Itera's real estate will be divided fraternally
// One of the Karich brothers will resolve the conflict in the development division of the company
Oil and gas company Itera has transferred its entire development business to the management of Dragomir Karic - he and his brothers were considered one of the most influential businessmen in Serbia during the reign of Slobodan Milosevic. The Serbian entrepreneur will have to solve two important tasks - to resolve Itera’s conflict over the division of assets with the ex-head of the development division of Oil and Gas Company Valery Korotkov, because of whom interim measures have been imposed on almost all of the company’s Moscow projects (the cost at the beginning of 2008 is about $2 billion) , as well as attract financing for construction projects, the largest of which, Minsk City, requires $4.8 billion.
The board of directors of NGK Itera approved Dragomir Karic for the position of president of the development division of the holding, one of the managers of the oil and gas company told Kommersant. In the reception office of Mr. Karich, with whom Kommersant was connected by telephone to Itera Development Group, they reported that he holds the position of president of the Itera Investment Construction & Development company. The public relations department of the development division of Itera explained that the process of consolidating all construction assets of the Oil and Gas Company within the framework of this company is now underway, but they could not provide more information. “Yes, I headed the company that will be responsible for Itera’s development assets,” Mr. Karich confirmed to Kommersant.
Kommersant's source at Itera suggests that the new president of the development division will receive a stake in the company he manages, while contributing some of his assets to it. In particular, Mr. Karich previously owned the Efimiya business center on Taganka in Moscow, and in Belarus, the Astra Investment company owned by him and his brothers is implementing the project of the Mayak Minska multifunctional complex with an area of more than 500 thousand square meters. m. Experts value these assets alone at more than $30 million. Yesterday Mr. Karich did not answer Kommersant’s question about the possible acquisition of a stake in Itera Investment Construction & Development, promising to reveal details in the near future.
The previous head of Itera's construction business, Valery Korotkov, owned 25.1% of the shares of the parent company Itera Development Group, which owns all development structures of the oil and gas complex. At the end of May, Mr. Korotkov was removed from the management of the company, and now he is suing Itera for the division of assets (see Kommersant of July 6). The area of Itera development projects is more than 5.7 million square meters. m. The largest in Belarus is Minsk City (construction of about 1.5 million sq. m of commercial real estate, investments - $4.8 billion).
The Karić brothers were considered one of the most influential businessmen in Serbia during the reign of Slobodan Milosevic. In addition to the Braca Karic company (renamed Astra Group), they owned the BK Telekom television channel (long the most influential in the country), a radio station and the then only mobile operator Mobtel. According to unofficial data, the holding's annual turnover reached $5 billion. Dragomir Karich oversaw business in Russia - in particular, he was the president of the Moscow branch of Karich Bank. Another of the brothers, Bogoljub, was Serbia's minister of privatization for several months. Then it turned out that the relations of the Karić brothers with Milosevic’s inner circle did not always go smoothly. Several years ago, Dragomir Karic admitted to Kommersant that the then Serbian Prime Minister Mirko Marjanovic and Energy Minister Slobodan Tomovic (who had their own business) “did everything to destroy us.” After the fall of the regime of Slobodan Milosevic, the Karić brothers somewhat lost their business positions in Serbia, but retained the opportunity to influence politics - in particular, through the “Strength of Serbia” movement they created. Over time, they established connections with the democrats now in power in the republic.
Itera has been cooperating with the Karich family for a long time. Since 2005, no one has heard of Karich’s activities, until in 2008 the participation of their Astra Group in the Minsk City project was announced.
“The main task of Dragomir Karic is to bring the company out of the crisis, completely reforming it, and also to attract financing,” said the Itera manager. According to him, the business strategy proposed by Mr. Karic has long been approved by the board of directors of Oil and Gas Company. In addition, in his new post, Dragomir Karic will have to resolve the conflict between Valery Korotkov and Itera, due to which interim measures have not yet been lifted from the Moscow oil and gas complex projects (at the beginning of 2008, they were estimated at almost $2 billion).
