Media network ANTIDOT exclusively publishes the document that the most local media have speculated about, and which caused a war between the former members of the Democratic Party led by Dragan Djilas and followers of the current leader Dragan Sutanovac. 

After several months of research into the causes of political and financial devastation of the formerly main pro-European political force in Serbia, Democratic Party (DP), ANTIDOT came into possession of the internal report on the expenditure of funds, which was drawn up by a special working group of the DP in November 2017. The report which is exclusively published in this article, is an authentic and documented evidence, of the ways in which its former leaders, for their own private interests, led the party that was a symbol of hope and a encouragement for all Serbian citizens who wished to see Serbia become a modern democracy for two decades, into the complete financial collapse.

The report which is based on the data from the financial department of DP, internal documents and contracts of the party, reveals the true role of Dragan Djilas, Aleksandar Sapic, Bojan Pajtic and their supporters in the financial collapse of the party, which led to a four-year blockade of its accounts and debts to Djilas and Sapic, who are today the largest creditors of the party they once led. 

Photo: AFP

With a deposit of 200,000 euros as a guarantee of the Democratic Party’s debt, Djilas tried to kill two birds with one hit - to conceal the fact that he raised 4 million euros in cash from his company’s account and to profit from the interest that DP had towards him.

ANTIDOT also reveals how much money the former leaders of DP pulled out from the account of their nearly bankrupt party, how DP’s officials were forced to put a mortgages on their private properties in order to guarantee the return of the party loans, as how Djilas and Šapić used this situation to gain extra profits, how they came into possession of even the compulsory charges and compensations that the state paid in for pregnant women and mothers employed in the Democratic party- for whose rights they are allegedly fighting today. This article also reveals how Pajtic and Djilas used fictional invoices and non-existent jobs to draw funds from party’s accounts. 

The contents of the document also expose the real reasons and background of the on-going war among the former comrades that they have been fighting in the media and on social networks, accusing each other of the most serious crimes, raiding of state funds, bid-rigging, making black funds and stealing of money from party funds. 

How the Democrats earned their nickname “Yellow thieves”

One of the main characteristics of the current political image of Serbia, is a visible lack of opposition forces as a natural counterbalance and an alternative to the parties in power. Both in terms of finances and people, Serbian opposition scene found itself in the devastated condition after 2012, mostly due to the collapse of the Democratic Party, which had previously accounted for a stable pro-European political bloc. The fall from power and the final collapse of DP was the only logical consequence of the devastation that began ten years before, immediately after the assassination of the first democratic prime minister of Serbia, Zoran Djindjic, when Boris Tadic and his closest associates - Miodrag Miki Rakic ​​and Dragan Djilas and later Bojan Pajtic took over the leadership.

Specialists for profiting on others’ misfortune: Aleksandar Šapić, Miroslav Mišković i Dragan Đilas
Specialists for profiting on others’ misfortune: Aleksandar Šapić, Miroslav Mišković i Dragan Đilas
Photo: Tanjug

Today, five and a half years after the Democrats fell from power, its derivats and leftovers reappeared under various names, as a loud alternative to the ruling coalition in the forthcoming elections for the Assembly of the City of Belgrade. Namely, the list headed by Dragan Djilas, a former Mayor of Belgrade and a president of the Democratic Party, includes the former Ombudsman Saša Janković who until only half a year ago, according to the testimony of academic Dusan Teodorović, openly called Djilas a "Trojan horse," [1] and Vuk Jeremić, who was thrown out of DP by Djilas, whom he later called “the greatest evil that must be stopped at all costs”. The coalition was also joined by the former vice president of the Democratic Party Borko Stefanovic who once led a political war against Vuk Jeremic, and Bojan Pajtic, a man who replaced Djilas from power in DP.

