The judge prohibited answers regarding Predrag Koluvija's contacts with the journalist for whose article he sued KRIK.

The first hearing was held regarding the lawsuit of Predrag Koluvija against the Crime and Corruption Research Network – KRIK, its editor-in-chief and responsible editor Stevan Dojčinović, and journalist Sara Smolović, for defamation and violation of the presumption of innocence in the article Operation “Zeppelin”: Koluvija was suspected of marijuana production even before “Jovanjica”.

Koluvija is demanding compensation in the amount of one hundred thousand dinars.

At today's hearing in the Higher Court in Belgrade, presided over by Judge Vladimir Miletić, the plaintiff Predrag Koluvija was heard, who stated before the court that he is a farmer by profession and was born in Düsseldorf. He is best known to the public for the criminal proceedings initiated against him before the Special Court on charges of drug production and distribution.

When asked by Judge Miletić what specifically offended him in KRIK's article, Koluvija replied – the association with the ruling party and the UDBA.

Chetnik Family and Denial of Links to UDBA and the Ruling Party

“I come from a Chetnik family, a migrant one. I present myself as a traitor to my own family,” Koluvija said, adding that his family is not immune to accusations that he is connected to the UDBA.

“I don’t have anyone in my circle who doesn’t think poorly of the UDBA, and imagine someone claiming that about me,” Koluvija stated, adding that the state service has participated in the liquidation of people from exile.

Koluvija claimed that KRIK journalists fabricate stories and associate him with “a gentleman he does not know,” while his business is also suffering, as his business partners are withdrawing from collaboration due to KRIK's reporting.

“Instead of having business meetings, I am justifying myself and talking about newspaper headlines,” Koluvija said, adding that no one wants to do business with his company because business partners believe he is under state protection and could take their jobs.

Koluvija also denied any connection with the ruling party.

“I have no ties to the party,” he said, adding that people from various sides “both from the position and from kindergarten and high school” have visited his estate.

Koluvija emphasized that he even supported the local opposition in resolving the landfill issue, which was also a problem for his business.

“It is not forbidden to talk and receive someone as a guest, but that does not mean I have connections with them,” Koluvija stated. When questioned by the defendants' attorney Kruna Savović whether his estate was visited by Aleksandar Vulin, then Minister of Labor, Dragan Sikimić, then Deputy Director of the National Employment Service, later Director of the Anti-Corruption Agency, Zoran Babić, former Director of “Corridors of Serbia,” and Dragomir Petronijević, former member of the City Council of Belgrade, Koluvija answered affirmatively.

Koluvija denied that he held presentations for state authorities regarding organic food, but only for the union and retired employees of the Ministry of Interior.

Additionally, Koluvija emphasized that he had no connection to the case from 2012 mentioned in the article, and that he spent eight months on Mount Athos in 2013/14.

Court Prohibited Questions About Koluvija's Communication with KRIK Journalist

Predrag Koluvija stated that the KRIK editorial team contacted him before publishing the article and that he was invited for an interview, but he declined, as he did not want his answers to be interpreted freely; he demanded that the integral version of the questions and answers be published.

Koluvija indicated that he offered KRIK to conduct the interview live, but the journalists refused. He mentioned that he does not remember if he sent a rebuttal or a request for correction of information in the mentioned article.

Attorney Kruna Savović asked Predrag Koluvija whether he communicated with the defendant journalist Sara Smolović after the article was published, whether he invited her to meet, to go for a walk, to have coffee or beer, and for what purpose Koluvija engaged in Twitter communication with the defendant journalist.

The judge dismissed these questions as unnecessary for this proceeding and issued a ruling prohibiting responses to them.

Koluvija stated that he has also sued numerous other media outlets regarding similar publications, but did not specify which ones. When asked whom he had sued, he replied, “All living ones, I don’t know.”

At the next hearing, scheduled for October 6, the editor-in-chief of KRIK Stevan Dojčinović and journalist Sara Smolović will be heard.

Source: Cenzolovka