Oil and gas company Itera has transferred its entire development business to the management of Dragomir Karic - he and his brothers were considered one of the most influential businessmen in Serbia during the reign of Slobodan Milosevic, the newspaper writes today. Kommersant". The Serbian entrepreneur will have to solve two important tasks - to resolve Itera's conflict over the division of assets with the ex-head of the development division of Oil and Gas Company Valery Korotkov, because of whom interim measures were imposed on almost all of the company's Moscow projects, and also to attract financing for construction projects, the most the largest of which, Minsk City, requires $4.8 billion.
Today Dragomir Karic holds the position of President of Itera Investment Construction & Development. In the future, he may receive a share in the company he manages, while contributing some of his assets to it. The previous head of Itera's construction business, Valery Korotkov, owned 25.1% of the shares of the parent company Itera Development Group, which owns all development structures of the oil and gas complex. At the end of May, Korotkov was removed from the management of the company, and now he is suing Itera for the division of assets. Dragomir Karic will have to resolve the conflict between Korotkov and Itera, because of which interim measures have not yet been lifted from the Moscow oil and gas complex projects (at the beginning of 2008, they were estimated at almost $2 billion).
It is worth noting that Dragomir Karic is not a stranger to Belarus. According to official information, he is a public representative of the Belarusian Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Serbia. According to unofficial information, Karich is already implementing a number of real estate projects in Belarus. As he writes " Kommersant " , in Belarus, the company Astra Investment, owned by him and his brothers, is implementing the project of the Mayak Minska multifunctional complex with an area of more than 500 thousand square meters. m.
In May, Dragomir Karic promised that in five years the trade turnover between Belarus and Serbia would amount to “at least a billion.” So far this figure remains modest - $60 million.
Let us remind you that close cooperation between Belarus and Serbian businessmen began after Alexander Lukashenko visited the winter resort of Kopaonika in March. The president stayed there for about a week, but managed not only to breathe fresh air, but also to hold negotiations with major Serbian businessmen. Among them was Dragomir Karic. Soon, the President of Belarus already in Minsk received a delegation of Serbian businessmen representing companies in the field of construction, agriculture, tourism, energy, mechanical engineering, pharmaceuticals, etc.
Let us note that in the countries of the former Yugoslavia, the Karić brothers are still called full-time bankers and the main guardians of the Milosevic family’s money.
For a Serbian businessman, the timing of the implementation of a number of investment projects in Minsk.
And what is noteworthy: in Decree No. 465, quite a few points are marked “for official use.” “Salidarnasts” studied the biography of Dragomir Karic and his connection with the leader of Belarus.
90s. Cooperation with Milosevic
According to RBC, the company "Karichi Brothers" was founded in Yugoslavia back in 1973. It is reported that it was founded by four brothers: Dragomir, Bogolyub, Zoran and Sreten. The company took off rapidly in the early 90s, Nezavisimaya Gazeta wrote. The company was engaged in financial and trading operations, as well as construction. The “Karichi Brothers” were close to the authorities and Slobodan Milosevic, which gave the company priority in receiving government contracts. The brothers were nicknamed “family No. 2.” One of them, Bogoljub Karic, even served as minister of privatization in the government for some time.
2006. Brother Bogolyub flees Serbia
In 2004, Bogoljub Karic, Dragomir's brother, significantly increased his influence on the processes taking place in Serbia by taking part in the presidential elections, where he took third place.
However, two years later he had to flee their country. In 2006, a criminal case was opened against Bogolyub for financial fraud. The income of the Serbian mobile operator Mobtel was transferred to offshore zones - the state suffered damage of 40 million euros. Bogolyub managed to leave the country, and a few years later received political asylum in Russia. At that time, the Karichi Brothers had been working in the CIS for a long time, working, among other things, on expensive construction projects. A few years later, Bogolyub unexpectedly appeared at a reception with Alexander Lukashenko.
