Photo: Jelena Zorić"Vreme" reveals who the mysterious Ljubiša Knežević is, a man whom the President of the Republic Aleksandar Vučić called "one of the most influential millionaires in the country". We find him in a field near Trstenik, up to his waist in mud, plucking celery
Ljubiša Knežević, 65 years old, is one of the most famous "millionaires" in Serbia. The journalists of Forbes business magazine, nor Serbian businessmen, not even the controversial ones, have heard of him. Nevertheless, the president of the country, Aleksandar Vučić, often talks about him personally. The portal of the weekly Vreme reveals who the mysterious millionaire is from Počekovina, a village near Trstenik - where he keeps a lot of money while, as he says, a draft blows through his pockets.
We found him, recently, in a field, in mud up to his waist. He immediately became what one would call a "suspicious face". That is the Serbian "mud millionaire".
TIME: Good afternoon. Is all this field yours?
LJUBIŠA: My father's land, he is still alive, and I have been working in this field since childhood. Now I also take care of dad, the field, grandchildren.
VREME: What are you digging for, if not some jar of gold?
LJUBIŠA: We're pulling celery, we also have beets, and we'll dig up the jar only if we're lucky that the Turks hid it here.
Accusations of the President of the Republic
Let us remind you that all this year, from the lectern in the National Assembly to the microphone on televisions with a national frequency, the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, regularly names Ljubiša, the father-in-law of the opposition politician Miroslav Aleksić, as one of the most influential millionaires in the country.
"With Ljubiša Knežević, otherwise his father-in-law, his wife's father, he formed the Fund for the Improvement of Citizens' Resources, through which they extracted state money. The father-in-law moves to the National Employment Service in Trstenik and begins to make direct deals with his son-in-law and daughter. Then, from 2008 to 2012, payments were made to the account of the Fund for the Improvement of Resources of Miroslav Aleksić and citizens and the association 'Pesčanik', do you know how much? This one took 685 thousand euros. Well, those from Kolubara, more, those from Kolubara are small. This was for the tip they were taking from Kolubara," said President Vučić.
Where are your millions?
VREME: So where are you hiding the millions that, as the President of Serbia says, you stole from the state?
LJUBIŠA: Millions cannot hide. They can only be invisible if you don't have them, as I don't. I don't have them in the bank, nor in the straw bag, nor under my hat. Nor did I steal.
VREME: So how come you don't have millions when Vučić said on television? Here, to quote you, he said that you were transferring money to yourself "family inheritance, family treasure". "Take from the state, do what you can and that's it," said the President of the Republic.
LJUBIŠA: Well, you see, it's not only important what is said, but also who says it... So it's not true. I'm retired, not a millionaire.
TIME: May we ask you how much your pension is?
LJUBIŠA: You're welcome, just to get away from my family so they don't hear, I'm helping them with their pension too.
VREME: Oho, so some million pension?
Ljubiša: No, no, about 60 thousand dinars. Maybe someone thinks it's a rich pension, but we don't manage to push through if we don't also work in the fields.
What did 20.000 Vučić's aid go to?
VREME: But as a pensioner, you received a one-time aid of 20 thousand dinars, and that's what President Vučić said. Did you mean that?
LJUBIŠA: I immediately set fire to it, and a good part of it has already burned.
VREME: How did they burn 20 thousand dinars?
LJUBIŠA: I bought firewood, part of the wood for the winter with that money. The wife is also a pensioner and she invested her allowance. Well, now our hearts are warm as we listen to the lies about us echoed by the regime's media.
Letter from the President
TIME: As a pensioner, you recently received a letter from President Aleksandar Vučić. What does it say? That he didn't send you some secret message, secretly, so that your brother-in-law doesn't see it?
LJUBIŠA: And that letter went where the wood went. I lit it unopened.
VREME: You seem to be very offended, so why didn't you read the letter?
Ljubiša: How can I not be offended, the president of the country goes to China, I watch on television what is important to say, and he accuses me of being the organizer of the protest with my son-in-law Aleksić and Dragan Đilas. And I haven't driven away from Kruševac for more than two years.
Rolling stock
TIME: What do you drive when you go somewhere, do you have a Lamborghini or a McLaren? These millionaires who are the president's godfathers have such limousines, although he drives a 17-year-old Škoda.
LJUBIŠA: Well, I drive a tractor or a 22-year-old Peugeot. And my godfather drives an Ascona, in good condition, only 15 years old. Admittedly, now Vučić also made me a "millionaire", but as you can see, he is also a poor man.
Criminalization of the family of political opponents
The president named Ljubiša Knežević and his son-in-law Miroslav Aleksić not only as rich people, but also as criminals. Namely, Knežević worked in the National Employment Service and was accused from the highest state position of making lucrative deals directly with his son-in-law and thus breaking the law.
LjUBIŠA: When he was prime minister, Vučić signed the Government's measures on employment, and I, as an employee of the National Employment Service, only implemented the procedures that Vučić had approved. No one has ever blamed me for anything. For the last ten years, I only went to the police to renew my driver's license.
And those last ten years, since his son-in-law Miroslav Aleksić became an opposition politician, Ljubiša, until his retirement, spent in an office in the corner of a branch in Kruševac, where he was transferred from Trstenik.
LJUBIŠA: I knew it was a punishment, they moved me further away from home and I traveled to work every day, except when I was on sick leave for a month due to an operation. And now I'm waiting for a new operation, I'm waiting like everyone else, no one will accept me through the queue, it seems that no one believes the story that I'm a millionaire, so I don't have privileges on the medical lists.
Lies and deceptions
The son-in-law of this pensioner, Miroslav Aleksić, who is now one of the holders of the opposition list "Serbia against violence", reacted to the accusations that they got rich from crime and embezzlement.
"According to the good old custom, he told lies about me, that I stole 800.000 euros, before it was 300.000." His tabloids also announce that topic, that they will deal with that topic in the coming days and recycle some fabricated affair that was written about by 'Srpski telegraf' back in 2017. I then sued them and condemned them by force of law for the lies they told in this newspaper , but they obviously don't mind continuing to deal with it, with the sole aim of causing me political damage and trying to discredit me," he said.
Aleksić also says that no institution of the Serbian state has ever invited him to give a statement about the lies "that you have been telling about me all these years".
"Never. I have been questioned about the origin of my property since 2010, all cross-examined, and I stand here in front of the citizens of Serbia, aware of everything I say, and if I am responsible for anything, I demand that I answer for it. And we will discuss these media lies in court. When will the full truth be known. I will not be stopped by lies and deception, you will not stop me from fighting for a normal and orderly Serbia", concluded Aleksić.
Do you want to become a millionaire?
Ljubiša Knežević says that she is only involved in politics when she goes to vote. He insists on voting publicly and, in front of everyone, first circle the list with the name of Aleksandar Vučić, then cross it out and circle the political option he thinks is correct.
LJUBIŠA: In this way, I am sending a message to other pensioners or those blackmailed if they are forced to take a photo of their vote, that in this way they can prevent election irregularities and organized theft of forced votes. I was involved in politics before, since my son-in-law became a member of parliament, I retired because I don't want to talk about politics at home, since I also work the land, take care of my grandchildren, and I thought I would be calm in retirement, but I can't be bothered the window. This Vučić thought I was a millionaire, so that's it...
TIME: So is there a chance that it turns out that you really are a millionaire?
LJUBIŠA: Yes, if I apply to participate in the quiz "Do you want to become a millionaire".
Read daily news, analysis, commentary and interviews at www.vreme.com
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