Taught by the suicidal experience of giving support to Sasa Jankovic in the presidential elections in March 2017, the Democratic Party led by Dragan Sutanovac, has decided to go with its own list, supported by their former party leader and ex-Serbian President, Boris Tadic. This block also managed to reconcile the irreconcilable political actors, so the struggle to cross the census and gain a few more votes even merged Boris Tadic and Zoran Zivkovic, whose split after Djindjic's assassination marked the beginning of the end of the Democratic Party, as a party that has its own identities built on the uncompromising reform policies of Zoran Djindjic. Moreover, Tadic left the DP because its leader at the time, Dragan Đilas, entered into a coalition with the New Democratic Party of Zoran Zivkovic before the elections in the spring of 2014.

A few months prior to the announcement of Belgrade elections, at a time when the opposition already started regrouping and taking the starting positions for the upcoming campaign, the former counterparts and party comrades began accusing each other of thefts and robberies while in power. In the midst of this accusatory war, an Internal report on the Financial status and Expenditure of funds, made by the Working Body of DP, appeared. [1]

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Of all the guarantors of the Democratic Party debt, only Dragan Djilas and Aleksandar Sapic got the exclusive right to compensation and the provision of pledged property
Of all the guarantors of the Democratic Party debt, only Dragan Djilas and Aleksandar Sapic got the exclusive right to compensation and the provision of pledged property
Photo: Antidot

In a situation in which the party’s accounts have been blocked for already for four years, employees in the party were not receiving salaries, party members’ real estate was still under mortgage, a Multikom company owned by Dragan Djilas and Aleksandar Sapic regularly charged their claims on 13th June 2017 through enforced collection. DP Presidency has issued a Decision No. 004-10 / 2-626-17 according to which a Working body for determining the financial status and control of spending was formed.  Goran Paunovic from Novi Sad (the man who has been under attacks from Bojan Pajtic on Twitter for days) was appointed as a Head of the Body, along with other appointed members: Dr Cedomir Vasic from Nis, Nenad Borovic from Ruma, Ivan Mirić from Sid and Doc. Dr. Goran Radojev from Novi Sad.

The report named Dragan Djilas, Aleksandar Sapic, Bojan Pajtic and Dusan Elezovic as the most responsible individuals for the political and financial destruction of the Democratic Party, while Boris Tadic and Miodrag Miki Rakic (who was considered the unofficial "bankers”of the party) clearly had a significant role in this process, states the report. According to the allegations in this document, instead of enabling financial consolidation of the party, Djilas, Sapic, Pajtic and Elezovic found a way to systematically demolish the party financially during their leadership. The report, which ANTIDOT will publish on this occasion, further says that the harming activities of the appointed officials continued even after the accounts of the party were blocked in 2014. "They used creative combinations to draw money, this time from the party itself”.

"Financially powerful minority within the party, concerned only about the personal and corporate interest, ruined the reputation and permanently placed a label of “yellow thieves” to all the members of the Democratic Party .... Great support of citizens and power at almost all levels until 2012 put the Democratic Party in the focus of interest of all social groups. In addition to the increased interest for membership, various forms of cooperation were offered from different business circles, security structures, local leaders and others non-ideological individuals. Through connections with internal partners, financial aid, “good intentions”, advice and different services, they have gradually entered into all structures of the party, slowly but surely creating the business and political environment according to their preferences…. With this new pattern of behaviour, particularly during election time, the party became dependent on the money generated through the abuse of influence, reputation and name of DP ", states the report made by the Working Group of the Democratic Party. The document further adds:

"The control over public finances was established as well; tenders and grants were being forged, percentages determined in advance. How much money actually ended up in the party, and how much in their pockets, is impossible to know because something that “did not exist” could not be controlled. Many officials who were part of the system arbitrarily kept their part of the money for themselves ....The party with the most members, the holder of the most progressive ideas, pro-European reforms and social change, easily quelled under the weight of personal, criminal interests of more powerful individuals without any scruples or ideology."

