SNS TYCOONS SOLD OFF LUXURIOUS STATE VILLAS: Properties were also purchased through the Commissariat for Refugees! Price – state secret!

Once state-owned villas and apartments in attractive locations are now owned by the new business elite, which includes arms dealer Slobodan Tešić and President’s godfather Nikola Petrović. The Club of Parliament Members has been leased, and unofficially could also be purchased, by Aleksandar Kajmaković, Aca Bosanac, while the list of “tenants” of the remaining state-owned villas and information on rental prices have been declared a – state secret

Half of the state-owned villas that the state property rental company Dipos was leasing 11 years ago are now owned by the new business elite that emerged during the rule of the Serbian Progressive Party, well-known and controversial businessmen, individuals and their private companies, an investigation by Radar has shown. On the other hand, information about the new tenants of the remaining properties, which are still owned by the state and therefore by the citizens of Serbia, as well as their rental prices, has been declared a – state secret.

One of the largest arms dealers in the region and one of the financiers of the SNS, Slobodan Tešić, first extended his lease on a villa in Dedinje with Dipos all the way until 2043, and then bought it as the sole bidder, with the burden of his own sublease. Nikola Petrović, the godfather of Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, also acquired a luxury property in Košutnjak, which he had previously rented from the state. From 2012 to 2016, he was director general of the state-owned company Elektromreža Srbije, and he is now the owner or co-owner of the EL&MI group and a whole series of affiliated companies.

Unofficially, it can be heard that the famous and newly renovated Club of Parliament Members in Tolstojeva is now leased by Aleksandar Kajmaković, a controversial businessman who was arrested over links to Veljko Belivuk’s clan, and there is also speculation that he will buy it.

It is unlikely that 2015 will be repeated anytime soon, when the Anti-Corruption Council published a report stating that Dipos had leased and sold luxury properties to privileged individuals at bargain prices, without public announcements, i.e. through direct deals. It was then revealed that the tenants of state-owned properties included senior officials, directors of public companies, people from criminal circles, as well as entertainers, and that Dipos had valued a villa in an elite part of Belgrade at 15,000 euros, while two apartments in the wider city center were valued at less than 2,500 euros.

Dipos claims that if they reveal the names, clients could initiate legal proceedings

Such revelations, at least while this government is in power, will be difficult to see again, because the Government of Serbia decided to mark the list of tenants and rental prices, as well as contracts, as “confidential.” This follows from the response Radar received from Dipos. As stated, the confidentiality designation was removed only for the purposes of conducting proceedings before state authorities, which were initiated precisely to collect unpaid bills (for rent and additional rental-related expenses).

Dipos ignores the fact that it leases properties owned by citizens and that it is illogical to hide from them information about who lives in their properties and how much rent they pay. And perhaps precisely because there is something to hide, especially considering how these villas are getting new owners.

“Otherwise, apart from submitting lease agreements to the courts handling court proceedings, i.e. other state authorities, the Company (Dipos – ed.) could not conduct proceedings or collect debts from negligent tenants… We emphasize that, in order to protect data (which, before the removal of the ‘confidential’ designation, was protected), the Company included a confidentiality provision in the lease agreements, regulating the rights and obligations concerning the protection of personal data and the confidentiality of information that may be exchanged as a consequence of business activities arising from the lease agreements,” Dipos wrote in its response to the request Radar submitted, citing the Law on Free Access to Information of Public Importance.

Dipos’ response also states that all tenants were informed of the confidentiality provision when signing their lease agreements and agreed to the provision, “and if the Company were to make publicly available data that had been contractually defined as confidential, it would breach the contractual obligation it had itself established.”

“Also, if the Company were to make the requested data publicly available, the other contracting party could initiate court proceedings against the Company for violating the provisions of the lease agreement. We particularly emphasize that in the event of non-compliance with contractual obligations by the Company, there would be a significant risk to future business cooperation with potential clients, and thus a risk to the Company’s operations and the realization of expected profit,” Dipos stated.

Among the buyers of state-owned villas is ANH Holding Limited, which the media claim is owned by Mohamed Alabbar. The Arab billionaire, whose Eagle Hills is the majority owner of Belgrade Waterfront, also bought a luxury property at 38 Užička Street, while President Vučić has repeatedly called him a “friend.”

That state-owned company completely ignores the fact that it leases properties owned by Serbian citizens and that it is completely illogical to hide information about who lives in its properties and how much the tenants pay. And perhaps precisely because there is something to hide, especially considering the path by which Dipos’ – or rather, our – properties are getting new owners, beginning with leases.

How the villa rented by Nikola Petrović was bought by his wife

The most valuable properties in the Dipos portfolio were generally villas in Dedinje. There were around 40 of them on the list, and Radar’s investigation showed that half are now privately owned. Almost all those located on Beogradskog bataljona Street have been sold. They were bought mostly by private companies, but also by individuals.