2008 Beginning of the project "Mayak Minsk"
In May 2008, Zomex Investment LLC, part of Dana Holdings (one of the founders is Dragomir Karić), won the tender for the development of the territory of the National Library. The high-profile project was called “Beacon of Minsk”. Construction of the complex continues today, although its concept has changed. The constructed houses are more reminiscent of typical slabs than ultra-modern buildings. The “lighthouse” itself, which meant a 78-story skyscraper, is also missing.
2009. Alexander Lukashenko visiting Dragomir Karic at the Kapaonik resort
According to Serbian media, in March 2009, the head of Belarus visited the most popular Serbian ski resort Kapaonik at the invitation of the Karić brothers.
As the Borba publication wrote, it was Dragomir Karic who met Lukashenko at the airport. From there the guests headed to the Grand Hotel. According to the publication, Lukashenko, together with Karic and a large company, spent two evenings in a row until late at night in the club, where speeches were made in honor of Serbia, Russia and Slobodan Milosevic.
March 2009, Serbia. The video shows how from the car together with Alexander Lukashenko
2009. Dragomir - one of the leaders of Itera
At the end of 2009, Dragomir Karich, who back in the 90s headed the activities of the Brothers Karich company in Russia and the CIS countries, became the head of the development structure of the oil and gas company Itera - Itera Investment and Construction and Development Group. The owner of Itera, Igor Makarov, said that Dragomir was entrusted with management because he has extensive experience in the construction industry.
At that time, Itera had already been implementing the Minsk City project on the territory of the Minsk-1 airport and adjacent lands for two years. Thus, Dragomir Karić became responsible for another important piece of work in the capital of Belarus. At first, the company promised to invest $30 billion in the project, but later the amount dropped to $7 billion, and it all ended in nothing.
year 2012. Belarus broke off relations with Itera
Despite the grandiose plans, Itera was in no hurry to begin implementing the Minsk City project, which is why Alexander Lukashenko was furious. So, in 2011, he stated, addressing the head of Itera, Igor Makarov:
– There will be no more postponements! There will be no additional benefits! Everything that exists today: if you can, build, if you can’t, come and say that we cannot build under these conditions.
In 2012, relations with Itera were indeed severed. The Russians believed that the project would be unprofitable. Itera, by the way, will dissolve into Rosneft in 2013: the state company will completely buy it from Igor Makarov. In the meantime, Dragomir Karic’s relationship with Alexander Lukashenko will not only not suffer, but also...
year 2013. Dragomir Karic – Honorary Consul of Belarus
In September 2013, Vladimir Makei presented a consular patent to the Honorary Consul of Belarus in Belgrade, Dragomir Karic. A year earlier, Alexander Lukashenko was thanked “for his significant personal contribution to the development of trade and economic ties and the strengthening of friendly relations between Belarus and Serbia.”
It is curious that in the same year, the President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych also showed favor to Dragomir Karic, who presented the businessman with the “Leaders of the 21st Century” award. The Serbs were engaged in construction there too.
year 2014. Dragomir Karic accompanies Lukashenko during his visit to Serbia
In June 2014, the head of Belarus paid a visit to Belgrade. As one could judge from the television reports, at this time Dragomir Karic did not retreat a single step from him.
At around 7.18, the head of Belarus can be seen warmly hugging a Serbian businessman as he bid farewell
year 2014. Dragomir Karic begins to work on the Minsk-World project
After breaking off relations with Itera, it was decided to involve the Serbian holding Dana Astra, the main owner of which is Dragomir Karic, in the development of the territory of the Minsk airport. Alexander Lukashenko signed the corresponding decree on September 22, 2014.
2015 Meeting of Lukashenko with the Karic brothers
On June 22, the head of Belarus received Dragomir Karic, as well as his brother Bogolyub, co-owner of the company “Karić Brothers”, against whom a criminal case was opened in Serbia.
Lukashenko noted that, according to the information he has, the brothers’ company is successfully running its business in Belarus. He also recalled the importance of the Minsk-World project.
