22. 01. 2013

Belgrade mayor sues tabloid "for one billion euros"

Belgrade, january 22, 2013 (B92) - Belgrade-based Kurir tabloid announced on Monday that the mayor of Belgrade, Dragan Đilas, sued this paper for damages to personal honor and reputation.

Đilas, who is also leader of the opposition DS party, is "seeking damages of one billion euros", according to this.

In favor of this claim, the daily on Tuesday also publishes a facsimile of the suit, in which the sum of RSD 120 billion mentioned - approximately one billion euros.

By the end of the day, however, Đilas denied that he had asked for such damages, saying that it was a "ludicrous amount".

He explained that he had demanded damages from Kurir in the amount of the sum of which the tabloid had accused him of misappropriating.

"The request for compensation is for the same amount that Kurir wrote was in my possession. All the lawsuits I have filed are for the amounts which Kurir had charged me. The amount is, of course, ludicrous, just like the ludicrous claims that Kurir publishes about me", Đilas told Tanjug.

In response to the lawsuit, the newspaper, known for its sensationalist reporting, is calling for the protection of the public "from the pressure by one of the wealthiest and most powerful people in Serbia, intimidation and attempts to close down the paper".

The press release made by Kurir claims that Đilas also requested publishing negative articles against him to be prohibited by an emergency measure.

According to the lawsuit, Đilas is suing Kurir for "endured mental suffering due to the damage to personal honor and reputation".

In its response, the paper concludes that "Đilas's intention to try to shut down the most published daily newspaper in Serbia and intimidate journalists and editors is evident in this lawsuit, unprecedented in court history, after his attempts to put Kurir under his control have failed".

For months, Đilas was targeted by Kurir on an almost daily basis, which, since the government change which took place last summer, firmly took the side of the ruling Serb Progressive Party (SNS).

This paper was also used in the past by politicians for political confrontation and spinning the public opinion.