Paved road to debt slavery

According to an internal report of the Democratic Party presented to the party leadership in November 2017 by a specially formed team, the main responsibility for the financial problems of once largest party in Serbia, lies with Dragan Djilas and Bojan Pajtic, who with the help of Aleksandar Sapic and Dusan Elezovic, literally pushed the party into the debt bondage of Dragan Djilas as its largest creditor. 

The crisis was a chance for generating profit afterall: Dragan Djilas and Bojan Pajtic at the time when they took over the management of the ailing party
The crisis was a chance for generating profit afterall: Dragan Djilas and Bojan Pajtic at the time when they took over the management of the ailing party
Večernje novosti

The main causes that led to party’s account blockade to this very day, lie in the enormous and uncontrolled spending during the campaign of 2012. According to the findings of the Working Body, financial self-destruction was continued through the loans from the Development Bank of Vojvodina under the conditions that obviously could not have been met, and "demolishing of the party continued even after the accounts were blocked, which represents the culmination of ruthlessness and opens numerous, even political issues ".

Referring to the data from the financial department of the party, the report notes that during and immediately after the election campaign of 2012, DP signed two contracts with the company Communis based on which liabilities in the amount of 7.9 million euros incurred. In order to pay this amount, the party leadership signed a short-term six-month loan of 360 million RSD with the Development Bank of Vojvodina, with an interest rate of 1.4% per month (18.4% per annum). This loan was taken by the Campaign Manager Dusan Elezovic who was considered an informal master of the Development Bank of Vojvodina’s business, and who promised his party comrades that the loan will be reprogrammed in due time for a period of 4 years. Since the loan was not returned by the set deadline, on 4th March 2013, the account of the party was blocked for over two months by the Development Bank of Vojvodina.

The perpetrator of Djilas’s dirty work: Dusan Elezovic, DS official who enabled the financial demolition of DP through abuse of power and a series of harmful decisions
The perpetrator of Djilas’s dirty work: Dusan Elezovic, DS official who enabled the financial demolition of DP through abuse of power and a series of harmful decisions
Photo: Tanjug

Although the report states that the money was needed to cover the exceeding expenses of the campaign, a senior official of the Democratic Party who wished to remain anonymous, explained to ANTIDOT that the intention was to raise a fictional loan whose sole function was to cover the expenses, while 5,000,000 euros were gradually transferred from the party’s black funds to the legitimate account. "This process took place through the payment of so-called small donations of tens of thousands of dinars and it takes a certain period of time to infiltrate this money. In order to bridge the time gap, the management has decided to lift a six-month loan from RVB for which no one thought it would be hard to give back, " said our source.

Djilas and his pathological relationship with money

 Explaining the political context in which the financial destruction of the already politically demolished party occurred, our source said: "On the day when Multikom (company owned by Dragan Djilas) became a guarantor of the debt by RVB, Djilas bank took 4 million euros from the bank. This can only be done by someone who has a morbid and sick obsession with money. The man who in spite of having so much money that he can take 4 million in cash in one day, comes to the party to profit from machinations with its loans, can easily be called a kleptomaniac. It is the same system he used on Dragan Sakan, then the National office, in order to eventually end his festivities with a complete devastation of his already bankrupt party. His intentions were obviously not to keep the party. Apparently his aim was to take the money and run. Even the taking over of the party by Bojan Pajtic was a result of their agreement. The first decision Pajtić made was the signing of the contract on RVB debt assumption by Multikom which made Djilas more than 200,000 euros. And I believe that Pajtic’s motive for signing such an agreement is clear to everyone. "

Our source also confirms the accuracy of the allegations that have appeared in the party's internal report of November 2017, and states that it is now clear that the key motive for Đilas’s involvement in the party after its fall from power was to gain profit.