Dragomir Karic, Alexander Lukashenko and Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic at the ceremonial laying of the capsule at the Minsk-Mir complex, 11/20/2015
In the fall, as an observer, Dragomir Karic, assessing the transparency of the presidential elections in Belarus, impressed many with his statement: “The West can be jealous.”
In November he was already at the inauguration at the Palace of Independence. Russian politician Sergei Baburin, who was also present, wrote on his website: “Drahomir Karic flew from Belgrade at Lukashenko’s personal insistence at night, literally from his son’s wedding.”
With his decree No. 465, Alexander Lukashenko once again demonstrated his favor towards Dragomir Karic. Thus, the construction of the Mayak Minska complex was planned to be completed in 2017 - now the deadlines have been shifted to 2020.
Gennady SysoevThe Russian authorities granted asylum to Serbian multimillionaire Bogolyub Karic, who was considered one of the most influential businessmen in Serbia during the reign of Slobodan Milosevic, and refused to extradite him to Belgrade. The influential Serbian newspaper Blic reported this yesterday, citing sources in the country's Ministry of Justice. In Serbian government circles, Kommersant confirmed this information, and the Federal Migration Service of the Russian Federation did not deny it. Although Belgrade expressed dissatisfaction with Russia’s refusal to extradite another person put on the international wanted list, this is unlikely to lead to a deterioration in Russian-Serbian relations.
According to the Serbian publication, at the end of last week the Russian authorities informed the Serbian Ministry of Justice that Bogoljub Karic had received asylum in Russia, so his extradition to Serbia is impossible.
Bogoljub Karic, along with his brothers Dragomir, Sreten and Zoran, were considered one of the most influential businessmen in Serbia during the reign of Slobodan Milosevic. In addition to the Braca Karic company (later renamed Astra Group), they owned the BK Telekom television channel (for a long time the most influential in the country), a radio station and the then only mobile operator Mobtel. According to unofficial data, the holding's annual turnover reached $5 billion. Bogoljub Karic was even the Minister of Privatization of Serbia for several months. After the fall of the Milosevic regime, the Karic brothers lost their business positions in Serbia, but retained the opportunity to influence politics - in particular, through the “Strength of Serbia” movement they created, the leader of which is Bogoljub Karic.
The charges against Bogoljub Karic were brought forward in early 2006 during an investigation into the activities of the Mobtel company - he is accused of financial fraud, as a result of which the state suffered more than €40 million in damages. Shortly after this, the Serbian authorities issued an international arrest warrant for Mr. Bogoljub Karic. However, by that time he had already left the country.
Serbian government circles confirmed to Kommersant information about Moscow’s refusal to extradite Bogolyub Karic. According to Kommersant's interlocutor, in Belgrade they know that he has been in Russia for a long time and that back in February 2008 he turned to the Russian authorities with a request for asylum. The timing for this, according to Kommersant's source, was not chosen by chance. Then Moscow officially announced its refusal to extradite to Belgrade the widow and son of former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic, who had received refugee status in Russia.
The Federal Migration Service of the Russian Federation (FMS) neither confirmed nor denied the information that appeared in Blic. And the representative of this department, Konstantin Poltoranin, explained to Kommersant that “we are talking about information concerning a private person, and its non-disclosure is protected by law.”
However, two years ago, the FMS was much more willing to comment on Russia’s refusal to extradite the widow and son of Slobodan Milosevic, and the same Mr. Poltoranin told Kommersant: “Moscow is not going to respond to emotional requests and accusations from Belgrade: Milosevic’s family is protected by laws and international conventions , which Russia also signed." The FMS explained the difference in the two cases to Kommersant by the fact that “two years ago the Milosevic family itself was interested in making the information public.”
If Bogoljub Karic really decided to stay in Russia, he will have something to do here. As Kommersant has already reported, his older brother Dragomir at the end of last year took control of the development business of the oil and gas company Itera and headed its subsidiary Itera Investment and Construction and Development Group. This company is constructing a number of facilities, the largest of which is Minsk City in Belarus (about 1.5 million sq. m of commercial real estate, investments - $4.8 billion).
