercial Court for annulment of registration of a company, in case they determined that interest of the public capital has been violated. Workers could not bring charges against a company; they could only initiate proceedings before the Agency and then the Agency could eventually bring charges.

ABC PRODUKT acted in accordance with the law and submitted estimated value of the public capital of UDARNIK to the Agency on the day of the merger (No. 124, dated February 15, 1991). Another absurdity of the judge, Gazevic, was his conclusion that by merging, the public ownership of UDARNIK Public Company had disappeared, even though it was recorded with Republic of Serbia Agency for evaluation of the public capital. ABC PRODUKT lodged an appeal against such illegal ruling with Senior Commercial Court (No. P 6101/95-94). However, the presiding judge was once again Jezdimir Mitrovic who refuted our appeal for no known reasons. This Court confirmed the ruling of Commercial Court as valid, by their decree Pz 3814/96, stating completely different reasons for their verdict from those stated in the verdict of Commercial Court, even changing facts without any justification.

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No Justice in Senior Commercial Court

Senior Commercial Court did not react to the appeal of ABC PRODUKT against the ruling of Commercial Court, who have allegedly determined that during the controversial merger:

- Public company had merged with a private company before previously transforming from private into a joint venture company

- During the merger, articles of the Law regarding conditions and procedure of transformation of public ownership into other forms of ownership, was violated

- The Law does not provide for the possibility of merger between a public and a private company, and

- Public ownership disappeared through this controversial merger.

In their appeal, ABC PRODUKT proved clearly:

- That at the time of the merger, they were already a joint venture company, as proven by registration document, No. Fi-4902, dated November 2, 1989

- That no law forbids merging of public and private companies let alone a merger with a joint venture company

- That Law on conditions and procedure of transforming public ownership into other forms of ownership, on which Belgrade Commercial Court based their ruling, did not exist at the time of the merger

- That by merging, public ownership did not disappear as stated by Commercial Court, but had been enlarged in the meantime and still has the status of public capital within the joint venture company, ABC PRODUKT.

ABC PRODUKT in their appeal also added that possible annulment of the merger could demand only Agency for estimation of public capital, not the plaintiff (a group of "workers" in the case at hand).

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The Senior Commercial Court did not mention any of the points we enumerated in our appeal. Quite to the contrary, they changed facts already determined by Commercial Court.

Daughter companies destroy the parent company

By abusing the office of the judge, Milena Arezina was trying to cause daughter companies to destroy the parent company. UDARNIK Public Company and ABC GRAFIKA that were proclaimed bankrupt were to serve as means of destroying ABC PRODUKT. Bankruptcy Managers' and judges' counterfeited requests against parent company, Arezina sanctified by Court decrees, and ABC PRODUKT was brought to the brink of bankruptcy. Unbelievable things were done: a judge was forced to hold a hearing without having necessary documents regarding the matter at hand before him. That incident was in fact irrelevant, because the verdict had been passed long before that hearing. Another such incident was when, based on the demand of UDARNIK Public Company, and because, obviously, no judge was willing to hand down the necessary verdict, Milena Arezina signed herself the interim measure by which 160 million dinars (more than 5 million German marks) were confiscated from ABC PRODUKT, without any legal grounds, for the sole purpose of pushing the company into bankruptcy as quickly as possible.

TOMORROW: LEGAL INSTRUCTION DOES NOT INSTRUCT

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38) Legal Instruction does not Instruct

Another suit typical of Belgrade Commercial Court at the time of Milena Arezina's Rule in Commercial Court

The revision of verdicts mentioned, which ABC PRODUKT demanded of Supreme Court of Serbia was denied by their decree Prev. 654/96, so that the annulment of the merger became final. Thereby, legal frame for registration of UDARNIK Public Company before Belgrade Commercial Court was created.

Rebirth of UDARNIK Public Company

The decree of Belgrade Commercial Court (Fi No. 2028/99, dated March 12, 1999) enabled 116 former workers of UDARNIK, now employed by ABC PRODUKT, and lead by their former director, to register UDARNIK Public Company in Court Register. However, the president of Belgrade Commercial Court, Milena Arezina interfered once again. She erased this legal registration and selected a group of workers (less than ten of them), who had filed charges for annulment of the merger, as legal representatives of UDARNIK Public Company. By means of a forged company seal, they were pronounced legal representatives of UDARNIK Public Company; they quickly dismissed their director and appoint one of Arezina's men in his place, under the aegis of Belgrade Commercial Court and its president, Milena Arezina. The Court did not bother with the fact that some of those dozen men had long before been fires from their jobs, others had retired, while some had never even worked in the company. Using euphemism "dissatisfied workers," Belgrade Commercial Court openly sided with them. The previous registration was erased and new entered into the Court Register, naming Mihajlo Pleskonic as the new director of UDARNIK Public Company. That registration turned 116 workers of UDARNIK Public Company into second-rate citizens for Commercial Court, unlike the informal group of men they called "dissatisfied workers."

At the same time another lawsuit for the return of property of UDARNIK was being conducted before Commercial Court, following charges brought against Joint Venture Company, ABC PRODUKT. In this case, the method

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used by Belgrade Commercial Court was typical of their modus operandi during Milena Arezina's presidency: the plaintiff would file charges and suggest that interim measure be brought. There was usually no evidence to substantiate the charges. Disregarding these legal impediments, one of the judges who were YL and Arezina's adherents, would pass the interim measure with a proviso that an appeal would not prevent implementation. The decree on interim measure would momentarily be implemented. The absurdity of the situation was that at the moment the defendant realized that he was being charged, the interim measure had already been brought. In this way, the defendant had no chance to say anything in his defense before the court.

However, that was not all Arezina did. When the defendant managed to find out that charges were brought against him and tried to see the document (to which he is entitled by the law), the document could not be found. It was usually held by the president of the Court or by someone else, but inaccessible to the defendant. Often, defendants had to lodge their appeals to the Court without knowing what it was that the prosecutor had submitted to the Court. This happened with our case P No. 1429/99. The judge, Vladimir Kozar followed Arezina's instructions in conducting the case (for which he repented later), and ruled in favor of alleged plaintiffs, for the sole purpose of causing financial damage to ABC PRODUKT. Although the sum of money in question was several million dollars, the interim measure was brought: ABC PRODUKT was ordered to hand over their property to a group of "dissatisfied workers," which was actually what they demanded when they brought charges. They obtained what they wanted and avoided a long legal battle. They even failed to pay Court tax.

Forged Company Seal

Another contribution to this tale of absurdities of Belgrade Commercial Court was the situation in which Judge Kozer found himself. On December 9, of 1999, discharging YL and Arezina's order, Kozer was conducting a hearing without any documents. The documents were in First District Public Prosecution, following criminal charge against a group of "dissatisfied workers" who had tried to pass themselves off as legal representatives of the former UDARNIK Public Company, by using a forged company seal. By means of this illegally made seal, the group of "dissatisfied workers" had tried to submit an application for registering the

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company in Court Register, signed by Mihailo Pleskonic as the director. Pleskonic, like most of the "dissatisfied workers" had never been employed by UDARNIK Public Company.

Documents in the Office

Disregarding law, procedure, and principle of impartiality in their work, and despite the ruling of Senior Commercial Court (No. Pz.-3585/99) in which it was said that interim measure was unnecessary, Belgrade Commercial Court brought again the verdict that interim measure be implemented by decree III-R-60/2000, dated March 2, of 2000. The Justification of the measure, written in block letters, groundless and untrue said that ..."the existence of 57 workers and their families was jeopardized..." In actual fact, the director Pleskonic, who filed charges demanding interim measure, did not have a single worker, and he, himself had never been employed by UDARNIK Public Company, the company he was representing as the plaintiff. All these facts were presented in the appeal No. Fi-5423 and Fi-5457/99, submitted to the Court by Predrag Nikolic, at that time the only legal director of UDARNIK, in December of 1999. The appeal was never forwarded to Senior Commercial Court, because the president of Belgrade Commercial Court kept it in her office.

Disparities with dates were another absurdity of Commercial Court: they submitted a motion to the Court, demanding that interim measure be brought, and draw the Court's attention to the sentence No. P-1429/99, passed on February 10, 2000. Thereby, it became apparent that the group of "dissatisfied workers" had had the verdict in their hands long before the other side: the defendant received the verdict on April 12, 2000, a month and half later.

On the one hand, Belgrade Commercial Court continued with their plan to strip ABC PRODUKT of everything they possessed, while on the other hand they kept appeals to those verdicts submitted by us locked away, placing "dissatisfied workers" in a more favorable position at the expense of the plaintiff. Legally employed workers of UDARNIK intervened with Senior Commercial Court to obtain their appeals from Milena Arezina, but it took them a whole year (intervention submitted on February 14, of 2000, another one on March 30, of 2000). The appeal, No. P-215/2000, submitted on February 14 of 2000, was not forwarded to Senior

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Commercial Court, but was kept by the president of Commercial Court, Milena Arezina, in her office.

This whole tale serves to show to what use YL and Milena Arezina's "dissatisfied workers" were put. A bunch of them were to be used to rob the other 116 workers of everything ABC PRODUKT had invested in the past ten years into the bankrupt Public Company, UDARNIK.

Serious Consequences of Arezina's Arbitrariness

Even today, while this serial is unfolding before you, thas lawsuit has not been resolved. Commercial Court is still unable to untangle this legal mess, although Milena Arezina left Commercial Court eight months ago, after the new Government was formed in Serbia.

The property of ABC PRODUKT, worth several million dinars is till in the illegally seized warehouse and ABC PRODUKT is still not allowed to take possession of their property.

Machines, equipment, spare parts, furnishings, and everything else that was confiscated are not yet available to us. Furthermore, until recently, there were individuals in Commercial Court who had tried to continue with YL and Arezina's practices.

