On Monday portal KRIK published a story about Predrag Mali, brother of Serbian Finance Minister Sinisa Mali, in which we proved that he has been using apartment and a car owned by „Millennium team“, a private company engaged in numerous state-funded projects. On the same day pro-government tabloid „Serbian Telegraph“ started publishing false accusations against KRIK, they claimed that our journalist was following Predrag Mali’s wife and their baby and on its website as an “evidence” the tabloid published a video of an unknown man, which clearly is not one of KRIK’s journalists.

In the continuation of their bizarre campaign against KRIK, „Serbian Telegraph“ has presented KRIK’s investigative story as an attack on Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic. They published an article titled “How is the plan for the collapse of government and Serbian President being implemented: They attack Vucic even through the babies“. The article falsely states that our journalist has approached Predrag Mali’s wife while she was with her baby, “jumped in front of her in the middle of the street and followed her to the entrance of the building“.

These claims have been supported by security camera footage that allegedly depicts how the KRIK’s journalist followed Mali’s wife. Video, however, shows an unknown male, who obviously is not one of KRIK team members.

Several government representatives have been quoted it that same article – Zorana Mihajlovic, Goran Vesic, Miroslav Lazanski, Vojislav Seselj, Nikola Nikodijevic, Milos Vucevic and Dubravka Filipovski. They have made statements for the tabloid about this case, regardless of the fact that it is completely fabricated.

This article was republished by other media – portals „B92“, „Kurir“, „Alo“, „Pink“.

On Tuesday, Milan Ladjevic, editor-in-chief of “Serbian Telegraph” was guest of a morning TV show on “Pink” television and during his appearance he has even accused KRIK of using the “Japanese surveillance method”.

“Japanese surveillance method allows that target notices that you are there, it is used for intimidation. Can you believe that somebody sends a spy or a journalist, I do not know how to call this man (he talks about a person from the video)? Someone has been stalking a mother with a baby for days”, said Ladjevic.

However, during the same TV show Ladjevic has admitted that he and his journalists do not really know who is the person from the video they published and that they are still checking his identity. This has not stopped them to publicly lie and mark our journalists as stalkers.

By publishing false accusations, pro-government tabloid „Serbian Telegraph“ endangers the safety of our team and we have again started receiving death threats on our social media profiles.

Today “Serbian Telegraph” has continued its smear camping against KRIK, this tabloid is constantly publishing new lies about our journalists.

KRIK, we recall, adheres to the highest standards of journalism and respects the rights of the persons it reports, as well as the rights of their family members.

KRIK journalists have visited the building in which Predrag Mali lives, but none of KRIK journalists has spoken or followed his wife. The building was visited with the aim of verifying that Mali is still driving “Audi a6”, which was given to him by the private company “Millennium Team”, as we have already explained in our new investigative story. KRIK discovered that the Predrag Mali, apart from that car, was using the apartment owned by this company, in which his previous girlfriend has lived.

It is important to mention that company “Millennium Team” is engaged in the most valuable state-funded projects in Serbia, including “Belgrade Waterfront”.

Experts we talked with regarding this case have agreed that such relationship between individuals close to people in power and private companies can be interpreted as a classic example of corruption.

Read the entire story in Serbian here.

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