Despite the fact that for the third time in the last two years Moscow has refused to extradite to Belgrade persons put on the international wanted list (in addition to the Milosevics and Bogolyub Karic, the Russian Federation refused to extradite the Serbian businessman Stanko Subotic in the summer of 2008), the new case is unlikely to lead to a worsening of the Russian -Serbian relations. Serbia is extremely interested in the speedy implementation of the South Stream project, as well as in Russian support for Kosovo. Therefore, Belgrade is clearly not comfortable quarreling with Moscow over those involved in even high-profile criminal cases. Moreover, it seems that the Serbian authorities are not very persistent in seeking from the Russian Federation the extradition of wanted persons, apparently so as not to put their ally in an awkward position.
[Infox.Ru, 07.26.2010, “A wanted Serbian oligarch found refuge in Russia”: In 2005, he participated in the presidential elections and took third place, gaining about 15%. When a case was opened against him, Karić turned for help to the fugitive Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky, who put his lawyers at the Serbian’s disposal. Even then, the native of Pec did not rule out that, like Berezovsky, he would seek political asylum. Together with Bogolyub, his brother Sreten is also hiding from Serbian law enforcement agencies. On the day the lawsuit was announced, he was in the hospital, and later was taken to a Moscow clinic for treatment. As the Serbian press wrote, Sreten managed to simultaneously lie in a hospital bed and visit Kosovo, Croatia, Montenegro, Great Britain, and South Africa. At the moment, the exact location of Sreten is unknown. - Insert K.ru]
Under Milosevic, the Karić clan in Serbia was “family No. 2”
The United States suspected the Karić brothers and Milosevic's older brother, Borislav, of laundering Serbian capital in Russia
Original of this material© "Vzglyad", 02/21/2006
Millionaire wanted
Kirill Komarov[…] The Karić brothers founded their empire in socialist Yugoslavia back in the 80s. But Bogolyub Karic's real fame came from his friendship with former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic. Already in the 90s, the brothers were considered the richest people in Yugoslavia. But after the fall of the Milosevic regime, the state accused Karic of violating the investment agreement by managing Mobtel. And the Karich brothers moved the main office of their BK Trade empire to Moscow. […]
The persecution of the Karic brothers' empire began after the fall of the regime of Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic. It is to him that the Karichs owe their wealth. Karic was among Milosevic's closest circle, and the Serbian opposition alleged that in exchange for licenses and permits for his businesses, he financed the former regime's expenses.
["Kommersant", 10/17/2000, "Belgrade Thief": The most powerful financial group in the republic (after the president's family, of course) is the Karic clan. In Serbia they are often called “family No. 2”. These are four brothers: ex-Minister of Serbia for Privatization Bogoljub Karić, representative of Karić Bank in Moscow Dragomir Karić, bankers Sreten and Zoran and their sister Milanka. This family is considered the main sponsors of the Milosevic regime. The geography of their empire is vast. It covers European countries (Austria, Greece, Cyprus, Russia, Yugoslavia), as well as China and the USA.
The Karichs have always received the most profitable projects from the state. For example, for several years they were the exclusive supplier of mobile phones to Serbia. The first mobile phones in the republic were sold at an incredible price - $8-9 thousand. The company's profit was thousands of percent. Recently, information appeared in the American press that US intelligence services have documentary information about the laundering of Serbian capital in Russia. We are talking about hundreds of millions of dollars. The Americans consider the Karic brothers and Milosevic's older brother, Borislav, to be the main figures in these operations. - Insert K.ru]
The number of companies owned by the head of the Karich family, Bogolyub, not only at home, but also abroad, which included banks, newspapers, magazines, television and even universities, exceeded a hundred. In addition, as Radio Liberty reports, in the most elite areas of Belgrade alone, 27 members of the Karić family owned 37 thousand square meters. meters of real estate. But the main asset of the empire of the Serbian rich was Serbia's largest cellular operator Mobtel - 51% of the operator's shares belonged to Karić, 49% to the Serbian state telecommunications company PTT.