"On 30th August the party secretary Tamara Tripić already warned that it will not be possible to return the loan.  Elezovic took a loan under adverse conditions, which suited Djilas perfectly to continue with further machinations with it and make additional earnings. Elezovic agreed a six-month loan with mind-blowing 18% interest rate, which made it clear that he was in agreement with RVB to rob DP and probably share profits. Since DP did not have the money to repay the loan, along came Djilas who first found a guarantor through Zoran Milešević from Kikinda, and later took over the entire loan through Multikom, which made him 100,000 euros in a single day, plus the 1.4% monthly interest on the total debt, which literally put the party into debt slavery ", claimed our source, adding that Djilas and Pajtic also used fictional invoices and inexistent jobs to further suck the money out of the party.

On the day when he laid a 200,000 euros deposit of as a guarantee for the debt of the Democratic Party, Djilas raised 4 million euros in cash which he later denied. Besides his intention to make a profit, it is obvious that the transaction with DP served him as a cover for other business transactions that he was making on the same day.
On the day when he laid a 200,000 euros deposit of as a guarantee for the debt of the Democratic Party, Djilas raised 4 million euros in cash which he later denied. Besides his intention to make a profit, it is obvious that the transaction with DP served him as a cover for other business transactions that he was making on the same day.
Privatna arhiva

"It was all going through some kind of printing centers and printing of some alleged leaflets that nobody ever saw. DP was far from printing leaflets at the time- it had no offices, nor were the salaries paid to employees, and the party had no place to even hold the board meeting because of the debts to Sava Center. In the midst of these events Djilas raised 4,000,000 euros provided by Milica Delevic before her departure to London. Previously, during the campaign, he said that he had no real estate, but from the e mail that was published in the media, it is clear that his house was paid one million euros, some Ilke’s building 1.5 million, Sport Arena almost a million, he bought an apartment from Milica Delevic for 350,000 eur and added another 350,000 – all raised from Multikom’s account within 2011" said our source from the top of the Democratic Party. [2]

By taking over the party’s debt from the Development Bank of Vojvodina, Dragan Djilas made a 100,000 eur in a single day
By taking over the party’s debt from the Development Bank of Vojvodina, Dragan Djilas made a 100,000 eur in a single day
Photo: Twitter.com

However, in May 2012 DP lost the elections, fails even to form the government at the national level and goes into opposition. The money that was to be used for the repayment of debt mysteriously disappeared, instead of returning or rescheduling the debts, leading people turned to mutual struggles over the leadership of the party. It was Dragan Djilas who won, and who took upon himself to allegedly save the party from political and financial crash. One of the first steps undertaken by the new President of the party was a brutal blackmail of party officials and MPs to pledge their property as a guarantee that the loan to RVB will be repaid- if they wished to keep their positions.

This “call” was answered by 18 party representatives, among which Dragan Djilas, Aleksandar Sapic, Dusan Elezovic, Oliver and Lazar Dulic, Dušan Senic and others. At the same time, part of the debt was secured in foreign currency through deposits of Milešević family from Kikinda, whose main representative, a local tycoon Zoran Milešević, is known for his close relationship with Bojan Pajtic. Among all of them, however, mortgages and deposits were secured through special agreements only for Djilas, Sapic and Milešević who finally acquired financial gain at the expense of the party which they were allegedly helping.

Part of the set up scheme for money withdrawal: Zoran Malesevic, a man who helped the process of withdrawing 380,000 euros from the Democratic Party
Part of the set up scheme for money withdrawal: Zoran Malesevic, a man who helped the process of withdrawing 380,000 euros from the Democratic Party
Screenshot/Youtube.com

This was followed by a series of speculative operations involving Dragan Djilas, Bojan Pajtic, Dusan Elezovic Aleksandar Sapic and Zoran Milešević, when the Democratic Party was damaged by an additional 80 million that was paid out to Djilas, Sapic and Milešević, and approved by the signatures Pajtic and Elezovic, due to the servicing of existing debt to RVB in the amount of 49 million dinars. Looking at the total costs incurred by a number of harmful contracts, the Commission estimated that the amount to more than 134 million dinars, or over 1.000.0000 euros, as also stated in the report.