TOMORROW: SEIZURE OF PREMISES IN PRESENCE OF STATE OFFICIALS

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39) Seizure of Premises in Presence of State Officials

As newspapers reported, Democratic Party sent congratulations to the journalists and other employees of GLAS JAVNOSTI for "their bravery in countering the attacks of the regime in their effort to remain true to their profession"

At that time I had the feeling that if I survived then, I would live to be a hundred. Here it is why. Around noon, on June 19, 2000, Commercial Court executors, upon orders of its president, Milena Arezina, stormed our premises in 35, Djure Djakovic Street, in Belgrade. The property in question was a warehouse built by ABC PRODUKT Joint Venture Company. The raid lasted a whole hour. Police from Palilula Police station accompanied Court executors. They forced their entrance by breaking down two doors. I was present there myself, trying in vain to explain that the group of "dissatisfied workers" had no right to the warehouse. They had, if truth be told, rented from UDARNIK (ABC PRODUKT company) an office, the size of 26.5 sq. m. which used to be a rest room; the warehouse, on the other hand, cover the surface of 1300 sq. m.

Gross Negligence

I realized that the whole action was organized in order to institute YL and Arezina's director of UDARNIK Public Company, to whom the Court executor handed over the warehouse, although until then they had rented only that one office.

What had exasperated me most was the fact that no inventory of the machines and equipment had been done when the warehouse was taken from ABC PRODUKT. At that time, there were printing machines, spare parts, printing paper, documents, as well as equipment of other legal and natural persons. Knowing with whom I was dealing, I was afraid that they might damage, destroy, or transfer property of great value.

Of course, the trouble did not end there. As soon as the warehouse in Djure Djakovic Street was taken from us, I received information that the same thing had happened to a warehouse of 3000 sq. m. in 106, Visnjicka Street.

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It was done by the same order and with the assistance of the same police unit.

I was devastated. I couldn't understand why were such things happening to me. However, it did not take me long to put two and two together. My refusal to hand over GLAS JAVNOSTI and ABC GRAFIKA Printing Company to YL was at the bottom of it all. They had warned me (Srdjan Smiljkovic, Ratko Krsmanovic and hajji Dragan Antic) what would happen to me, and it was happening.

The expression used by a legal expert, who was talking about UDARNIK, Public Company that went bankrupt at the beginning of 90s, came to my mind at that moment. He had termed the case "resuscitation of a corpse." By merging with ABC PRODUKT, the workers had remained in the employment; we had invested in equipment...

All this represented a classic tale of privatization common in the past ten years, when conducting business was anything but easy, when dinars were in abundance, only they were worth very little and were very hard to earn. Had we lived in a stable country with a stable legal system this story would have never been told.

It was hard for me to understand why a group of former workers, definitely a minority compared to the majority of their satisfied colleagues, had begun this sick game. Why had they rejected the Court order annulling the merger in 1997, when the majority of the workers of the former UDARNIK Company remained working for ABC PRODUKT? I only know that things got really complicated after persecution of ABC PRODUKT began. Belgrade Commercial Court was using UDARNIK as battering ram, only, I didn't know why.

I did not get any respite: ABC PRODUKT Business System and GLAS JAVNOSTI were ordered to leave their premises in 8, Vlajkovic Street, within a week. Senior Commercial Court ruled against our appeal, lodged against the decree of Belgrade Commercial Court, by which the Court had annulled all our investments in the building itself and all our contracts, by which we had invested capital in revitalization of the bankrupt Public Company, GLAS.

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Eviction Order

Commercial Court brought the verdict following the charges filed by ABC GRAFIKA, the company which was part of ABC PRODUKT Business System, but which was practically taken from us when it was condemned to bankruptcy, because of the fines paid for printing the controversial bulletin, "Changes." Senior Commercial Court, consisting of the same men who had rejected our appeal following illegally implemented bankruptcy proceedings in ABC GRAFIKA, rejected our appeal. It was apparent that they were after ABC PRODUKT, the parent company. Smiljkovic, Krsmanovic and Antic had warned me about that. However, they were still able to astound me: Belgrade Commercial Court issued a decree according to which ABC PRODUKT was in the red to the amount of 150 million dinars! Milena Arezina signed this decree personally. Every demand made by "the resurrected corpse," UDARNIK Public Company, under Milena Arezina's instructions, was accepted. UDARNIK not only asked for the return of the real estate brought into the company, but also for the rent for using the company building during the time the "marriage" lasted. Beside 150 million dinars, there were 50 million taken previously, plus another 100 million, the total amount being close to 8 million German marks. This staggering amount of money made their request for starting bankruptcy proceedings all the more convincing. The hearing was scheduled for June 27, 2000. The newest interim measure had a very clear objective: to create a situation, which would be irrevocable.

The newest verdict annulled millions invested by ABC PRODUKT in the building in 8, Vlajkovic Street. The investment of ABC PRODUKT was to such an amount that the company had became the owner of 5/8 of the building. The experts verified this status, and the joint ownership, as such, was registered with the proper institution, in accordance with the law. The value of the public capital, which was brought into the new company, ABC GRAFIKA, was not diminished by as much as a single dinar. It is necessary to point out that the building in 8, Vlajkovic Street housed GLAS JAVNOSTI and the printing company in which not only this newspaper was published, but also many other prominent papers and magazines, such as: NIN, VREME, KNJIZEVNE NOVINE, PRAVOSLAVLJE and others. Therefore, it represented an attack on a significant number of independent media. It was obvious that the law was being used to further some other interests, other than legal.

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My only consolation at that time was the reaction of the public, who were on our side, as much as it was possible. Here are some of the reactions published by the media:

"Democratic Party supports GLAS JAVNOSTI and ABC PRODUKT Printing Company, who were ordered by Senior Commercial Court to leave premises in Vlajkovic Street in Belgrade. Democratic Party congratulates the journalists and other employees of GLAS JAVNOSTI on their bravery in confronting this anomalous regime, and on their resolution to remain true to the principles of their profession.

Their determination will be recorded in the history of Serbian journalism as yet another battle waged for democratic Serbia."

UN Special Envoy for human rights in Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Yugoslavia, Jiri Dintsbir, condemned the decree of Senior Commercial Court by which ABC PRODUKT, the founder of GLAS JAVNOSTI daily was ordered to leave the premises in Vlajkovic Street and gave his support to the initiative of NUNS (Independent Association of Serbian Journalists) to join together with their colleagues from the state media houses in their fight against the pressure exercised by the regim against the media in general.

Some like it done elegantly

I often wandered what was the difference between those who take someone's life by force and those who do it elegantly, with a pen. My conclusion was that there was no difference, such people were the same: a person who is prepared to deprive 300 families in one company alone without any means of support is no better than the person who kills in cold blood.

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Eviction

The decree of Senior Commercial Court confirmed the ruling of Belgrade Commercial Court by which ABC PRODUKT, following the charges filed by the bankrupt daughter company, ABC GRAFIKA, is ordered to leave their premises in 8, Vlajkovic Street and hand it over to the bankruptcy manager "empty of all things and persons" within eight days after the decree became final. Some of the "things" were printing presses that ABC PRODUKT had bought in the past ten years. However, those machines have already been inventoried as per another interim measure, ruled by Commercial Court and the security measures around them have been stepped up in the past few days, no doubt in preparation for preventing their removal. Very soon, we shall see whether these verdicts were brought in order to close down an independent printing company, and thereby close down all dailies and weeklies printed there, or not.

TOMORROW: SUPREME COURT SIDES WITH PERSECUTORS

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40) Supreme Court Sides with Persecutors

Democratic Party of Serbia condemned the newest attack on GLAS JAVNOSTI as the beginning of a new campaign of the regime against the media that are not under their control

Independent Association of Serbian Journalists condemned the campaign waged for months against GLAS JAVNOSTI. After the verdict brought in accordance with Law of Informing and after confiscation of ABC PRODUKT property, the newspaper was in danger of being closed down.

Democratic Party of Serbia condemned the newest attack on GLAS JAVNOSTI as the beginning of a new campaign of the regime against the media that are not under their control. "The reason for bringing charges has become quite immaterial and justification for such an action unnecessary. Because those who bring charges are those who pass the verdict," concluded Democratic Party of Serbia in their statement.

The newest attack on GLAS JAVNOSTI and ABC PRODUKT, according to Civil Alliance of Serbia was "an attempt of the authorities to stifle, in every possible way, the freedom of informing in the country and the right of its citizens to truth."

"By closing down the only remaining printing company catering to independent newspapers, there would no longer be any freedom of the press," stated Democratic Christian Party of Serbia in reaction to the news that ABC PRODUKT warehouse had been confiscated and the newspaper fined once again.

Day D for ABC PRODUKT began with large headlines in newspapers about expected implementation of bankruptcy proceedings in ABC PRODUKT. Over the whole front page of GLAS JAVNOSTI the tile read: "Stop Lawlessness!" – an appeal to Serbian Judiciary, and another to the police: "In Whose Name?" Letters were sent to many distinguished people: Ratko Markovic, Balsa Govedarica, Dragoljub Jankovic, Cedomir Prostran, Goran Percevic, Bata Zivojinovic.

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Trial before Term

The trial, scheduled for June 27, before Belgrade Commercial Court at which pre-bankruptcy proceedings were to be decided upon was postponed, because we demanded that judge Svetlana Slijepcevic-Lukic be exempt from the trial. Our attorney demanded her exemption because of the way in which she had tried the case against ABC GRAFIKA. The trial was postponed until the Court reached a decision regarding out request. The judge did not allow the press to attend the hearing.

Less then 24 hours after that, two decrees were sent to us: one by Belgrade Commercial Court, the other by Senior Commercial Court. The contents were similar: "The request for exemption of the president of the Court Council, judge Svetlana Slijepcevic-Lukic, the president of Commercial Court, Milena Arezina and the president of Senior Commercial Court, Cedomir Prostran is denied."

We have requested their exemption based on legal facts – in all previous cases in which ABC PRODUKT was one of the parties, and there were many of them, the above mentioned judges showed unmistakably that they were following political orders and that they were biased. They did not honor terms, they denied us our legal rights, and they ignored our appeals and requests. The decree denying our latest request was signed by the president of Senior Commercial Court, Cedomir Prostran and the president of Commercial Court, Milena Arezina – the same people whose exemption we requested.

