PART OF ROOF FALLS FROM RENOVATED BELGRADE MEDICAL FACULTY BUILDING: Dean Claims Roof Was Not Reconstructed!

A portion of the roof from the Belgrade Faculty of Medicine Dean’s Office building, which was renovated last year and the year before, fell off yesterday. The state invested 3.5 million euros in this project, which also included the reconstruction of the Institute of Pathology building. However, the Faculty of Medicine claims that no work was carried out on the Dean’s Office roof itself during this time. Work on the second building within the complex, also covered by the contract, is still ongoing, despite being scheduled for completion within 450 days.

The contract for the reconstruction, adaptation, sanitation, and capital maintenance of the Faculty of Medicine Dean’s Office building and the “Dr Đorđe Jovanović” Institute of Pathology building in Belgrade was awarded by the Ministry of Public Investments to a group of companies led by Jugogradnja from Belgrade, according to documentation available on the Public Procurement Portal.

They were the sole bidders for the tender, valued at 417,324,154.93 dinars with VAT, or approximately 3.5 million euros. The contract was concluded in January 2023, with a specified work duration of 450 days. Although the documentation on the portal does not specify the exact start date of the works, the Faculty of Medicine confirmed to Nova.rs that the Dean’s Office building was renovated during 2023 and 2024.

What Was Reconstructed on the Dean’s Office Building?

As stated by the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Professor Dr. Tatjana Simić, for Nova.rs, only facade work on the Dean’s Office building and asphalting of the parking lot were carried out during the reconstruction.

Interestingly, as the Dean noted, work on the Institute of Pathology is still in progress, even though the contract stipulated that all works should be completed within 450 days. Dean Simić stated that the roof of the Faculty of Medicine itself was not reconstructed last year.

“Last year, only facade work on the Dean’s Office building and the asphalting of the parking lot were carried out. A part of the roof covering was replaced in 2015. Expert supervision is currently on site and is determining what led to the fall of the sheet metal roof section,” she explained in written answers to Nova.rs’s questions.

Majority of Works Carried Out by Jugogradnja

The majority of the reconstruction work, over 97 percent, was carried out by Jugogradnja from Belgrade. This company, according to data from the Business Registers Agency, is 90 percent owned by Nenad Radonjić, with the remaining 10 percent belonging to Marko Radonjić.

Nenad Radonjić is a civil engineer who founded this construction company in 1992 as a firm for the construction of residential and non-residential buildings. Before that, he worked in the Military Directorate for Housing Stock Maintenance, as well as in the then state-owned companies Jugodrvo and Mostogradnja.

Jugogradnja presents itself on its website as an engineering and construction company that has been operating in the Serbian market for construction and reconstruction of buildings for 30 years.

Previous Projects and Financial Performance

They state that they have worked on the expansion and reconstruction of the hospital in Aranđelovac and the student dormitory of the “Sonja Marinković” Agricultural School in Požarevac. They also built apartments for displaced persons in Novi Sad and Vrbas, as well as residential and commercial buildings at several locations in the Belgrade municipality of Stari Grad. Since 2010, the company, as they boasted, has been involved in funds financed by the Delegation of the European Union in Serbia.

One of the projects carried out by Jugogradnja was the reconstruction of the facade of the Republic Geodetic Authority (RGZ) in Belgrade.

According to the financial report for 2024, the company has 85 employees. Last year, its business revenues were approximately 1,753,503,000 dinars, which is about 15 million euros, and they achieved a profit of 146 million dinars, which is about 1.2 million euros. Compared to 2023, their revenues increased by about 530 million dinars, or about 4.5 million euros. During that period, of course, their profit also increased by 63 million dinars, or about half a million euros.

In previous years, as shown by reports available in the APR database, Jugogradnja also recorded growth in business revenues and profit, but not to this extent as in 2024 compared to 2023.

In addition to Jugogradnja, Alfaco Inženjering from Čačak, Watchout Security from Kragujevac, and KVM Tehnik from Smederevo also participated in the reconstruction of the buildings belonging to the Faculty of Medicine.

Čačak-based Alfaco Inženjering is a company engaged in the design, execution, and maintenance of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems, with 80 percent of the company owned by Dragan Jović and 20 percent by Radovan Pešić.

Watchout Security from Kragujevac is wholly owned by Vesna Jaćimović and provides physical and technical security services to legal and natural persons, while KVM Tehnik from Smederevo is a company that installs security fire protection systems.