The Higher Public Prosecutor's Office in Belgrade is requesting the recording of the conversation between Miler and Lučić from KRIK.

The prosecution states that they need the recording, which OCCRP and KRIK published at the end of August, due to a criminal complaint filed by United Group against several individuals. KRIK editor Stevan Dojčinović believes that the intention of the prosecution is to uncover the journalistic source, that is, who provided them with the recording.

Recently, the KRIK editorial office received a request from the Higher Public Prosecutor's Office in Belgrade for the submission of the audio recording of Lučić and Miler, which the prosecution claims is needed to verify the allegations from the criminal complaint filed by United Group.

"It is necessary for you to provide us with the original or the 'closest copy' of the audio recording, or if possible, the device with which the conversation was recorded… all for the purpose of verifying its authenticity, as well as for verifying the allegations from the criminal complaint," the letter from the prosecution states.

KRIK editor Stevan Dojčinović suggests that the content of the letter indicates that the prosecution actually wants to discover who the journalistic source is, that is, the person who provided the journalists with the recording.

"Instead of the prosecution focusing on the content of the conversation we published, or investigating whether there are criminal acts in the agreements between Miler and Lučić regarding the removal of the director of the Serbian media company and thereby exerting pressure on the media, it wants to investigate who the source of the recording is – in order to expose the whistleblower and punish them. This is evident from the content of the letter. However, this is not surprising in Serbia, given that the prosecution operates at the behest of President Vučić," says Dojčinović, adding that under domestic law, journalists are not obliged to reveal their sources.

KRIK published the recording of the conversation between Lučić and Miler on its YouTube channel at the end of August. In it, Lučić, a close associate of President Aleksandar Vučić, can be heard saying that Vučić requested the removal of Aleksandra Subotić, one of the key individuals at United Media – under whose management the media outlets N1, Nova S, Danas, and Radar operate.

"I cannot fire Aleksandra today, as we discussed, okay? I must make that company very small in Serbia, if you understand what I mean, and separate it," Miler can be heard saying.

The conversation took place in mid-August amid significant changes in ownership and management at United Group. In recent months, this company – controlled by the British private equity firm BC Partners – has sold several companies and broadcasting rights, with Telekom Srbija among the buyers. The state-owned company, as previously reported by the Raskrikavanje portal, purchased the diaspora TV platform, Total TV, and sports broadcasting rights for Sport Club for over 650 million euros.

Neither Miler nor Lučić has denied the authenticity of the recording or its content. United Group confirmed that the conversation took place and denied that Lučić or anyone else exerted pressure on them regarding Subotić's employment.

However, Vladica Tintor, the new director of the Serbian branch of United Group – who previously led the Serbian Regulatory Agency for Electronic Communications and Postal Services (RATEL) – filed a criminal complaint against unidentified individuals on October 2. On the same day, prosecutor Aleksandar Milošević requested the recording from KRIK to "verify its authenticity."

United Group's lawyer, Bogdan Gecić, told KRIK that he was not aware of such a criminal complaint.

Due to suspicions that BC Partners is involved in suppressing media freedoms in Serbia, the Youth Initiative for Human Rights (YIHR) filed complaints with regulatory bodies in the United Kingdom and called for an investigation. Additionally, the Initiative, along with several civil society organizations, sent a letter to BC Partners' investors urging them to withdraw their investments in this firm if it does not demonstrate a willingness to responsibly address this case.

You can listen to the conversation between Lučić and Miler here.
Source: KRIK