It seemed to me that Turks who ruled over Serbia for five hundred years were less despotic than these new rulers from YL. I was amazed at the swiftness with which the decree was brought and had the feeling that the next decree regarding ABC PRODUKT would be brought even before our attorneys returned from the Court.

The Decree Arrives Swiftly

I was right! On June 30, three new decrees were sent to ABC PRODUKT. The first was the decree brought by Superior Court, by which our request for exemption of the president of Senior Commercial Court, Cedomir Prostran, in a case in which pre-bankruptcy proceedings in ABC

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PRODUKT were to be brought, was denied. However, this decree was not dated and there was nowhere any mention as to when the Court had brought this decree. Someone realized that the work of the Court was sloppy, so immediately we received a new decree, which had only one alteration: the first decree was dated 1998; this one was dated 2000.

But, that was not all. A new decree arrived, scheduling the hearing in the matter of bankruptcy proceedings, previously to be held on June 11, for June 4!(JULY???)

I was well aware that even in the countries, which have fully developed legal systems and the rule of law, sometimes killers are released on a technicality. But, here, the Court was violating the very thing they had to protect: law and legal procedure, proscribed by the law. Had they observed the legal procedure, the process of denying a request for exemption of a judge would have taken at least seven days. Here, we discovered that there was no coordination between lower and higher courts: Commercial Court had proved to be too diligent, thereby revealing unwittingly that a verdict had already been brought, albeit, not in any Justice Palace!

The Words of Dr. Dragor Hiber

We consulted a legal expert, Dr. Dragor Hiber on the matter of the state attacking private enterprise.

Had Yugoslavia been a member of the European Council, it would have had to honor the European Convention on human rights together with the annexes, which meant that the European Court for human rights in Strasbourg would have been authorized to deal with this matter. This Court usually deals with cases where a country violates a right of a citizen, by law or an individual action, and a citizen is unable to get protection from courts in his own country. Those cases usually deal with violation of a right of an individual to have the use of his own property. The first annex of this Convention stipulates, that property rights and property itself are inviolable, and that a state cannot limit those rights nor revoke them, not even by law, except when a public interest is at stake, Dr. Hiber, a legal expert on this subject explained. How would the world look upon nearly every-day violation of property and business investments in Serbia?

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"The legal practice in Serbia shows that European standards are violated all the time. Even if we put aside the general insecurity of property and stubborn preservation of legal consequences of former nationalizations and confiscations, it becomes apparent that there are two standard that are applied to company property: on the one hand, the state has too large a legal scope, while on the other hand, that scope is not legally organized, so that there is enough space for those who belonf to the privileged class to profit from the situation.

It ment that the state limited and narrowed the space for business dealings of companies that were not its direct partners, while for those privileged ones there were no limitations and no obligations. For example, a privately owned printing company would be constantly under Financial Police control and constatntly fined for allegedly avoiding to pay all sorts of taxes and payments. e g into social security and pension funds (as it happened to ABC GRAFIKA), while, in actual fact we were paying honorariums to our free lance associates, not monthly wages. At the same time a printing company under the control of the state would be released from any such obligations.

Black Days for Serbian Judiciary

Here is how GLAS JAVNOSTI reacted to new acts of legalized violence against ABC PRODUKT.

The witch-hunt against ABC PRODUKT, the founder of GLAS JAVNOSTI, continues, directed from the same institution, which has until now, by interim measures, eviction orders and similar acts and by ignoring facts, implemented certain policy. This institution is Belgrade Commercial Court. Their newest attack is represented by their decree by which "previous procedure for determination of circumstances for starting bankruptcy proceedings" was brought.

Bankruptcy proceedings are started in a company that has become permanently insolvent, unable to pay their debts, so the creditors are paid out of the remaining property of the company. However, with ABC PRODUK the situation was different. The Company has no unpaid debts. What the possible motives were, could be reconstructed from the sequence of events that preceded. Last Friday was the last day for our account to be

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blocked. After that ABC PRODUKT entered "bankruptcy zone." The account was blocked because of different taxes, which we had to pay, as ordered by Financial Police although those were obligations of other companies in ABC PRODUKT Business System. We have written about arbitrariness of those decrees and the refusal of financial police to give us the same benefits as they gave other companies in similar circumstances.

Nevertheless, on Saturday, Payment Operations Service of National Bank of Yugoslavia sent a proposal to Commercial Court for starting pre-bankruptcy proceedings, declaring wrongly the sum of money that was blocked. They did not take in consideration the fact that on that same day the full sum of money owed to Internal Revenue Service was paid by ABC PRODUKT. What is more, it was officially determined that ABC PRODUKT had paid one and half million dinars more than owed.

In other words, ABC PRODUKT had paid everything that was demanded by Arezina's Court orders. Our account was further burdened by the ban to use it as a result of an interim measure, which had never before been reason for starting bankruptcy proceedings.

In the history of Payment Operations Service there had never before been a case that a company was pronounced bankrupt for the sole reason that an interim measure had prevented the company to use their money. ABC PRODUKT is not an insolvent company, but those who have done everything in their power to bring about our break down, apparently have very solvent political background.

TOMORROW: THE RULES OF THE GAME ARE CONSTANTLY CHANGED

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41) The Rules of the Game are Constantly Changed

The Court security did not allow ABC PRODUKT to move any of their machines from the printing company, so that printing machines for a whole new firm were confiscated

The biggest problem according to Dr. Dragor Hiber, a legal expert, was that the rules of the game kept changing all the time, so that those who could find their way in this conglomeration of legal acts were few and far between.

When asked to explain what was the position of foreign investors, and whether they were exempt from state and legal arbitrariness, Mr. Hiber replied:

"They are in a specially difficult position. After a foreigner has studied the Law on Foreign Investments, the impression he got is that he has found a business heaven. This Law says that changes, which might aggravate the position of a foreign investor, would not be implemented to his disadvantage. In actual fact, the situation is quite different. Even Federal Constitutional Court has ruled that the changes in laws, which are imperative in their character, are binding for foreign investors. This means that foreign investors are not protected against the changes in the form of conducting business; they are also under the full impact of legal acts, which in their essence are retroactive.

A typical example of that is the contesting of foreign investments, based on legal acts about privatization, which were brought post festum. The same thing was happening in the tax policy sector. ABC PRODUKT Business System was a victim of this policy. Supplementary capitalization, the buying of companies, transformation of debts into ownership were contested by changes in legal acts and political atmosphere in the country, under the heading of preservation of public property, which according to its definition is everyone's and no one's, but which is in fact under political control. ABC PRODUKT wasn't alone in this. That was the fate of ICN and other large investors.

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European Standards Violated

The damage caused in this way was not only individual. Although the general credibility of this country has been lost long ago, there was no need for us to loose the last vestige of business standing, because, in future, there wouldn't be any foreign investments, no modern technology and business acumen, and no normal trading with delayed payment. Only some of the Asian countries and countries on the similar level of development would remain as our partners; we would conduct business on a very primitive plane.

Sub-standardization was another very good weapon. That was another thing we had to deal with in ABC PRODUKT.

Sub-standardization manifests itself in a well-hidden, but nevertheless tenacious preservation of public property and "socialist method of production," which is nothing but protection and preservation of privileges by those close to the centers of power, who have managed to prevent establishment of modern legal institutions which could complement modern economy, thereby protecting their own interests. For that reason we don't have legal acts regulating the functioning of the Stock Exchange and Securities' Market, complex long-term contracts, taxation and customs duties. All these sectors are not governed by the basic legal principle, that everything that has not been banned is allowed, but by another: everything that the disciples of the political elite in judiciary and legislature believe to be of interest to them is allowed.

We don't have normal legal acts

Of course, it has nothing to do with the protection of the public interest. The state appears only as a business partner, that should be equal to the others, but every investor, however successful he might be, must be aware of the fact that the state would try to lay their hands on a part of his property. If someone, like ABC PRODUKT, bought a public (state) building in an effort to save a bankrupt company, they must realize that they have formed a peculiar business deal with the state, where the state is not an ordinary trader. They are in a position to change their mind, to annul the sale and to take back the property they had already sold. The purchaser,

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in this case ABC PRODUKT, is left empty handed, with no other choice but to move out. (Bojan Jager)

The newest verdict of Belgrade Commercial Court (April 2000), forced ABC PRODUKT to remove themselves from the building in 8, Vlajkovic Street, within eight days. The Court security did not allow ABC PRODUKT to move any of their machines from the printing company, so that printing machines for a whole new firm were confiscated:

I. MACHINES INSTALLED IN THE BASEMENT

1. Rotation line for the printing of newspaper – SOLNA DISTRIBUTER D25D with three printing units and a fax machine;

2. Rotation line for the printing of newspaper – SOLNA DISTRIBUTER D25D with five printing units and a fax machine;

3. Automatic line for collecting, wire sewing, and cutting of magazines – MILLER-MARTIN with five inserting units;

4. Automatic line for collecting, wire sewing, and cutting of magazines – MILLER-MARTIN with six inserting units;

5. Automatic line for inserting logos and supplements into newspaper – MILLER-MARTIN with 4 inserting units;

6. Automatic line for counting, packing, binding and dispatching of newspapers with all the necessary "entrance-exit" tapes – MILLER-MARTIN;

7. Thermo tunnel for with tapes for packaging of newspapers into thermo folding paper – CALIFADGE;

8. Machine for folding paper, format B1 – MBL;

9. Machine for folding paper, format B1 – MBL;

10. Machine for folding paper, format B2 – SCHAL;

11. Machine for folding paper, format B3 – FALTEG;

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12. Machine for folding paper, format B3 – GRAFIFEDER