The Party facing bankruptcy-an excellent chance to earn aside

 The operation of the final financial blow against Democratic Party began on 27th January 2014, when Dejan Elezović sent a request (ref. no: 401/10-5-17) to Radovan Ivetić, bankruptcy commissioner of RVB, wherein he demanded debt collection form the Maleševićs’ foreign currency bank deposits, due to the alleged reduction of the party’s debt to the bank. Just a day before, Dragan Đilas, exchanged his mortgaged apartment for a bank deposit amounting to 200 000 euro. The purpose of the operation was for Malešević and Đilas to receive compensation by means of 5% interest rates on the deposited money. After RVB collected a part of the debt from the mentioned deposits, following the Elezović’s request, the regulations of Annex I of debt takeover agreement were instantly activated, which caused the Democratic Party’s debts to the bank to increase through the additional debt to the guarantors (Đilas and Malešević). For the deposits totaling in 93.6 million RSD Đilas and Malešević charged Democratic Party with 140 million RSD, which is about 50% more of the sum they deposted in the first place.

The usurious loan with 18.4% interest rate taken at Razvojna Banka Vojvodine triggered the financial collapse of Democratic Party
The usurious loan with 18.4% interest rate taken at Razvojna Banka Vojvodine triggered the financial collapse of Democratic Party
Photo: Tanjug

Explaining the context in which this took place, our source from the very top of the Democratic Party also emphasized the unbelievably crooked ways in which Đilas earned aside from the hardships of the party that gave him wings to enter the world of business and politics, thanks to which he became one of the richest men in the country.

“On the other hand, every 4-5 months, Đilas shows up impersonating a benefactor of sorts, with envelopes containing 100-200 euro which he gives to the workers who work 12 hours a day. That is the very same man who sheds the tears of the dragon over the workers’ rights”, says our interlocutor adding that Đilas used the opportunity of being at the top of the party, to earn for himself and his people of interest an additional couple of thousands of euro, though their bank accounts had already contained dozens of millions of euro.

PARTY-INFLUENCED EMPLOYMENT-A MEANS OF POLITICAL CONTROL: One of the main modus operandi of Dragan Đilas and his coalition partners’ election campaign was the promise to fight against the party-influenced employment. However, the way they truly implemented this policy while ruling the country can be seen in the documents that leaked from Democratic Party, showing a specific means of misuse of influence and manipulation through the very party-influenced employment. Thus during the election campaigns, the party was flooded with letters containing the promises of employment just after the elections. One of the best examples is the case of the Stanković family from Niš, who believing the promises of the party’s representatives moved to Belgrade where they, together with two children, ended up on the curb without the promised job.[3][4][5]

 

The proof of false promises and manipulations with party-influenced employment: one of the letters of the tricked Stanković family
The proof of false promises and manipulations with party-influenced employment: one of the letters of the tricked Stanković family
Photo: Antidot

Apart from Đilas and Malešević, Aleksandar Šapić also used the opportunity to earn from the hardships of his party, so in April 2013, as a debt guarantor of his party, he put mortgage on his shop in 151g Jurija Gagarina Street in Novi Beograd. In January 2014, Šapić signed a debt takeover agreement thanks to which he would receive a “compensation” totaling in 77.500 euro which is the market value of his shop. However, the agreement and the additional documents do not clarify who estimated the exact value of the compensation, especially in the light of the fact that RVB never activated mortgage on Šapić’s shop in the first place. Furthermore, this agreement was Šapić’s exclusive privilege since the agreement of this kind was only signed with him. The contract was signed at the time when Dragan Đilas was the head of the party who obviously allowed it. Based on the mentioned agreement, Šapić charged the Democratic Party with 3.97 million RSD, while the rest of the debt is being processed through forced collection. The report says that during the whole period of time since the mortgage was put to effect, Šapić rented his shop and earned from it, which is why it is not clear what kind of damage he suffered and for what he is being given compensation from his party.

