28. 11. 2013

Be quiet or pay 20 million dinars compensation

Belgrade, November 28, 2013 (Blic) MISKOVIC AND "DELTA" SUED BLIC

Miroslav Miskovic and companies Delta Holding and Hesmlade trading limited from Cyprus filed a lawsuit to High court against editorial staff of Blic for false information in the text "They connect Miskovic and Saric by facsimile", published October 22.

Besides demanding the text to be corrected, Miskovic and the two above-mentioned companies demand that the court temporarily forbids publishing of new texts on possible relations between Miroslav Miskovic and drug dealing boss Darko Saric. If the editorial staff ignores the ban, they ask that the indicted to pay 20 million dinars fine.

In the text of the lawsuit dating November 8, Miskovic and the two companies emphasize as untrue the information on the alleged cooperation between Miroslav Miskovic and Darko Saric via foreign companies in their ownership.

In the further text of lawsuit, in proposition for temporary measures, Miskovic and his companies ask from the court to forbid Blic to further publish information, which directly or indirectly mention them as owners or managers of the company cooperating with Darko Saric.

"Blic" believes that no judge will forbid journalists to investigate even such delicate topics like possible relations between big size business and even bigger size crime. That does not mean there will be no mistakes in this undertaking, but we do not see how Serbia can be a country of free media if anyone can be forbidden to deal with some sensitive topic. Therefore, "Blic" editorial staff is convinced that the High court will not adopt the proposed ban and in such way suspend unusually important role of the media in the society. "Blic" will continue to investigate and publish texts, in spite of this endeavor to quiet us up by court verdict.