13. Automatic line for binding and gluing of books and brochures – MILLER-MARTIN;

14. Bookbinding knife – FL-TIN 115;

15. Machine for whetting paper – CITOBORMA;

16. Semi automatic machine for wire sewing of brochures and magazines – HEVTRUS KIVERPOLIGRAF;

17. Machine for cutting off corners – RAB-GROSEMAN;

18. Tub for washing of rollers – GERHARD-BUSH;

19. Machine for automatic packaging with plastic tape – AMPAG (8 pieces);

II. MACHINES INSTALLED ON THE GROUND FLOOR

1. Offset signature two-tone printing machine – ROLAND PARVA, format A1;

2. Offset signature four-tone printing machine – ROLAND PARVA, format C1;

3. Offset signature one-tone printing machine – HAIDELBERG, format B1;

4. Offset signature one-tone printing machine - HAIDELBERG GTO, format B3;

5. Bookbinding knife – PERFEKTA 115;

6. Tub for washing printing rollers – EDELMAN;

7. 500 kg crane;

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8. Table for straightening signature, format D0;

9. Semi automatic line for spiral binding – RENC;

10. Machine for cold plastification;

11. Vibrating plate for straightening of signature, format B1

12. Hand de-clichér

III. MACHINES INSTALLED IN SECTIONS FOR PREPARATION AND COPYING

1. Machine for copying offside plates, format B1 – FAG (2 pieces);

2. Dryer for offset plates, format B1 – FAG;

3. Machine for copying offset plates, format B1 – KALE;

4. Machine for automatic development and drying of offset plates, format B1 – POLIHROM, (2 pieces);

5. Machine for automatic development of film – KODAMATIC, width 70 cm;

IV. COMPRESSOR STATION

1. Compressor – NF 2000 DOBOJ with four cylinders and 16 bars tank (3 pieces);

V. HAND PALETTE FORKLIFT

1. Hand palette forklift (7 pieces);

VI. GEN SETS INSTALLED IN GEN SET STATION

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1.36 kilowatt diesel generator set – KONCAR;

2. 100 kilowatt diesel generator set – KONCAR

VII. SPARE EQUIPMENT IN WAREHOUSE IN 35, DJURE DJAKOVIC STREET

1. Automatic press for cutting, pressing, and baling of paper with necessary "entrance-exit" tapes – GTG;

2. Automatic press for cutting, pressing, and baling of paper with necessary "entrance-exit" tapes – MASERLI-SHELICHER;

3. Automatic line for counting, packing, binding, and dispatching of newspapers with all the necessary tapes – NJAMAG;

4. Machine for siliconization of paper with rollers for cooling, for newspaper rotation, SOLNA with accompanying BALDWI refrigerator for cooling silicone;

5. Register press for cutting out an alphabetic column in a directory;

6. Press for cutting out of irregular shaped labels – FREDSCHATER PHONE;

7. Semi automatic press for cutting out of labels – KERMO;

8. Inserting units for automatic line MILLER-MARTIN for sewing magazines (4 pieces) as a spare station:

9. Various boxes containing wire and spirals for binding;

10. Press plate, upper register – BASHER;

11. Copying frame for development of offset plates;

12. Unwinder with tension control; brakes for two rolls of paper, width 1 m, as part of a machine;

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13. Various conveyors, and rollers – self propelled and otherwise;

The total value of machines and equipment confiscated was at least 4.5 million German marks.

Small pond full of crocodiles

At one point, this country had the interest to allow free enterprise, private and foreign investments, but it turned out to be dangerous for them. Private property and free enterprise necessitate democracy, and democracy leads to the change of the regime. That is why the state allowed only private enterprise over which they had control. Beside that, the collapse of the country's economy has reduced the market, and in that way, the opportunity of the ruling class to satisfy their appetites.

It has been said a long time ago – the smaller the pond, the more jostling among the crocodiles. In order to pay off the old guard who were of two minds, to pay off the new partners, and to charm some new ones, the state had to get money from somewhere. Since state economy was in shambles, and the country could not be sold, there was only private property left. Today, they are robbing private property invested in business. When that is exhausted, they would take the rest – as they did in 1945, concluded Dr. Hiber.

TOMORROW: BRUTALITY OF PANCEVO POLICE INSPECTOR

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42) Brutality of Pancevo Police Inspector

By means of biting insults, threats of beating and ugliest possible swearing, inspector Ilic forced out a statement about the names of all the firms which were owned by Rodic family

Hot July days of 2000 stretched before me. The feeling I had that I was closed in a cage is hard to explain graphically enough. Every moment, I expected new court summons, a new move of the bankruptcy manager or Commercial Court. Even evening outings were not very wise, I felt. I was not used to that kind of life. I could not accept the necessity of watching out for danger, not being able to walk down Knez Mihjlo Street, or going to Topcider or Kosutnjak and sitting down in restaurants with my friends.

July 4 came

At the hearing (first scheduled for July 11, of 2000, only to be moved forward for a whole week, for July 4) on pre-bankruptcy proceedings in ABC PRODUKT before Belgrade Commercial Court, no one from the defendant's side appeared. This happened because the majority owner of ABC PRODUKT has revoked a letter of authority to their legal representative. Beside that, in their letter to the Court, ABC PRODUKT said that they:

- Denied the evidence submitted by National Bank of Yugoslavia, Belgrade Payment Operations Service, Palilula branch office, because it was false and groundless;

- Did not have any debts

- Suggested to the Court to employ an expert to determine the real amount of debts owed by ABC PRODUKT;

The Court was also asked to give us a period of eight days in which we could send in our proposal for possible settlement. ABC PRODUKT brought the Court's attention to the fact that the hearing scheduled for June 27 of 2000, was later postponed and no new date for the hearing has been

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set. That is why ABC PRODUKT was asking the Court to schedule a new hearing so that their legal representative could attend it.

"If the Court were to observe the legal procedure and the request of ABC PRODUKT, the Court would schedule a new hearing, but not within a period of time shorter then eight days, otherwise we could assume that today's hearing (July 4), regarding the pre-bankruptcy proceedings in ABC PRODUKT has been postponed."

No Paper for Printing

For how long would our battle for protecting our business premises, equipment, firms, and our workers last, depended only on the willingness of the Serbian judiciary to preserve the legal system of the country, protect property, and observe the law.

One of the most perfidious ways of trying to close down GLAS JAVNOSTI, as well as other independent media, was their inability to buy printing paper. MATROZ Factory from Sremska Mitrovica, under directives from political oligarchy, had special criteria for supplying printing companies with printing paper: state controlled newspapers got as much paper as they wanted at a lower price – GLAS JAVNOSTI and other newspapers couldn't get it at any price or very rarely. That situation lasted for months on end. It is only thanks to Jugoslav Cosic, the director of BOZA TOMIC Paper Factory from Cacak who supplied us with the thinnest paper used for manufacturing paper bags that we were able to continue printing GLAS JAVNOSTI. This situation continued till Slobodan Milosevic's regime was overthrown.

Many newspapers were in danger of closing down because of the lack of printing paper. For that reason we wrote to Borisa Vukovic (Foreign Trade Minister ????) asking him to receive our representatives at the time when it was convenient to him, to discuss the possibility of importing printing paper, which was under a ban by our Government at the time.

We wrote to notorious Borisa Vukovic:

"We hope that you are aware of the fact, although your Ministry keeps informing the public that there is enough printing paper produced in

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Serbia, that it is not so. There is not enough roll paper produced in the country to satisfy the needs of the above-mentioned newspapers.

The assurance of the Management of MATROZ Paper Factory from Sremska Mitrovica, the only producer of roll paper in the country, that their production satisfies the demand is aimed at pacifying the public; we are not able to buy it from them. Are you aware and do you hold yourself responsible, provided you had any part in that, that even if we mange through various channels to get hold of that paper, the price we have to pay is 33 dinars per kilo, while some other newspapers and printing companies get it at half that price. Of course, unless they get it for free.

We would appreciate it very much if you considered this appeal in a very serious light."

Dangerous Games with Documentation

The matter that additionally pained me was the casual way in which the new management was treating the business documentation of ABC PRODUKT. I was aware that Court executors have confiscated very important documents in our warehouse in Djure Djakovica Street, and my fear was that they would use them to cause us some harm: that they would forge them or change them to suit their purpose.

Documentation of ABC PRODUKT Business System was transported to 8, Vlajkovic Street and placed at the disposal of bankruptcy management of bankrupt company, ABC GRAFIKA, on August 23, 2000.

This extraordinary "transfer" was concluded without representatives of ABC PRODUKT, a proceeding contrary to legal practice. The documents in question belonged to various firms of our Business System and just before they were confiscated they were placed in the warehouse for safekeeping. Those documents represented our business archive, which every company is obliged by law to keep for a specified period of time.

The fact that such people had got hold of vitally important documents, which could be made to disappear or which could be deliberately destroyed could have had incalculable consequences for ABC PRODUKT. I was afraid that their intention was just that.

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The situation in which we found ourselves was tantamount to Court executors burglarizing a bank with the assistance of the police, and then handing the money obtained in such a way to a third party to use it, without having the cashier's evidence as to what amount of money was in the bank at the time of burglary.

Brutal Policemen

In just such a way was ABC PRODUKT warehouse in Dure Djakovica Street confiscated. The new management was free to do what they wanted with the papers found there, because police had forbidden representatives of the owner to be present at the time the documents were seized.

But, that was not the end of our troubles.

The following day, Milisav Rodic, one of the co-owners of ABC PRODUKT Company was asked to come to Pancevo police station for questioning at 9 am. Radisav Rodic was asked to come to the same police station for questioning at 11.30 am. The two inspectors of Pancevo police station, who were conduction questioning, were Joca Ilic and Srdjan Karovic. By means of biting insults, threats of beating and ugliest possible swearing, inspector Ilic forced out a statement about the names of all the firms which were owned by Rodic family.

It was past 3 pm when Milisav and Radosav Rodic were released from Pancevo police station. All that happened that day in Pancevo police station, you can read in tomorrow's installment.

Power of Oppressor

It is with great interest that I have read the serial written by Mr. Radosav Rodic, the founder of GLAS JAVNOSTI. I have been keeping track of all the repressive measures that were undertaken against ABC PRODUKT: fines, confiscation, and persecution. It is quite clear that the president of Commercial Court, comrade Milena Arezina has earned an Oscar as the director, it only remains to be seen who were the leading actors in this horror movie.