Signing one of the many harmful contacts, Đilas helped Šapić gross 75 000 euro
Signing one of the many harmful contacts, Đilas helped Šapić gross 75 000 euro
Photo: Marko Metlaš

For the position of the Democratic Party Secretary the two of them hired Šapić’s ex secretary form the city council Liljana Kuzmanović Vujaković who signed two questionable contracts, as well as assets exchange agreement with Đilas, thanks to which the President of Democratic Party replaced his mortgaged apartment by the deposit and grossed by its interest rate. The report also contains the information that Liljana Kuzmanović Vujaković in the meantime sued Democratic Party for 12 unpaid paychecks asking the party to compensate her with 1.7 million RSD.

By “saving” the party, he put into his pockets more than 200 000 euro

Apart from the interest rates and non-existing costs that he earned by replacing his apartment with bank deposit amounting to 200 000 euro, Dragan Đilas displayed an exemplary creativity during the process of purchase of DP’s debt to RVB. Presenting himself as the party’s savior who allegedly took a role of the guarantor milder than the bank would be, immediately after becoming the president of the party, Bojan Pajtić signed a settlement agreement with Đilas’ company Multikom group, while Multikom group signed a receivables transfer agreement with RVB. By these contracts, the whole DP’s debt to RVB totaling in 49.4 million RSD, together with the litigation procedure costs, mortgage registration and executive procedure totaling in 1.9 million RSD, Đilas purchased for 38.3 million RSD plus 1.9 milion RSD for the mentioned costs.

What was Bojan Pajtić’s motive to sign a contract that helped Đilas take 200 000 euro from the DP turning into a permanent debt slave
What was Bojan Pajtić’s motive to sign a contract that helped Đilas take 200 000 euro from the DP turning into a permanent debt slave
Photo: Tanjug

For the debt of 38.3 million RSD Đilas gets compensation from the party amounting to 49.4 million RSD with 1.4% monthly interest rate as well as 1.9 million RSD for the costs paid by RVB. By this deal Multikom group grossed 11 million RSD (almost 100 000 euro) only through the price rate between the amount they invested ad the amount they received from DP, while Đilas’ company an additional income through 1.4 % monthly interest rate. By doing so, not only that the DP’s debt was not reduced but quite the contrary, it was enlarged since Multikom Group calculated 1.4% monthly interest rate on the amount of 49 million RSD, while RVB calculated it on the amount of 39 million RSD. By means of executive compensation agreement Multikom group is still receiving income from the Democratic Party through forced debt collection. Out of the current DP’s debt which is about 100 million RSD, 2/3 is the debts to Dragan Đilas and Aleksandar Šapić, who are constantly blocking the party’s accounts.

According to the internal report on the financial operations of Democratic Party, the key role in the negotiations about the unfavourable short-term loan taken at RVB, was occupied by Dušan Elezović, the former director of the general elections campaign in 2012. Apart form the decision to take the mentioned loan,Elezović later on, though unauthorized, signed the harmful contract with the Malešević family, as well as the request filed on 27th January to charge a part of DP's debt from Malešević's deposits. Apart from Elezović, Dragan Đilas and Bojan Pajtić as well, played a crucial role in the DP's debt manipulation. According to the results exposed in the report, the outcome of the agreements which where a result of a deal between two ex presidents of the party was that instead of the debt totaling in 38.3 million RSD (the amount with which Đilas purchased the debt) Democratic Party now owes the very 55 million RSD, even though in the mean time they received 10 million RSD through the interest rate and 2.5 million RSD through litigation and executive costs! Thanks to this fact, almost all of the party's income goes on the interest rates payments to Đilas,so it seems that this tycoon manage to put his ex party into a position of a never-ending debt slavery and turn it de facto his private property, which is a case that should be taught in schools as an example of historic practice of a political party.

It started with the bent photography, but it ended with the complete removal of Đinđić's heritage: the headquarters in 69 Krunska Street 2013
It started with the bent photography, but it ended with the complete removal of Đinđić's heritage: the headquarters in 69 Krunska Street 2013
Photo: Privatna arhiva

The above mentioned facts shed a completely new light on Pajtić's process of the takeover of the Democratic Party which seemed to be easy since just a year ago Đilas invested so much energy to take it over. Theri financially political deal explains Pajtić's overzealous support to Đilas' candidacy for the position of the major of Blegrade.

