Research Center for Investigative Journalism of Serbia (CINS) it showed that on the project Expo 2027 more than 200 companies were engaged, including companies backed by associates and relatives of persons from criminal circles, as well as individuals connected to political structures.
From the middle of 2023, when Serbia was chosen to host the specialized international exhibition Expo 2027, a large fair and residential complex, a national stadium and supporting infrastructure are being built on the outskirts of Belgrade.
Based on the collected data a base has been formed with more than 200 companies that, according to CINS, are involved in the implementation of Expo 2027 as contractors, subcontractors or suppliers.
Despite several months of attempts to get official information about contractors and subcontractors on the project, CINS states that such information was not provided, which is why the research was conducted through interviews with interlocutors, direct contacts with companies, as well as analysis of court and other documents.
According to CINS, due to the special status of the EXPO 2027 project, it has been difficult for the public to determine which companies are participating in its implementation. The investment companies SPV Galovica 1, 2 and 3 and SPV Petrac 1, 2 and 3, established for the purpose of building part of the complex, stated that they have only three subcontractors ZOP Inženjering, Telesec and Power Quality Company, while the research identified more than 200 companies engaged as contractors, subcontractors and suppliers.
Who are the companies working at the Expo?
Among the companies mentioned is the company "Makiš beton", founded in 2024, which CINS states has generated a significant part of its income through involvement in the Expo project. The majority owner of the company is Marijana Đerić Mandreš, whom CINS states is the sister of Aleksandar Vidojević, known to the public as Aca Rošavi. According to the research, the second co-owner of the company is Vujadin Krstić, who was previously sentenced by the final court for helping to cover up the tracks after the murder of Željko Ražnatović Arkan.
The text also states that the Valjevo road company is involved in the works through the delivery of sand for roads within the Expo complex. For years, that company has been associated with Ljubiša Buh Čumet, the former leader of the Surčin clan, which was previously denied through the official ownership structures.
Among the engaged companies is "NM Kop", whose owner is Nemanja Milenković, the son of Dejan Milenković Bagzi, a former member of the Surčin and Zemun clans. Prosecution documents show that the firm was involved in the Expo project, although the owner initially denied it.
The research also includes the company "C&LC Kameni Aggregati", whose owner is Predrag Lovrić, previously convicted in Liechtenstein as a member of the Pink Panther group, as well as the entrepreneurial shop "CAP 1 ALCZ" owned by Đorđe Prelić, the former leader of the Alcatraz fan group, convicted of murdering French fan Brice Taton.
The company "Betonjerka Čačak", connected through the ownership structure with businessman Milenko Kostić, vice president of the Board of Directors of the Red Star Football Club and owner of the company Auto Čačak, was also involved in the work on the Expo project.
Among the companies identified by CINS is Goter Construction, which is building two halls within the complex. Its co-owners are Kostadin Terzić, son of the general director of FC Crvena zvezda Zvezdan Terzić, and Slobodan Govedarica, president of the Grafičar Workers' Football Club.
Exhibition spaces and the National Stadium are being built by the Millennium Team owned by Ivan Bošnjak and Stojan Vujek, a company that in previous years participated in some of the largest state projects and privatizations.
The company WD Concord West, whose co-owner is the president of the Red Star Basketball Club Željko Drčelić, was also involved in the construction of the residential complex. The company MVM Južna Bačka, formerly Energotehnika-Južna Bačka, co-owned by businessman Dragoljub Zbiljić, is also participating in the project, which was entrusted with the construction of the heating and cooling system of the National Stadium.
According to CINS data, the construction of the railway from Zemun Polje to the National Stadium was also engaged by the company Voj Kop, behind which is Marko Bosanac Boske. The largest part of the work on the facilities and infrastructure of the EXPO, according to the research, was entrusted to the Chinese state corporation Power China on the basis of an intergovernmental agreement.
The text points out that the presence of companies and persons linked to criminal or political structures does not in itself constitute evidence of the illegality of their involvement in the project, but it raises issues of transparency and the criteria by which contractors are selected for one of the largest state infrastructure projects.
Source: CINS, FoNet
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