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I was astonished when I read the words of the chief of State Security Bureau, Rade Markovic: "Are you aware where you are and who you are talking to? I can do all I want, I can have you cemented, I can kill you and bury you so that no one ever finds you, I can expel you from the country! Don't push your luck and don't play games with me. Bear in mind my words whenever you talk with me. I don't intend to remind you again."

I had to quote the words of Mr. Markovic, because many may not have read them. I can only imagine how Mr. Rodic must have felt listening to the tyrant threatening to kill him in various ways. I am aware that fear is a normal human reaction, but creating pathological fear in a person generates the opposite effect: it breeds resentment, anger and defiance. Tyrants await first signs of fear to continue with their threats, because in that way they can carry out their intentions. They are familiar with the saying: "the end justifies the means." I admire Mr. Rodic for not having let them see the fear that he must have felt, thereby allowing them to fulfil their end.

Therefore, why wander any longer where have all those men disappeared in the past years when we have the confession of tyrants who admit that they could do whatever they wanted, even cement people!

How could any man have such power? Who gave it to him? It means that there must be someone who has even more power. There must exist a theorist who has his own executors. They must have forgotten the poem: "down with oppression and injustice, the people would judge you..." This poem is true even today and the justice has caught up with many in the meantime. I only hope that justice would catch up with all the oppressors and tyrants and that there would never appear anyone who would threaten people in such a way. I advise the chief of State Security to write the above-mentioned quote on the wall of his prison cell, it might have educational effect. No crime goes unpunished forever.

Groundless Accusations

On April 23, 2001, the newspaper GLAS JAVNOSTI began publishing a series of articles by Radisav Rodic, the owner of GLAS JAVNOSTI and ABC PRODUKT firm, in which lies and misconstructions regarding events

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from over a year ago were made public. Therefore, we are forced to publicly deny lies printed in the said serial. We are especially disgusted by the fact that the author, R. Rodic, continually accuses our party and our high officials of alleged persecution and threatening, in connection with GLAS JAVNOSTI takeover, obliterating the fact that on three separate occasions, within several months, he had tried to achieve contact with YL leadership, and that he had two unsuccessful meetings with the then secretary of YL Head Office, Ratko Krsmanovic, and one with Milan Rodic, the member of the Head Office. The author of the text had used the fact that he and Milan Rodic had the same last name to try to make an official contact with our party. At the insistence of Milan Rodic at the official party leadership meeting, we had agreed to have a meeting with the owner of GLAS JAVNOSTI, at his personal request.

Two members of the party's Head Office were delegated to organize the meeting with the owner of GLAS JAVNOSTI and to find out what kind of cooperation with our party he had in mind. The two men were Srdjan Smiljkovic and Borislav Vukovic. There were three meetings in all. Our Head Office had engaged a lawyer to be present at those meetings, while Rodic was alone.

At the first meeting, Rodic appeared to be threading carefully, at the second meeting he demanded certain services, which our party could not provide, that dealt with financial and other forms of protectionism in the very extreme. In the end, at our third meeting, official contacts were terminated, because we had come to the conclusion that his requests were unfeasible, not to say outrageous. It was apparent that Rodic tried to use the fact that he was the owner of a newspaper and was bent on gaining some interests known to him only. In the serial published in GLAS JAVNOSTI, Rodic manipulates with the truth to such an extent that it astonishes the readers by its wealth of misconstrued details, more suited to a crime fiction novel, with the sole objective of incriminating Srdjan Smiljkovic. What is hard to understand is the need of the author to achieve self-affirmation in such a way and at such a time. Until now, several names from public life were mentioned in the serial in connection with tragic events from the recent past, and on which public interest is focused, in an untruthful, ugly and senseless context, which can only be attributed to the author's malice in the highest degree.

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We are aware of the satanization of the party and our leadership in general, but the things that have been said in the serial are beyond that. For that reason we will acquaint the pubic with the details of the offer we have received, to our astonishment, from the author of the serial, Radisav Rodic. Yugoslav Left would contact the legal institutions in order to stop this sick manipulation of the owner of GLAS JAVNOSTI.

Srdjan SmiljkovicThe Head Office of Yugoslav Left, Beograd

We can only assume that the letters was signed by Srdjan Smiljkovic (the hand writing is not very clear), since the author of the letter did not deem it necessary to type his name, only sign it.

The answer of the author of the serial to this letter would be published in GLAS JAVNOSTI, on Tuesday, June 5, 2001.

TOMORROW: FRIGHTENING THREATS OF POLICE INSPECTOR FROM PANCEVO

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43) Frightening Threats of Police Inspector from Pancevo

The inspector then told me: "Shut up you jerk, can't you see what a jerk you are, you think you know something, but you know nothing, you are only a big fool..."

What was happening on August 23, 2000 in Pancevo police station around 11 am, my brother wrote in great detail:

"On August 23, 2000, around 9 am a police patrol came to my house in Opovo and told me to come to Opvo police station. When I arrived there, the policeman called an inspector in Pancevo, and from their conversation I realized that Pancevo inspector was insisting that I be brought to Pancevo in a police car. I immediately went to my car and drove myself to Pancevo, where I arrived around 9.30. I went to inspector Srdjan Karovic, who was in the office 104 on the first floor. We had a very courteous, professional, and correct talk during which he asked me to give him the particulars about the cars that were registered to my trading shop in Opovo. I told him what was asked of me. After some half an hour, inspector Joca Ilic came in and began interrogating me in a very rude and insolent manner, threatening to beat me up, or throw me out of the window if I didn't give him the number of my brother Radosav's cellular phone or his home number. In order to prevent him from beating me or throwing me out of the window, I gave him the desired numbers. I asked him why did he need those numbers, and he replied that he wanted to see whether my brother was as handsome as I was. He then asked me to what school I had gone. I told him that I had vocational school education, and he replied that he could see that for himself, alluding to the fact that he thought me uneducated.

"Get Out!"

After that he asked me to come with him to another office where I spent fifteen or twenty minutes standing. Inspector Ilic was present all the time. All of a sudden he turned towards me a shouted: "Get out!" It was extremely humiliating. Inspector Karovic then called me. In a calm and professional manner he took a statement from me, that is, he dictated the statement which I signed afterwards.

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While he was taking the statement form me, Karovic informed me that my brother Radosav Rodic had arrived. Some ten minutes later, inspector Karovic came in, visibly shaken and uneasy and said to Karovic: "Let this fool be, he is totally crazy," meaning my brother Radosav whose interrogation was underway.

After I signed the statement printed on a computer, I was free to go. It was close on 3 pm, and I met my brother Radosav and our cousin, Slavoljub Kacarevic, the director and editor-in-chief of GLAS JAVNOSTI in the hall. Slavoljub had driven my brother to Pancevo."

Here is what happened to me on that memorable day:

Inspector Joca Ilic from Pancevo police station called on the cellular phone and told me that I must come immediately to the office 104, on the first floor, in the old building of Pancevo police station. I was to ask for either Joca Ilic or Srdjan Karovic. I told him that I was some fifty kilometers south of Belgrade, near Mladenovac, and that I couldn't think of a reason why he wanted to see me in such a hurry. I asked him to tell me what it was all about. He said that my brother Milisav had bought some cars from our company, which were not paid for.

We are not in Debt

I told him that it was not true, that the cars were paid through a settlement of a debt and that there were documents submitted to Opovo police when the cars were registered, which could prove my words. He replied angrily that unless I came immediately and brought the contract to prove that the cars were paid for, my brother would be held in custody until my arrival.

I arrived in Pancevo police station at 1 pm, accompanied by my cousin, Slavoljub Kacarevic, whom I wanted as a witness. Office 104 was empty when I entered it, but a man in a red T-shirt appeared almost immediately and asked who I was. I told him my name, and he said that he was inspector Joca Ilic. He told Kacarevic to wait in the next office and then, as he was closing the door, he asked for my I.D. card. He asked me how had my brother bought the vehicles from the company. I told him that it was done through compensation, through settlement of a debt, and that there was complete documentation substantiating my words. The documents in

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question were submitted to the police when the cars were registered. At that moment I laid the copy of the contract on his desk.

Why Insults

He told me in a raised voice that he had no intention of reading any contracts and demanded that I tell him all about the matter myself. I told him. He began shouting at me, saying that I was a fool and that we had made serious mistakes. He told me: "Can't you see how stupid you are, you fool! Don't you know that you have to pay taxes?" I replied: "If I am such a fool sir, how come that Internal Revenue Service has verified the bill of purchase, saying that the tax had been paid? Why had your man in Opovo police station registered the vehicles based on such documents?

I also told him that my brother had been to Opovo Internal Revenue Service, where his shop has been registered for thirty years now, and where he obtained a signed statement proving that he has every right to purchase vehicles for his firm, like any other firm in Serbia, without paying taxes. The inspector then told me: "Shut up you jerk, can't you see what a jerk you are, you think you know something, but you know nothing, you are only a big fool. You are trying to swindle the state over taxes."

There are some Inaccuracies

In your paper published on May 21, of this year, on page 17, in the 29th installment of your serial "700 days of terror, fear and hope," PRO-TECH TEAM Company was mentioned several times, always with negative conotations. Although the serial deals with another subject, 29th installment is devoted to PRO-TECH TEAM.

Since most of the facts mentioned in the text, concerning PRO-TECH TEAM Company, are untruly, arbitrarily and maliciously interpreted, we have decided, in order to protect our reputation and in accordance with Law of Informing to clear the following issues:

First of all, we would like to draw your attention to some of the facts that were obviously untrue, but were nevertheless published in your paper and which could tarnish the reputation of PRO-TECH TEAM Company.

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1. In the framed part of the text it is said that by verification at the Commercial Court in Belgrade, it was found out that PRO-TECH TEAM was not registered there. It was perhaps an honest mistake, regarding the fact that the name of the company was written incorrectly; therefore, registration under that name couldn't have been found. Also the activity of the company was quoted wrongly, you keep talking about a private detective agency.