 TABLOID WAR OF PARTY CLANS: Our interlocutor from the top of the Democratic Party confirmed that the clash between the party's fractions began much before their loss of power. ''Before anything, the clash took place through the tabloids. Dule Petrović and Cole Homen controlled Kurir, while Đilas together with Mišković attacked his political rivals through Press. Whenever asked about Press writings, Tadić's answer was always that he was the target of that tabloid too and that it explained how little control he had over their writings“ specified our source.

During the time of its rule, the Democratic Party was shaken by the internal turmoil that took place through the tabloids, Dušan Petrović and Slobodan Homen controlled Kurir, while Đilas and Mišković attacked their rivals through Press.
During the time of its rule, the Democratic Party was shaken by the internal turmoil that took place through the tabloids, Dušan Petrović and Slobodan Homen controlled Kurir, while Đilas and Mišković attacked their rivals through Press.
Photo: Privatna arhiva

According to the report, apart from the harmful contract he signed with Đilas' company, there are at least two contracts that Bojan Pajtić signed without stamp or party's reference number, and based on which the company IMCG-Belgrade branch which through a lawsuit is trying to gross 1 million RSD.

In the report it is stated that it is hard ''not to notice the common interest in the making and signing many of the contracts during the period 2012-2016, whose final outcome was the additional financial collapse of the Democrtic Party.“

''On the other side, it is obvious that some of the officials who are the party's members, after its account blockade were presented as ''saviors“, made moves in order to increase the party's debts while simultaneously providing themselves and their ties an income in millions'' states the internal report on the operations and costs of the Democratic Party.

The authenticity of the report's contents was indirectly confirmed by the President of the Democratic Party Dragan Šutanovac, who in the interview for the daily Danas on 3rd February 2018 concluded that the managment of the Democratic Party from 2012 onwards caused it to collapse.

''Some of the managerial bodies from 2014 onwards, with their lack of knowledge and bad decisions degraded the party in the eyes of the electorate and created huge financial debts which we still cannot pay off'' says Šutanovac. When asked if his statement referred to the ex leaders of the party Dragan Đilas and Bojan Pajtić, Šutanovac confirmed that it did refer to both of them and added that he ran for the President of the Democratic Party so as to stop the free fall that has been happening to the party for a long time now.

The root and the origin of the process of poltical and subsequent financial collapse of the Democratic Party

That the state in which Democratic Party ended up after the loss of power on every level presented a logical outcome of a long time ago started process of its complete collapse, one might have concluded way sooner, during the times when mesmerized by the power and at the peak of popularity, from an ideologically clearly profiled party it turned into a clientele-based organization which no more gathered individuals sharing the same values, but rather individuals sharing the same interest.

Grief over the lost hopes: Zoran Đinđić's funeral
Grief over the lost hopes: Zoran Đinđić's funeral
zorandjindjic.org

First steps towards the complete devastation of the core foundations of the Democratic Party which were carefully built and tended during the 90's and especially during the first years after the fall of the Milošević's regime when the identity of the Democratic Party was built through Zoran Đinđić's reformatory policy, were taken right after his assassination. In the circumstances of the parallel fight for the control over the party, between Đinđić's successors, due to historical conditions, along with the well planned actions of the secret services remaining from Milošević's regime, as the head of Democratic Party came Boris Tadić, an antipode to the asassinated president when it comes to ideology and character.

At the moments of actual takeover of the party, during the election campaigns in December 2003 and spring 2004, as well as the party's internal campaign in January and February 2004, Boris Tadić did everything to make the so called sanitary removal of Zoran Đinđić's heritage. This removal implied not only liquidation of Đinđić's closest associates,but also of the policy of the assassinated first Serbian democratic prime minister. In order to enlarge his potential electorate, Tadić politically more and more drew on nationalist populism disturbing the clarity of the ideological postulates that formed the basis of the party up to then. Through detachment and relativization of values, previously advocated by the Democratic Party, Tadić won the presidential race, strengthening the wind in the sails of the newly taken course.

