According to the findings of Novi Magazin, one of the largest financiers of SNS is Slobodan Tesic, who is among the biggest dealers of arms and munitions in the Balkans. Our source, who insisted on anonymity, claims that Tesic is running an intensive campaign and lobbying businessmen in the highly profitable sector, hoping that after the change of government and the inauguration of “his” regime, he would secure more liberal business conditions.
“The trust that Tesic gave to Nikolic and Vucic is on shaky legs, because he is a very cautious man. He pushed his daughter Danijela to be the 96th on the SNS electoral list, who would have a guaranteed seat in the parliament in case of a good electoral result of the coalition. Her status on the electoral list and expected parliamentary function are a pledge for the future, because under the new rules and the law, a member of parliament is the owner of his mandate and independent in decision making,” says our source.
Slobodan Tesic is known for suspicious dealings with arms, ammunition and military equipment, which he either accomplished or attempted to carry out through his company Temex or through related companies Melvale corporation, Calidus trade, ABEX Ohrid, Zahnen limited, Delimnia and many others.
Tesic came into the focus of domestic and world public opinion a decade ago when he managed to illegally export automatic weapons to Liberia, which was a direct violation of UN sanctions. After that, he repeatedly tried to export weapons to critical war spots in the world, but didn’t obtain the necessary permits from federal and republican authorities.
At the beginning of last year’s uprising in Libya, Tesic and his closest associate Dragan Kapetina, the director of “Partizan Arms” company, negotiated with the official Libyan military suppliers who were then still loyal to Muammar Gaddafi. In early March of last year, Tesic met with members of the Libyan armed forces in Tripoli in regards to the agreement on delivery of 12,000 tank shells, portable missiles, 30,000 sniper rifles, about 90 million rounds of various calibers and other military equipment.
According to the statements of domestic intelligence services, he was the driving force of protests in Zastava factory in May and June 2011, by which he attempted to provide support to his business of weapons export to Yemen.
Operations of Slobodan Tesic are subject of investigation of foreign intelligence services which estimate and believe that Tesic belongs to extremely active organizations involved in the gray arms trade. For that reason, they are thoroughly investigating if Tesic has any companies, what does he do, who are his contacts in the region and the world, and especially in the so-called illicit markets.
BANKING CONNECTIONS: The arrest of Dusan Stupar for abuse in the privatization of Pancevo Fertilizer plant publicly revealed the information that the former member of Serbian National Security is also the financier of the Serbian Progressive Party. According to official information, the progressives have rented the premises in New Belgrade which are owned by the company Vetfarm, whose majority owner and managing director is Dusan Stupar.
“Stupar is one of the major players hidden in the background of the Serbian Progressive Party. This group of financiers also includes a number of businessmen from the provinces who share common business and political interests,” says our source.
He adds that insights into banking transactions can produce an extensive spider’s web, with SNS and its increasing political ambitions in the very center.
Apart from that, Dusan Stupar has already assisted in someone else’s takeover of power. Back in 1987, he helped in the creation of the famous spoof “Vojko and Savle” as well as the favorable atmosphere for the arrival of Slobodan Milosevic at the head of the communist party in Serbia. Although he was close to defeated stream of Ivan Stambolic, Stupar managed to come to terms with Milosevic and ensure the function at Universal, and soon in Universal headquarters in Moscow.
According to intelligence data, during his stay in Moscow, Stupar developed excellent business relationships with Borislav Milosevic. And to link this information with the beginning of the story, the brother of Slobodan Milosevic was involved in the arms trade, and he was the connection for the purchases of the most modern weapons for death squads of the State Security service Red Berets, including the Russian combat helicopters.
There is speculation that Stupar used the money of Milosevic family for the privatization of Serbian companies.
THE NORTH KOSOVO INFLUENCE: An important group of SNS financiers are patriotic circles from the North of Kosovo. Novi Magazin already wrote about contacts of the progressive Zvonko Veselinovic, the unofficial king of the North underground. The main man in charge of communication with Veselinovic was Borislav Pelevic. This former member of the Party of Serbian Unity led by Arkan, played a key role in persuading the party leaders that Veselinovic was not criminal.
According to the reliable findings of Novi Magazin close to SNS, one part of their leadership, especially the chairman of the executive board Milan Bacevic, believed that Veselinovic was a criminal. His passed on his knowledge to Tomislav Nikolic, but Pelevic insisted on connecting with Veselinovic whom he supposedly “had known from the war.”
Pelevic informed the party’s leaders that Veselinovic can assist them financially and that he had already done so. In addition, the sources of Novi Magazin say that Pelevic had a decisive influence on Veselinovic during the barricades events in the North of Kosovo and that these relations are supposedly known to investigators. As their trust was strong, Veselinovic asked Pelevic whether it was safe to come to Belgrade, because he wanted to attend his sister’s wedding. The source of SNS in the top of the police then said to Veselinovic that “there is something” and that he should not come to Belgrade…
