Portak KRIK has published the results of a survey which show that among Serbian politicians the most impressive property they have a minister Bratislav Gasic, who with his family members owns an ethno-village, apartments, buildings and land worth more than 23 million euros, and Nenad Popović, whose companies in Russia, despite the sanctions imposed by the United States of America, generate multimillion-dollar revenues.
KRIK conducted research as part of its work on the database of politicians' assets.
According to reports, behind Gašić and Popović is former minister Irena Vujović, who with her family members owns real estate, mostly located in the Belgrade neighborhood of Dedinje, worth over 13 million euros, while minister Darko Glišić built a hacienda near Ub, the value of which is estimated at 650.000 euros.
Photo: FoNet / Office for cooperation with the mediaMinister Nenad Popović
KRIK also reveals that officials and their spouses avoid being held accountable before the law, ignore summonses and court decisions, and call for immunity, which is why the procedures drag on and become obsolete, and they bear no responsibility.
Of the 32 ministers of the Government of Serbia formed last year, whose property was investigated by KRIK, only two wanted to talk to journalists and answer citizens about how they acquired real estate and comment on the proceedings against them.
The road that connects Kruševac with Jastrebac mountain passes through the village of Velika Lomnica, and in one part of it, opposite the village cemetery, there is a row of densely planted trees. It hides part of Defense Minister Bratislava Gašić's huge estate from passers-by.
From the road, you can go down to the part of the estate that is open to visitors, where Gašić and members of his family are creating an ethno-village - the construction of a series of houses that will be available for rent is underway. Next to the church, a greenhouse where vegetables are grown, as well as a part representing a mini zoo with domestic animals, were seen by KRIK journalists who toured this huge property, probably the largest owned by a domestic politician. The minister has practically appropriated public goods - a river that now flows through his property, but also a road that is important for the local population. Then you reach the stud farm called El Dadico. The second part of the property is fenced and private - intended for the Gašić family and their guests. Apart from the secluded villa well hidden from the view of unwanted visitors, Gašić built several other buildings around it, as can be seen in the aerial photographs. The estate is estimated to be worth over 1,7 million euros.
This is, however, only a part of the wealth of Bratislava Gašić, which he has acquired in the period since he has been in power. He and his family own buildings, apartments and land in his native Kruševac, apartments and land in Belgrade, as well as office space in Knez Mihailova in this city, apartments, office building and facilities in Niš. All this is worth more than 23 million euros, the real estate agency hired by KRIK calculated. It is not clear how Gašić and his family members managed to buy all this with their modest salary. You can read the details of the minister's wealth in his profile in KRIK's politician assets database.
Photo: Tanjug/Jadranka IlićFormer Minister of Environmental Protection Irena Vujović
Darko Glišić, the Minister for Public Investments and one of the most important members of the Serbian Progressive Party, also built his own hacienda, although far more modest than Gašić's. In a village not far from his native Ub, he surrounded the property owned by his mother with a high fence. Several houses, a basketball and beach volleyball court were built. Most of the newly built buildings were built illegally - without a building permit and were not registered.
The origin of the money invested in this property is unknown, and according to appraisers, it is worth over 650.000 euros. Apart from this, Glišić owns an apartment in Ubu and land in another village not far from this city, and members of his immediate family in the same city and the surrounding area own apartments and garages, as well as land. This property of the immediate Glišić family is valued at more than one million euros.
But this is not all. KRIK also discovered that Glišić's former emotional partner, an employee of the Postal Savings Bank in Kraljevo, bought an apartment in Kraljevo during the period they were together, as well as apartments in popular Serbian tourist centers - Kopanik and Divčibare, worth over 175.000 euros.
The families of other prominent politicians also increased their assets after their relatives came to power.
Thus, Aleksandar Martinović's mother, a pensioner, bought two apartments in the last ten years, one in Belgrade and one in Novi Sad. These apartments are worth around 350.000 euros.
Read the complete story about the assets of Serbian politicians on the KRIK website
