22. 07. 2012

Competent organs to probe daily’s sale

Belgrade, July 22, 2012 (Tanjug, B92) - Competent state organs will look into the sale of daily Politika, the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) has stated.

"It will be probed in the next several days, so we cannot say much more about it for now," future Culture Minister Bratislav Petković has said.

SNS acting leader Aleksandar Vučić also stressed that the state bodies would look into the sale of Politika.

"The owner still has not come forward to say ‘I bought it because I love reading it so much and I was interested in Politika," he said.

Moscow-based East Media Group purchased 50 percent of shares in the company from the German group WAZ for EUR 4.7mn.

The SNS claimed that the Democratic Party (DS) was behind the sale and that it was the Democrats attempt to "suppress media freedom".

The United Regions of Serbia (URS) also said that the DS was behind the sale.

The Democrats have, however, denied the accusations, adding they posed danger to democracy.