: In the report of the Democratic Party it is documented that Đias, Šapić, Pajtić and Elezović through their machinations created loss in millions
: In the report of the Democratic Party it is documented that Đias, Šapić, Pajtić and Elezović through their machinations created loss in millions
Photo: Antidot

Despite the facade glow and the electoral victory of the newly founded policy, its main characteristic remained the empty shape without any real content or vision on how to solve the burning issues that Serbia was to face in the upcoming period. With the absence of content and valuable foundations of the policy promoted, Boris Tadić and his party, within which soon after the takeover he made personnel and organizational adjustments to match his political sentiment and populistic course, undermined the foundations of the Democratic Party. For the embelishment of the facade, which brought votes and instant popularity, the organizational and foundational values of the party that used to be famous for the biggest reformatory and democratic potential in the country, were sacrificed. Only this broken and clean from Đinđić's political heritage, the party could enter the stage of cohabitational government with its former ideological antipode embodied in Vojislav Koštunica's Democratic Party. Sanitary removal of Đunđić and opportunistic usage of cohabitational partner presented a political act which paved the way towards the first Constitution in 2006, which largely shaped the contours of the political process that would take place until the middle of 2012.

From that moment on, instead of people who believe in political ideas and democratic values, Democratic Party has been invaded by unscrupulous careerists whose engagement in the party and in the political world generally has only one goal, self promotion and fufillment of their own and their ties' interests. In such a way organized party, the only point of the party engagement of every memeber of the DP was not a selfless contribution to the fullfillment of the joined social goal, but exclusively personal progress on the financial ladder of the party, whose precondition was the removal of whatever that at the given moment occupied the higher position on the ladder. This way, even at the times when it had absolute power on every level, it happened that DP was shaken by the internal fractional turmoil which often took places on tabloids' pages controlled by party'a clans, while readiness to support politically and socially important projects vanished into tin air.

The forgotten political ideals: Đinđić during the campaing ''Pošteno'' in 1993
The forgotten political ideals: Đinđić during the campaing ''Pošteno'' in 1993
zorandjindjic.org

This atmoshpere resulted in the complete uncapability of party's members to actively engage into the election camapign in 2012 which presented a crucial battle for the future of the party, and the ensuing electional failure meant the end of the rule of the Democratic Party and its former leader Boris Tadić.

The given facts are nowadays confirmed even by the very officials and the organs of the DP who in the mentioned report made in November 2017 concluded that ''all the good things that the DP did through its existence fell in the shadow of affairs of a small group of people who through the party defended only their personal and corporate interest.''

Accusing each other of criminal deeds: Dragan Đilas and dragan Šutanovac, former leader and present leader of DP
Accusing each other of criminal deeds: Dragan Đilas and dragan Šutanovac, former leader and present leader of DP
Photo: Tanjug

The complete content of the Report on the financial state and the control of the financial costs of the Democratic party you can see here.

 

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In the second part of the file which is a result of a few months of research on reasons and the people involved in the demise of the Democratic Party, the Media Network Antidot will uncover the so far unknown details from Dragan Đilas' biography:

  • How the ex leader of the DP started his own business by tricking his first employer Dragan Sakan, the owner of agency ''Saatchi and Saatchi''
  • How he became a member of Boris Tadić's team, and after the presidential elections in 2004 was awarded by the role of the Director of the People's Office of the President of the Republic, which he used to develop his own business
  • How Đilas after being a major of Belgrade left behind dozens of frauds that amount to dozens, even hundreds of millions of euro, according to some reports

At the same time, Antidot will uncover a data basis containing more than 2000 documents which show unlawful deeds from the times when Đilas ruled Belgrade.