PRO-TECH TEAM (not PROTEKT TIM) is a company offering various services including security services, registered with Belgrade Commercial Court, number of registration 1- 27779400.

2. You said in the text that: "police had found out that PRO-TECH TEAM employees did not have licenses for carrying weapons."

PRO-TECH TEAM has a legal permit for possession of weapons, issued by the police; therefore, PRO-TECH TEAM workers had permits for possession of weapons and for that reason only were the weapons returned to them almost immediately and not because of someone's order as you insinuated in your text.

3. The question of legality of the presence of PRO-TECH TEAM in ABC GRAFIKA was mentioned several times, albeit differently formulated. Your Editorial office and your legal advisors, whom you have without doubt engaged to comment on the legal aspect of your problems, have without doubt drawn your attention to the fact that bankruptcy proceedings had been started in ABC GRAFIKA, based on the decree issued by Belgrade Commercial Court, No. P St. 5808/99, so that most of the questions you raised in the text, such as: "at whose orders did they come to the printing company and whose interests were they protecting;" " how could ABC GRAFIKA security allow anyone but bankruptcy manager to enter the building," and the like, only serve for the readers to get the impression that things were done illegally and arbitrarily, although I am sure that you know the answers to those questions. During bankruptcy proceedings, bankruptcy manager brings decisions and it was he who had engaged PRO-TECH TEAM, as a specialized company supplying protection services. We have signed a contract to that effect. As far as PRO-TECH TEAM is concerned, that contract was signed with the person who was at that time representing ABC GRAFIKA. That was the bankruptcy manager.

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There are also many untrue assertions mentioned in the text: some of them represent incorrect interpretation of laws, which regulate the sector of possession of arms and ammunition, the others deal with wrong interpretation of laws regulating founding and work of firms which offer protection services. Since in those assertions, PRO-TECH TEAM was not explicitly mentioned, only the context might lead the readers to connect it with our Company, we would not insist on them.

Since, according to the facts given above, it is obvious that the credibility of PRO-TECH TEAM was brought in question by your serial 700DAYS OF TERROR, FEAR AND HOPE, (29th installment), we are asking you to overcome the ensuing problem in a mutually satisfactory way, through dialogue, without going to court for obtaining protection of legitimate interests of PRO-TECH TEAM.

We suggest that our official representatives meet with the author of the serial and the founder of GLAS JAVNOSTI, Mr. Rodic and his Editors-in-chief in order that an agreement to that effect could be reached.

Goran JosifovicGeneral Manager of PRO-TECH TEAM Ltd, Beograd

GLAS JAVNOSTI will publish the reply of the author of the serial to this letter on Wednesday, June 6, 2001.

Serial or Science Fiction Novel?

The serial 700 DAYS OF TERROR, FEAR AND HOPE, that has been published by GLAS JAVNOSTI for over a month now, faithfully draws the picture of YL and their wheeling and dealing, by means of which they acquired wealth. Top members of that party: Krsmanovic, Smiljkovic and hajji Antic, helped by many aids, among whom notorious Milena Arezina holds a prominent position, for nearly two years, using blackmail and threats, tried to take over ABC PRODUKT, owned by Mr. Rodic, the author of the serial. In his text, he reminds the readers about those abominable days, which after Slobodan Milosevic and his clique were overthrown, would only remain the ugly past.

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It is hard to believe that the Public Prosecutor does not read newspapers and that he has missed this serial, and that for that reason nothing has been done against those confirmed blackmailers and bandits till now. It is perhaps more likely that the Public Prosecutor did not take Mr. Rodic's serial as a testimony of real-life persecution and terror, but a science fiction novel in which "all events and characters are fictional."

Vojislav Stanojcic, Beograd

TOMORROW: PERSUASION BY MEANS OF BASEBALL BAT AND NIGHTSTICK

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44) Persuasion by means of Baseball Bat and Nightstick

Then he stood up, his face flushed and distorted, eyes bulging, he swung back his arm to hit me, shouting what was it that I wanted, did I want to get beaten up, to have my bones broken...

I told Pancevo police inspector that I had never done that and that I am not about to start now. He began shouting at me, and demanding that I write down the names of all the Companies owned by the Rodic family.

No Secrets

I told him that that information was a professional and business secret and that I believed that business secrets should not be shared. I had in mind what has been happening to me in the past year, ever since the death of my mother in September of 1999. I was prevented from burying my mother with dignity and I have been subjected to all kind of pressures until this day. In the meantime, my health was ruined by the events. At that, inspector Ilic started shouting at me that I must tell him whatever he wants to know, that he has authority and I must tell him. I replied that I believed that I need not tell him, and that if he had any human decency he would understand me. Then he stood up, his face flushed and distorted, eyes bulging, he took out a nightstick from under the desk and swung back his arm to hit me, shouting what was it that I wanted, did I want to get beaten up, to have the bones broken, the spine, did I want to be beaten up out of all recognition.

Swearing

He kept swearing at me and mentioning my immediate family, including my mother, in the best Serbian fashion. Looking at the nightstick in his hand, I also saw a baseball bat hanging on the wall just behind him. He ordered me to take out all the things I had in my pockets, which I did. He looked over, very carefully, the list of messages and telephone numbers, which I had in my left pocket. All the time, he was threatening to break my spine, and all my bones unless I told him the names of all the companies that were owned by the Rodices.

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Realizing all the seriousness of the situation, I asked for a piece of paper and wrote down the names of all the companies in which we had shares, or which were owned by the family. When inspector Ilic got the list of companies in which we were co-owners, he lowered his voice and after a while he left the office. Several minutes later another inspector came in. He said that his name was Srdjan Karovic. He read the list I had made and asked a few times for some clarification. I replied to his questions.

Srdjan Karovic spoke with me courteously and in the normal tone of voice. I tried to explain to him that everything we had done was done with the knowledge and approval of Opovo Internal Revenue, who had issued my brother the permit to purchase the vehicles needed for his work. My brother had signed a contract with the company from which he had bought the vehicles through settlement of debts, stating that vehicles in question would be used for his work. Thereby, like any other businessman in the country, he was exempt from payent of taxes, except for the army tax, which he had paid.

Valid Contracts

Inspector Karovic said that it was not so. I replied that there was law and legal institutions, which could give their interpretation of the law. I repeated that all the taxes had been paid prior to the registration of the vehicles, about which there were documents. Inspector Karovic said that he didn't have documents showing where the vehicles were used for work at that time. I replied that there were valid contracts about cooperation and we agreed that I would bring them to him on Tuesday, at 9 am. He asked me whether anything had been paid to my brother for the work done by the vehicles. I told him that I thought that there had been some advance payment made, but that it could be verified by checking the payment report, which my brother had already handed to them. At that moment, inspector Joca Ilic reentered the office. I told him that I had lived for over twenty years in Banat, but I had never before encountered that kind of behavior from anyone, least of all from a policeman. He said that he too was a settler in the south of Banat. I added that he did not behave like someone who had lived among Banat people, known for their mildness, for that long. I asked inspector Karovic for a glass of water, since I had a heart condition and I had to take a pill. Inspector Ilic took a plastic cup that was

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standing on the table and brought me water. It was just after 3 pm, when inspector Karvic told me that I was free to go, asking first inspector Ilic whether he had anything else to ask. Slavoljub Kacarevic was waiting for me in the hall. Approximately ten minutes later my brother, Milisav came out and the three of us left Pancevo police station.

I wrote down this whole incident and sent it in a letter to Serbian Interior Minister, Vlajko Stojiljkovic. I never received his reply.

They don't threaten, they kill

Mister Kacarevic,

I am addressing you in the capacity of Mr. hajji Dragan Antic's attorney, and demand that according to the Law on Information, you publish our reaction to installments 14, 15 and 16 of the serial written by Radosav Rodic, entitled 700 DAYS OF TERROR, FEAR AND HOPE, which has been published on page 17 of the newspaper, GLAS JAVNOSTI, on May 6, 7 and 8, of 2001:

As attorney of Mr. hajji Dragan Antic, I most forcefully deny all falsehoods and lies printed in Rodic's serial:

- That hajji Dragan Antic had threatened to kill the author of the serial;

- That hajji Dragan Antic had threatened to financially destroy Rodic;

Rodic does not give any evidence to substantiate his assertions. My client and I know that it is not true. In order that the readers might be brought to realize that, we would point out the untruthfulness of these assertions, which are self evident, as seen by reading installments 14, 15 and 16 of Rodic's feuilleton.

1. Rodic claims that he has known Antic ever since the 80s, and considered him a friend and a colleague of his cousin Kacarevic; they often met and Antic visited Rodic's grandfather and uncle.

2. Good relations, according to Rodic were preserved until controversial meetings in the second half of 1999. Evidence of that is the friendly way in

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which they greeted each other, using nicknames (Raja and Struja). Rodic calls Antic's deputy Cure, while Antic calls Rodic's cousin Kacke.

3. Controversial talks between Rodic and Antic (about which Rodic writes in the feuilleton) had all the appearance of talks between old acquaintances. They were frank conversations between men who had opposing political attitudes (which is normal and acceptable) but who were on the first name basis.

4. Antic informs Rodic that he had made a deal with Kacarevic (Rodic's cousin) that they would abstain from attacking each other, meaning that GLAS JAVNOSTI would not write against POLITIKA and vice versa. Rodic complies with that.

5. Antic is of the opinion that GLAS JAVNOSTI is a bad newspaper, not patriotic enough. At Rodic's insistence to tell him what is wrong with the paper, so that he might convey it Kacarevic, Antic replies: "Kacke and I could do that. Send Kacke to me for a talk and we would make GLAS politically more suitable." Rodic replies that he has no political ambitions and that newspaper is just another business for him.

6. At that same time another one of Antic's deputies, Goran Kozic, spends the night in the restaurant in company with Rodic and Kacarevic, following the burning of Kacarevic's company car. The next morning Antic meets with Rodic and inquires about the previous night, since Kozic had already informed him of the events.