Among the buyers is Goran Đoković, uncle of famous tennis player Novak Đoković, as well as Maja Petrović, wife of Nikola Petrović, controversial businessman and Aleksandar Vučić’s godfather. While he was director of the state-owned company Elektromreža Srbije, he rented this villa on Beogradskog bataljona Street, and when Dipos announced its sale, Petrović denied that he would be the buyer.

And indeed, Nikola Petrović did not submit an offer to purchase the villa, which was ultimately sold to Mladen Vuković, the owner of a marketing agency. Just one month later, however, there was a twist, because that was enough time for Petrović’s wife to buy the villa from Vuković. According to KRIK, Dipos offered the 182-square-meter villa in the elite part of Košutnjak for sale at a price of around 312,000 euros.

Slobodan Tešić, the arms dealer who is under sanctions imposed by the U.S. Department of the Treasury, also bought a villa on Maglajska Street from the state, which he had previously rented. Immediately before the sale was announced, Tešić extended the lease agreement until 2043, giving him an advantage from the start. If someone else had bought the villa, they would have had Tešić as a tenant until 2043. It is not known how much he paid for the property, but the advertisement published by Dipos stated that the property was being sold at a starting price of 4.47 million euros.

Tešić also purchased a state-owned villa on Mihaila Mike Jankovića Street. That property was also encumbered by a tenant until the end of 2033, although reportedly it was not Tešić. According to the 2015 report by the Anti-Corruption Council, the villa was rented by lawyer Zdenko Tomanović, who was also his lawyer in 2019, the Nova portal reported. The Republic Directorate for Property said that Tešić paid 2,510,000 euros for the property.

State-owned villa also bought by majority owner of Belgrade Waterfront

Among the buyers of state-owned villas is the company ANH Holding Limited, which, according to media reports, is owned by Mohamed Alabbar, whose Eagle Hills is the majority owner of Belgrade Waterfront. The Arab billionaire also bought a luxury property at 38 Užička Street, in the elite part of Dedinje.

Alabbar is known to the Serbian public not only as one of the investors in Belgrade Waterfront, but also as a man whom Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić has called “my friend” in several public appearances. It is evident that the villa on Užička Street has changed ownership, which can also be seen by inspecting the Land Registry, but it is not known at what price and under what conditions Alabbar came into possession of the property.

An especially unusual example is an apartment on Braće Grim Street in Belgrade’s Profesorska Kolonija neighborhood, where Dipos’ tenant was a certain Željko Šašić. Eight years older, but incomparably less famous than the Serbian folk singer of the same name, he and his wife eventually became owners of the property. The two of them bought the apartment in Belgrade from Dipos through the Commissariat for Refugees for just 32,600 euros, paid in installments.

The Anti-Corruption Council revealed that Šašić had rented the state-owned apartment when it published the list of Dipos tenants. The report did not state either the price or the size of the apartment, but his name was listed alongside the apartments available for rent. According to data from the Real Estate Cadastre, a mortgage was placed on the property, now owned by the Šašić spouses, in February 2024, with the Commissariat for Refugees listed as the mortgage creditor and Željko Šašić as the mortgage debtor. They are also listed as the contracting parties.

The state invested six million in renovating the Club of Parliament Members and then leased it to a private individual, who opened the exclusive Tolstoj club there. Officially, this is a secret, while unofficially the tenant of the property is Aleksandar Kajmaković, Aca Bosanac, who was arrested over links to Veljko Belivuk’s clan.

The document further states that a mortgage was registered based on a real estate purchase agreement and that both contracting parties agreed that the purchase price of the property was 3,814,983 dinars, or around 32,600 euros. It states that the buyer is obligated to pay the purchase price within 25 years, in 300 monthly installments, with each installment amounting to 12,716 dinars, or around 109 euros.

The buyer is obligated to pay the seller no later than the 15th of each month for the previous month, and if payment is not made for three consecutive months, or four installments within a year, the Commissariat has the right to terminate the agreement. The new owner also agreed to use the property with members of his household, to use it for residential purposes and not to sell it before five years have passed from the date of acquiring ownership rights. It is not known on what basis the Commissariat acquired the Dipos property or why it sold it at such a low price. We sent questions to the institution’s email address, but had not received a response by the time this article was published.

State renovated Club of Parliament Members for six million euros, then leased it

It remains to be seen what plans the state has for the Club of Parliament Members on Tolstojeva Street in Dedinje, into whose renovation it invested around six million euros, and then handed it over to a private individual, who opened the exclusive Tolstoj club there. Officially, the identity of the tenant of the property is classified information, while unofficially it can be heard that it is Aleksandar Kajmaković, better known by his nickname Aca Bosanac, who was arrested over links to Veljko Belivuk’s clan. He owns a whole series of famous Belgrade taverns, clubs and restaurants.

Some of the villas are not rented out because they are inhabited or used by the highest-ranking officials, such as Ana Brnabić, Tomislav Nikolić or Aleksandar Vučić. And it will be a real stroke of luck if these luxury properties remain state-owned. Because much has changed, but they have not agreed to move away from Dedinje.