During the election campaign at the beginning of 2012, in the TV show "Ćirilica," when journalist Milomir Marić asked why the new bus station in Novi Sad was not operational, Aleksandar Vučić responded: "They (the then authorities) destroyed it. It is about Ilija Dević. I personally tried to help the man, called various people, but I couldn't succeed. Why? Because there are significant interests involved".

Aleksandar Vučić on Ilija Dević, 26 March 2012

In the meantime, these "significant interests" became the part of the ruling policy, and the seizure of my property continued, only this time it was taken over by the financial founders of the ruling party. A similar scenario has long been in preparation for the Belgrade Bus Station (BAS) and “Lasta”.

The difference is that the city of Novi Sad invested zero dinars, but for the needs of its citizens, it received a modern and capacity-aligned bus station, with all the traffic infrastructure coordinated with this project.

Within just one year, the auto service center "EvroBus," and the international and intercity bus station in Novi Sad were built. As the majority owner of ATP “Vojvodina,” I provided the investment and location for this project, while the area of the old station would remain with the city.

In case of BAS, the City and the Republic have invested millions of euros so far, to demolish buildings and hand over this location to "Belgrade Waterfront." These millions, which the citizens of Serbia contributed, should have been used to build a new station in Block 45 neighborhood, but even after seven years, it has not been put into operation. In the process of clearing locations for the "Belgrade Waterfront" project, in which the state holds one third of the stake, there are numerous unclear transactions. However, what is known in business circles is that the same team close to the authorities, which stands behind the seizure of my investment, is preparing the same fate for BAS. Furthermore, both ATP “Vojvodina” and BAS are privatized companies, while Lasta is being prepared for sale to the same group but significantly weakened.

I remind you: as the majority owner of ATP “Vojvodina,” in 2005, I sent a letter of intent to the then-Mayor of Novi Sad, Maja Gojković, which she accepted and appointed the director of the City Construction Institute, Igor Mirović, and the director of JP “Urbanism,” Aleksandar Jeftić, to lead the project. The ensuing contract stipulated that I would finance and build the bus station complex, while the City, upon obtaining the usage permit for the new buildings, would redirect traffic to the new location.

Contract with the City: Construction and Usage Permits

The City did not fulfill its contractual obligation, ATP “Vojvodina” went bankrupt under pressure in 2008, and the case remains unresolved. The bankruptcy was conducted with a series of corrupt actions, protected and created by the police, the prosecutor's office, and the courts.

Behind everything that happened were the interests of the narcotics and tobacco mafia, which had already taken control of Novi Sad at that time (later expanding to the rest of Serbia). The goal was for me to complete the investment, invest my money, knowledge, and reputation, and for them to take over everything afterward. When I resisted, I was called to the Park Hotel where lawyer Dragan Gojković, Maja Gojković's brother, demanded a bribe of 2.5 million euros. At that time, he was the lawyer of a prominent and convicted member of the narcotics mafia. The entire process of harassment and seizure of my property was aided by the decisions of Maja Gojković, her brother Dragan Gojković, Igor Mirović, Aleksandar Jeftić, banker Aleksandar Divljak, and many others whose positions depended on that group, while Djordje Ostojić coordinated the institutions.

I regularly inform the public about the course and twists of this case, and after the previous statement from the European Commission's Directorate-General for Enlargement Negotiations in Brussels, I received a letter stating that "the European Commission closely monitors the overall situation regarding the rule of law in the context of Serbia's accession negotiations" and that they value information about individual cases in this context. The ATP “Vojvodina” case is under the monitoring of the European Commission.

Respectfully,

Ilija Dević, Investor of ATP “Vojvodina”