7. Rodic contacts high officials of both YL and SPS, trying to make some kind of a deal with them but without success. He also meets with police top brass, Rade Markovic and Buca Djuric and talks with Antic about that complaining that official representatives of the ruling regime were pressuring him to stop publishing opposition manifest, "Changes." Hajji Dragan Antic demands the same thing from him. Rodic, however disregards that and asks Antic to talk with Milosevic about compensations for the financial loss he would suffer where he to stop printing the opposition bulletin.

We have pointed out only the most interesting details from Antic-Rodic meetings in Rodic's interpretation from 14th, 15th and 16th installment, where he writes about the alleged threats. We believe that even the most

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superficial a reading would show that there was no conflict of either political or business interest, there were no unpaid debts and unfulfilled promises which could result in serious threats about killing or financially ruining Rodic, as Rodic publicly announced in his paper. Finally, neither does Antic look like a murderer, nor does Rodic look like a victim. One does not threaten to commit a murder in such a way. If one wants to kill, one does not threaten, one kills. Also, if someone were planning the financial ruin of another man, he would not acquaint him with all the phases of his plan beforehand. What we have her is typical Serbian reasoning: Rodic, who does not belong to the political opposition, simply for business reasons accepts to print the opposition bulletin, "Changes" while the powerful men of the ruling oligarchy demand that he stops it. It is in that situation that Rodic asks Antic to intervene with Milosevic to get compensation for financial losses eventuated by ceasing to print the bulletin, "Changes." Therefore, it was not that Antic needed Rodic, but quite the opposite. Since Antic was not too keen to help Rodic out and obtain financial compensation for him, Rodic becomes angry, and since, in the meantime, significant political changes have happened in the country, he uses this situation to spread lies about alleged threats about his being killed or ruined financially.

We deem it beneath our dignity to react to malicious details like: "Antic was an insignificant and obedient journalist...", and the like, because Rodic knows very well that Antic has never been an insignificant and obedient journalist, and that his own biography has plenty of juicy details, which live much to be desired. Contrary to the moral standards of a businessman, Rodic, nevertheless writes about Antic. What transpires from these three installments of the feuilleton is that Rodic cannot hide his jealousy of Antic's standing and influence he had with the Milosevic family. Rodic says: "He is now the man with the best connections with the Family in Serbia." What would have Rodic given to be in Antic's position? One thing is certain: had Rodic been in Antic's position, Karic family would have been left without work in Serbia.

Dragoljub Todorovis, lawyerBeograd

The reply of the author of the Feuilleton would be published by GLAS JAVNOSTI on Thursday, June 7.

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Reply to Srdjan Smiljkovic

Denial of Life

Publicly denying everything that has been happening to the employees of GLAS JAVNOSTI, ABC GRAFIKA, and ABC PRODUKT over a period of two years, till October 5, is, to say the least, frivolous. Srdjan Smiljkovic denies that GLAS JAVNOSTI was banned, that 300 families of ABC GRAFIKA were left out in the street, without means of supporting themselves, that Commercial Courts punished us ruthlessly, that court executors confiscated our property, that police arrested and molested us, that financial police financially ruined us, that powerful men threatened us, that...

Yugoslav Left members were, God help us, innocent, confused and astonished...

However, Srdjan Smijlkovic does not deny that they (most of them were members of YL) were ruthless, that they toyed with people's lives, that they robbed in order to get rich, and that they got rich, that they had caused untold grievances to the people.

But, above all, the letter sent by Mr. Smiljkovic tells us a lot about a young storm trooper, to whom nobody has told as yet what has happened on October 5, of 2000, so he continues, in his old manner to threaten. He continues to threaten through inertia with all his might and denies, denies, denies...life itself.

Numerous verdicts, original photographs, copies of documents and testimony of people, some of them from YL, about what was happening are evidence enough of the veracity of the facts presented.

Radosav Rodic

TOMORROW: PRESIDENT OF PANCEVO COURT CONTINUES WITH TERRORIZING

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45) President of Pancevo Court Continues with Terrorizing

I realized that it was a sort of marry-go-round, thought of by Milena Arezina and Zlatibor Kanacki. Kanacki demanded something, which Arezina wouldn't give us and vice versa

On my return from Pancevo, I went straight to my office and, as I have already said, sent a letter – statement to the Serbian Interior Minister, Vlajko Stojiljkovic, both my brother's and mine. I can't explain why, but I sort of hoped that I would get a reply. However, very soon, I realized that I was wrong. There was no return mail from Mr. Stojiljkovic. I was at my wit's end. What to do next?

Not knowing what to do, I called the Commissioner of Serbian State Security Bureau, Radomir Markovic. I just managed to tell him what has happened to me in Pancevo, when I heard him reply to me in a cold tone: "Rodic, I have already told you that all activity concerning you has stopped." I didn't quite get what he was saying, so I repeated again my Pancevo adventure. He snapped at me: "Stop bothering me! The most important thing is that persecution will cease for a time being. My advice to you is to keep your mouth shut and to stop bothering me." I only managed to say that I couldn't understand what he meant about persecution ceasing when it had not. He murmured something and the line went dead.

I called the director of GLAS JAVNOSTI, Slavoljub Kacarevic. I just wanted to have someone, to whom I could talk, to ask him why was YL persecuting us, why were they trying to concoct new ways to harm us. The newest example was our dealing with the president of Pancevo District Court, Zlatibor Kanacki. There was no logical explanation for the way in which he behaved.

In January of 2000, when persecution of ABC PRODUKT was intensified, thanks to the president of Belgrade Commercial Court, Milena Arezina and her verdict that bankruptcy proceedings be introduced in ABC GRAFIKA, we had decided to move the seat of the company, ABC PRODUKT, from Belgrade to Pancevo municiplaity, to one of our premises in the nearby township of Opovo. We carefully prepared the necessary documents, according to the law, and forwarded it to Pancevo Court so that the

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Company, ABC PRODUKT, could be registered there. It was to be a formality, since Pancevo Court was under obligation by law, to demand through official channels, the document about the company's registration with Belgrade Commercial Court Registry and to register it with their Court, based on our request.

We submitted the request and countless times asked Pancevo Court whether the registration was completed. But, we were not that lucky. The tandem Arezina-Kanacki was already working together. The president of Pancevo District Court, Zlatibor Kanacki had thought up a way of preventing us to do what we wanted without refusing to do his duty. Through his man in charge of registration of commercial subjects, Kanacki demanded that we bring to him the original document about the registration of ABC PRODUKT in Belgrade.

We submitted the original document for inspection, but we were asked to notorize the photocopies by Belgrade Commercial Court. When we managed to do that, we were asked to bring a certificate that legal subject by the name of ABC PRODUKT had been registered with Belgrade Commercial Court. We were astonished by their demand, since that was something quite out of the ordinary. However, it didn't take me long to realize that it was a sort of marry-go-round, thought of by Arezina and Kanacki. Kanacki was to demand something, which we couldn't obtain from Arezina and we would go on spinning round and round.

Just in case I was wrong, we submitted a request to Belgrade Commercial Court asking them to issue us with a certificate proving that ABC PRODUKT Company existed.

Dozens of times after that we pressed for the certificate to be issued. Six months later, we still couldn't obtain it. What we got was pre-bankruptcy proceedings in ABC PRODUKT. Milena Arezina and YL had trapped us.

I spoke with Slavoljub Kacarevic, urging him to try and set up a meeting with Milena Arezina. Nothing came out of it. However, there are strange twists in life. Our meeting with Milena Arezina happened quite accidentally in September of 2000. She was not very happy about the meeting. It occurred in the office of her secretary. She had just come in, when Slavoljub Kacarevic and I introduced us. She seemed totally confused. She stopped, then she said: "How dare you come all the way

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here?" She then asked me what it was that we wanted, not trying to conceal that we were annoying her. She eventually agreed to speak with us for a few moments in front of her office. She told us that we had caused her a lot of harm by our writings in GLAS JAVNOSTI. She was very surprised when she learned that we had registered a firm with Belgrade Commercial Court the previous year. She was astonished at "the disloyalty of her judges" for permitting such registration. She even said that had she known that, she would have contested our request or at least kept back the documents.

In the end, we again proposed to meet with her and try to find solution for all the misunderstandings between Belgrade Commercial Court and our firms. She only replied, as she was entering her office: "We have just had a talk."

We have never managed to meet with Milena Arezina again.

Reply to Goran Josifovic, the director of PRO-TECH TEAM

Oh, that fateful October 5

Monday last, we published a reaction of Goran Josifovic, the director of PRO-TECH TEAM from Belgrade on our feuilleton – 700 DAYS OF TERROR, FEAR AND HOPE. Mr. Josifovic objects to the fact that the author had not checked with Belgrade Commercial Court whether his firm was registered or not and for not spelling correctly the name of the firm: PRO-TECH TEAM instead of PROTEKT TIM.

Although he was present at the time, Mr. Josifovic must have forgotten the following:

His armed employees stormed the premises in 8, Vlajkovic Street without uttering a single word. They refused to identify themselves or to say who was sending them.

The fact remains that when they came to the premises of ABC GRAFIKA, "his security guards" had no documents authorizing them to be there, nor licenses for carrying weapons. Their coming to Vlajkovic Street was an act of violence under the aegis of Belgrade Commercial Court.

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After the arrival of police from Stari Grad police station, those "nice young men" had to explain that they did not have any documents with them and licenses for carrying arms.

Was it for that reasons that police asked them to come to the police station?

When Mr. Josifovic showed up in GLAS JAVNOSTI, he also refused to identify himself or say who has sent him or why. The fact that one of the journalists had manager to squeeze out from one of the security guards information that PROTEKT TIM and not PRO-TECH TEAM as Mr. Josifovic insists, employed them is not to be blamed on the author of the text.

Mr. Josifovic suppresses in his letter the fact that the whole matter was resolved in the police station "by one phone call" and that "the nice guys" returned to 8, Vlajkovic Street without giving any information as to who they were. The fact that one of them fired a shot the next morning could be attributed to chance or not, depending how one looks at those things.