After the overthrow of Milosevic, Bogoljub Karic was accused by the Serbian authorities of corruption (allegedly he tried to bribe one deputy so that he would refuse to support the ruling coalition), and pressure began on his business. For example, Astra Bank, owned by Karich, had its license taken away nine times, and eight times the courts decided to return it.
And new criminal charges were brought against the businessman himself - tax evasion and embezzlement. According to the BBC, the Serbian Ministry of Internal Affairs accuses him of embezzling public funds in the amount of $20 million. The money is alleged to have been misused while Karic was heading Mobtel. Similar accusations have been brought against Karic's close associates.
Late last year, the Serbian government revoked Mobtel's operating license. As a reason, they used the fact that the co-owner of the cellular operator, the Russian-registered company BK Trade Bogoljuba Karic, without the consent of the other co-owner (the Serbian state telecommunications company PTT) in 2003 allegedly ceded its rights to the network in Kosovo to the Albanian businessman Ekrem Luka . This man, according to the Serbian authorities, financed the Kosovo army that fought against Serbia. In addition, Karić was blamed for the fact that in 2005 he wanted to sell Mobtel to the Russian company Alfa Group, but in the end he concluded a deal, again without the consent of the partner (the Serbian state), with the Austrian concern Schlaff Group. […]
On the eve of the New Year, Serbian oligarch Bogoljub Karic, who is implementing several large construction projects in Minsk, arrived in Belgrade. This happened 11 years after a criminal case was opened against him in his homeland.
According to local media reports, a private plane from Moscow with Karic arrived at Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport at about 14:00 on December 30. The businessman was given a lavish welcome by his family members, friends, ordinary citizens and journalists.
On December 26, the Serbian prosecutor's office suspended the investigation into the criminal case against Bogoljub Karic and four others suspected of abuse of official position at Mobtel. And the Supreme Court revoked the arrest warrant for the owner of BK Group.
Karic told reporters that he does not intend to engage in politics, much less run for the presidency of Serbia. At the same time, I am ready to serve the Serbian people.
Last year, the businessman launched his own TV channel in Serbia.
Bogoljub Karic, along with his brothers Dragomir, Sreten and Zoran, was considered one of the most influential businessmen in Serbia during the reign of Slobodan Milosevic. According to unofficial data, the annual turnover of his holding company “Karichi Brothers” reached $5 billion. Bogoljub Karić was even the Minister of Privatization of Serbia for several months. After the fall of the Milosevic regime, the Karici brothers lost their business positions in Serbia, but retained the ability to influence politics. The charges against Bogoljub Karic were brought in early 2006 during an investigation into the activities of the mobile operator Mobtel - he was accused of financial fraud, which resulted in damage to the state of more than 40 million euros. Shortly thereafter, Serbian authorities issued an international arrest warrant for Bogoljub Karic. However, by that time he had already left the country.
In 2010, it was reported that Russia had granted asylum to Bogolyub Karic. A few years later, he acquired an office and housing in Minsk, where he was entrusted with the implementation of several large development projects (“Mayak Minska”, “Minsk-Mir”, etc.). On December 28 last year, Alexander Lukashenko, who is known for his friendship with Serbian businessmen, by his decree No. 497 allocated a plot of land on Oktyabrskaya Square in Minsk for development to the Karichs. As Bogoljub Karic stated in an interview with the Serbian newspaper Blic in mid-2016, “their company is building 4.7 million square meters. m [of residential and commercial real estate] in Minsk alone, 2 million square meters in Russia, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan.” Contracts totaling $13 billion have been concluded.
Over the past year, Bogoljub Karic has met several times in Minsk and Moscow with Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic.
“I still consider the indictment against him (Karić) to be politically motivated,” the Serbian president told reporters. But at the same time, Nikolic noted that he cannot influence the judicial system. Bogoljub Karić himself denied the accusations against him and said that political reprisals were carried out against him.