<nettime> Radio B92 seeks return of equipment held illegally by Srbijasume

[mediawatch-owner@freeb92.net]

RADIO B92 press release

Radio B92 seeks return of equipment held illegally by Srbijasume

BELGRADE, November 5, 2000 - Radio B92 has filed charges against the
public company Srbijasume seeking to annul the contract establishing
the joint company Srbijasume B92, which broadcasts as Terra
Television.  We have incontrovertible information that the contract
establishing the joint company, between the former usurping management
Radio B92 and Srbijasume, is a damaging and illegal agreement,
recklessly entered into to the disadvantage of Radio B92.      

Under that contract, Radio B92 contributed to the joint company its
valuable television production and transmission equipment.
Srbijasume's investment appears to be a fiction.  It is defined as
'the right to additional construction ad the adaptation of certain
facilities' which is forbidden under the law.    

The documents establishing the company, which could only have been
accepted by such a judge as the disgraced Milena Arezina, describe
Srbijasume as the majority shareholder, thus giving it control of the
entire company through its representatives on the board of management.
Aleksandar Nikacevic who, as director, signed the contract on behalf
of Radio B92, immediately become director of the joint company,
continuing to receive a salary from Srbijasume, where he is still
employed.

This "ecological television station", regarded by many as one of the
most blatant program pirates in Belgrade, was also one of the most
aggressive promoters of the Yugoslav Left and the Socialist Party of
Serbia in the recent election campaign.  Terra Television also
provided commercial airtime to Srbijasume free of charge.  Thus it is
obvious that the entire project has been based on an attempt to annex
somebody else's property to Srbijasume, through reckless business
dealings and violation of the law, to the disadvantage of Radio B92.       

Once Radio B92 was returned into the hands of its legitimate owners,
we demanded that Srbijasume return our equipment which had been
invested in the joint company and assume all obligations under this
intentionally damaging contract.  The director of Srbijasume made
public statements saying that the company would accept that demand.
Subsequently, however, it became apparent that the Srbijasume
management, particularly the company's media division and its director
Petar Savic, now planned to establish their own television station and
were in fact attempting to obstruct this deal and again undermine
Radio B92.  This was obvious when, despite pledges given at a meeting
the company refused to turn over the equipment to Radio B92 for
safekeeping until all disputed issues were resolved, although this
equipment is undeniably Radio B92's investment.            

The equipment in question was removed from the Radio B92 studios in
Dom Omladine between the September 24 elections and the October 5
revolution and stored clandestinely in the premises of the Srbijasume
Institute.  At the same time, Srbijasume moved to expeditiously wind
up the joint company, concealing the documents involved in this
procedure from Radio B92, in order to preserve the option of paying
the company's debts from the sale of Radio B92's equipment, because
Srbijasume B92 has never owned any other property.  The information
received by Radio B92 indicates that copyright fees, unpaid leases,
unpaid salaries and other obligations have made this debt very high
indeed.          

Radio B92 considers that these damaging and illegal activities
included criminal offences committed by certain individuals who still
refuse to compensate Radio B92 for damage.  Those individuals will be
charged.  Radio B92 expects that in this, and similar cases seeking
redress for the consequences of quasi-legal violence and theft, the
new authorities will implement the law promptly and that those
responsible will be punished, that all equipment will be returned and
Radio B92 compensated for other damage.       

We appeal to all professional organisations, our journalist colleagues
and our audience both at home and abroad to display their solidarity
with us and assist us in reclaiming our property which has been seized
and held by various parasitic groups left over from the Milosevic
regime.    

For Radio B92,
Sasa Mirkovic, Director
 
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