Further, Mr. Josifovic claims that his firm has permit for possession of arms, which was never questioned, the fact remains that none of "the nice guys" had those permits with them. How were we to determine whether they had permits or not, by looking at tea leaves? Talking about good manners in that situation was quite beside the point.

Mr. Josifovic maintains that they were there legally. He mentions a contract signed between bankruptcy manager of ABC GRAFIKA and PRO-TECH TEAM Company. It seems that Mr. Josifovic was not aware of the events taking place in ABC PRODUKT, although media coverage was quite impressive at the time – about pressure exercise against our company by Commercial Court. If he was aware of the events in our company, could it be possible that he had decided to violate all the moral principles of a businessman for the sake of easy money. Or perhaps, it was easier for him to use the tidal wave on which YL was riding and obtain some benefits for himself? Why care about the others, it was their problem.

Mr. Josifovic objects to our writing about PRO-TECH TEAM, although that name was never mentioned in the text. Nevertheless, he concludes that

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it is his own company. He must have recognized the modus operandi of his "nice guys" and that made him angry. Why?

And, finally, dear Mr. Josifovic, you are offering an agreement on some future cooperation. Did it take the events of October 5, for coarse, uncultivated, and uncivilized business behavior to be transformed into normal, cultivated, and civilized business relation? Last year we could not talk about cooperation, now we have no need for that. I wish you good health and all the best in your future business dealings.

Radisav Rodic

TOMORROW: SALVATION THROUGH PRAYER

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46) Salvation through Prayer in Belgrade Cathedral

I was deeply moved when I heard that a prayer meeting was held in Visoki Decani for us

Nearing the end of this tale of our sufferings and remembering everything we have been through in the past two years, there is one event, which had great importance to me and to many people around me. In the autumn of 1999, when persecution of my family and my associates began, when the premises of GLAS JAVNOSTI were sealed, when I was prevented from burying my mother with dignity, when YL bullies started attacking ABC PRODUKT and its daughter companies, a distinguished church dignitary called me one evening. He told me: "Radisav Rodic, you have no reason to fear anyone or anything. We have known each other for a long time; I know what you do and how you do it. You have helped us a lot, but not only us. We cannot help you, but be sure that we are always there with you and for you, and if it of any consequence to you, we are praying for your health and the health of those near to you."

I was surprised, but also deeply moved. I know that I have tried to do good to the others, perhaps I had been unjust sometimes, but such support of the Christian Orthodox Church dignitaries was unexpected. It had been great encouragement, at that moment. When we received information that monks from Visoki Decani Monastery in Kosovo-Metohija have decided, in December of 1999, to hold a prayer service for our salvation, I got an idea. When I found out that the news was received with great approval by the employees of GLAS JAVNOSTI and ABC GRAFIKA, I suggested to the Management that we organize a prayer service in Belgrade Cathedral. I had the following leaflet published:

With the Blessing of the Patriarch

"We are informing the public that on Wednesday, December 22 of 1999, at 10 o'clock in the Cathedral dedicated to the Archangel Mihail, in Belgrade, with the blessing of the Patriarch Pavle, a prayer service to Mary, the Holly Queen, for our salvation, protection and success in work of our newspaper, GLAS JAVNOSTI and our Printing Company, ABC GRAFIKA, for the

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better future of us all and our families, as well as all our readers and all the people of good will, and all the Serbs, here and abroad would be held.

The prayer service would be lead by the Sabac-Valjevo bishoup, mister Lavrentije, together with priests and deacons of the Cathedral.

We are inviting our readers, friends and all people of good will to come to Belgrade Cathedral on Wednesday, so that we could pray together for our salvation and for the right to work and live from the proceeds of our work in a way worthy of men, who have the right to difference in opinion.

We are asking the bishoups and the heads of all Serbian Orthodox Churches, both in the country and abroad to hold prayer services for salvation, regeneration, deliverance from all evils, and survival of Serb nation as a whole."

On Wednesday, December 22, 1999, prayer service was held in Belgrade Cathedral dedicated to Archangel Mihail. The newspapers informed the following day about this event. Bishoup Lavrentije had said: "In these troubled times, we have to preserve those qualities which make us human, because that is the only way to overcome the difficulties we are faced with." The prayer service was attended by several hundred of our readers and friends.

Today, it seems to me like a salutary idea. Perhaps I am wrong, but I am deeply convinced that that prayer service served to save us all, our souls above all, but also our right to work, survive and prosper. It is true that we still had to face a lot of difficulties, and in a way we are still facing them today, in a different form, but there is certain hope that we are approaching better, more prosperous and happier times.

In the end I would like to quote Patriarch Pavle: "we need to preserve those qualities, which make us human, to forgive those who transgress, but never forget them."

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Reactions

Every Attorney has a Client he Deserves

What the attorney of hajji Dragan Antic has written in his letter, reacting to the feuilleton, 700 DAYS OF TERROR, FEAR AND HOPE, published on June 5, of this year, a whole team of lawyers would be hard put to unravel. Judging for his basic premise – the truth that is I – the attorney, among other things asserts that: "Rodic does not offer any evidence to substantiate his claim that hajji Dragan Antic had threatened him." He is very firm in his assertion, as though he had been present at that time in Antic's office, although it is a well-known fact that at that time Antic's attorney was Zdenko Tomanovic. Now it appears that Antic has confessed the truth and nothing but the truth to Dragoljub Todorovic. Who does not believe in that, the worse for him?

Evidence of that, hajji Dragan Antic's attorney finds in the text itself, using the method "Rodic versus Rodic." Where he had heard of this method (legal psychology and psychiatry don't teach about that), will remain his little secret. By pointing out the fact that Rodic and Antic called each other by nicknames, he draws the conclusion that, therefore, Antic couldn't have threatened Rodic!

Another interesting thing in his letter was the fact that he seemed to be able to read my thoughts, since he maintains that Antic and I spoke from opposing political positions and interests. I am thankful to him for classifying me with those who are Antic's opponents, although, to be absolutely truthful, I have never been that. That sphere of human activity had never interested me, neither then, or now.

The attorney allows himself to pass judgment, as though he were a psychiatrist, he informs us what is normal and what not.

He then says that "they don't threaten, they kill." One wanders whether the attorney has some special knowledge about the matter, bearing in mind the way he writes and what he writes. How else would he know that they don't threaten, but only kill?

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Threatening, everybody knows, is a felony. Every Law student has learned that, but even when a student skips a few classes, he can become an attorney. Not a top quality one, though.

Another thing that is taught in every Law School is that an attorney must not commit felony in the name of his client, the way Mr. Todorovic does: "the author lies, the author concocts..."

Hajji Dragan Antic's attorney gives another medical diagnosis: jealousy and envy, which, according to the attorney, the author of the feuilleton feels for Antic. It seems that the attorney has discovered a new profession: attorney-psychiatrist, an expert for the soul (anima), and an expert for the brain (cerebrum), a profession younger generations would call shortly, genius iskenius (shitius).

And another thing, the attorney criticizes me for behaving contrary to the moral standards of a businessman, since I had revealed the whole matter publicly. As though the attorney genius has just arrived from another planet, and is not aware of what has been happening to my firms, employees, my family, and myself in the past two years. Repeating that would be in bad taste, so I shall refrain from doing that. However I will repeat what legends of law have said – every attorney has a client he deserves.

Radisav Rodic

TOMORROW: FAREWELL TO OUR PERSECUTORS

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47) Farewell to our Persecutors

For two months, dear readers, we have usurped your attention, in the belief that we owed it to you; to inform you of the things that were going on behind the scenes for only one reason – that something like that would never happen again

Ending this text about two years of persecution, in which only the most interesting events were mentioned, I believe that it is necessary to note: more than 40 Magistrates have faithfully followed political orders of (mostly) YL and their young storm troopers from Belgrade. Their activity was not only illegal, but they also violated basic norms of human behavior. Judges of Belgrade Commercial Court, Senior Commercial Court, and Superior Court of Serbia were equally responsible. I can understand that those people were blackmailed, that the only income they had was the salary they received, but I cannot understand that dignity and honor could be sold. It should be noted that the above-mentioned judicial team was joined in persecution by the then director of Port of Belgrade, Customs-Free Zone "Beograd," Industry of colors and polishes "Duga" – Beograd...

A Poem as the Moral to the Story

Rudyard Kippling

"If "

If you can keep your head when all about you .. Are losing theirs and blaming it on you; If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, .. But make allowance for their doubting too; If you can wait and not be tired by waiting, .. Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies, Or, being hated, don't give way to hating, .. And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master; If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim; If you can meet with triumph and disaster

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.. And treat those two impostors just the same; If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken .. Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools, Or watch the things you gave your life to broken, .. And stoop, and build 'em up with worn-out tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings .. And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss, And lose, and start again at your beginnings .. And never breathe a word about your loss; If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew .. To serve your turn long after they are gone, And so hold on when there is nothing in you .. Except the Will, which says to them: "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, .. Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch; If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you; .. If all men count with you, but none too much; If you can fill the unforgiving minute .. With sixty seconds' worth of distance run Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it, .. And - which is more - you'll be grown up my child!

(In November of 1995, in an opinion poll conducted in England, this poem of the Nobel Prize winner, Rudyard Kipling was pronounced the most beautiful poem of all times)

It has been eight months now since October 5, 2000, and since the men who had harmed us have left the political and public scene.

For the people in the new Administration, this period was probably a short one. For us, former victims, it seemed like eternity, because in the past eight months, the property that was confiscated from us has not been returned, and the promises given to us have not been fulfilled. We are still waiting for the promises, easily given by the present Administration, to be honored. We are hoping that come October 5, 2001, we would not be in the same position – that nothing would have changed.

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We would be pleased to be able to announce on that day that many injustices done to us have been righted, to the satisfaction of the young people in the new Administration and the employees of ABC PRODUKT and GLAS JAVNOSTI, and, of course, our faithful readers without whom we couldn't have sailed between Scylla and Haribda with success.

THE END

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