07. 06. 2005

INVESTIGATION IN KRAGUJEVAC: PETAKOVIC AND KARADZIC DENYING ACCUSATIONS AND CLAIMING POLITICIZATION OF THE CASE

KRAGUJEVAC, June 7, 2005 – The Kragujevac District Court has launched an investigation of Predrag Petakovic, former director of RTV Kragujevac and Goran Karadzic, Chairman of the business association Serbian Television Network and member of the Broadcast Council, for alleged misappropriation of donor funds. Both Petakovic and Karadzic have denied the accusations, claiming the politicization of the case. They have given the statements to the Kragujevac Court investigative magistrate. Despite the fact that the Court demanded detention for Petakovic and Karadzic, the Council of Judges had decided to release them after the hearing. The Kragujevac Court investigative magistrate Dubravka Damjanovic told media that Petakovic, current deputy director of the Serbian Television Network, is suspected to have signed a harmful annex of the contract on cooperation with Cable Distributive System (KDS) in early 2002 while he was director of the RTV Kragujevac. Petakovic is suspected of damaging RTV Kragujevac for approximately 30 million of dinars and of misappropriation of 8,4 thousand euros which he received from the organization Forum for South East Europe as a deputy director of the Serbian Television Network. The funds were received as a donation for the program “Arena” to be broadcast on the television stations, members of the Network. Petakovic is also suspected of allegedly misappropriating 8,2 million dinars from August 1999 to September 2001, while he was deputy director of TV Kragujevac, and in the period of November 2000 to September 2004, when he was the director of this media. According to the judge, part of the donor funds was received through ANEM. Damjanovic also said that Goran Karadzic, president of the Serbian Television Network Assembly, had allegedly misappropriated 8.400 euros received as a donation from the Forum for South East Europe for broadcasting the program “Arena”. Speaking for B92, Predrag Petakovic said that all allegations were ungrounded and politicized. These accusations were politically motivated, since the current executive authority in Kragujevac headed by the mayor Veroljub Stevanovic, is settling scores with members of the Democratic Party in this Central Serbian town. Goran Karadzic, member of the Broadcast Council, has also denied allegations claiming that the case was motivated solely by political reasons. The Broadcast Council will discuss the investigation of Goran Karadzic, nominated by the Vojvodina Parliament for the Council member, for alleged misuse of donor funds on Wednesday. ANEM statement POLITICISED INVESTIGATION OF FORMER DIRECTOR OF RTV KRAGUJEVAC BELGRADE, June 6, 2005 – It has come to the notice of the Association of Independent Electronic Media that Kragujevac Court investigating magistrate Dubravka Damjanovic has launched an investigation of Predrag Petakovic, the former director of ANEM member Radio Television Kragujevac. Mr. Petakovic is also vice-chairman of this Association’s Management Board. The investigation concerns alleged misappropriation of funds from donations, among other matters, and ANEM has been mentioned in this context. ANEM wishes to remind the public of certain facts that marked the period in which the Serbian electronic media fought repression by the regime of Slobodan Milosevic and campaigned for democratic change, as well as the role it had in this period. The Association has good reason to be proud of its record in this struggle. As part of its activities during this difficult period, ANEM brought the independent and professional media in Serbia together and helped its members to make contact with donors who were able and willing to help. However at no point were funds actually channeled through ANEM and it is well known that donors monitored the spending of these funds closely. Had there been any case of such funds being misused, ANEM would have been the first to receive a complaint. Such a complaint has never been received by this association from any donor concerning Radio Television Kragujevac or any ANEM member. During Predrag Petakovic’s tenure, first as deputy director then as director, Radio Television Kragujevac was transformed into a respected and popular station which was frequently cited as an example of a professional and high-quality broadcaster with serious prospects for successful privatization and further development. The ANEM Assembly has twice shown its confidence in Mr. Petakovic, electing him first as a member and then as a member and vice-chairman of the Managing Board. ANEM is particularly concerned by the potential for politicization of this case. We have repeatedly warned of the delay in privatization of local public broadcasters which are operated by municipal and city assemblies, as is Radio Television Kragujevac. Such delays lead to dismissals motivated solely by political reasons, of entire managements in the wake of local elections and to the exploitation and abuse of media for political purposes. Predrag Petakovic was dismissed for political reasons after the last local elections and the change of local government in Kragujevac. That dismissal has now been followed by an investigation of the former director for alleged misappropriation of donor funds while he was deputy director. We note that the former director of Radio Television Kragujevac under whom Petakovic served as deputy is involved in the case only as a witness. The fact that the party to which this witness belongs is now back in power in Kragujevac and that the party to which Mr. Petakovic belongs is now opposition in the city makes us concerned that this case may have a political background. While not wanting in any way to prejudice the outcome of these proceedings, ANEM notes that the investigation of Petakovic will also be a real test of the independence of the Serbian judiciary. We would like to believe that the judiciary is up to this test.