The Machinery: Aleksandra Subotić caught red-handed: Šolak seeks to divert attention from his director’s machinations with doctored recordings

Aleksandra Subotić, a close associate of United Group founder Dragan Šolak, became the focus of interest of Telekom Srbija and the wider public after Telekom Srbija acquired NETTV from United Group. Namely, at that time suspicious contracts were uncovered which, via offshore companies, lead to Aleksandra Subotić.

The Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office in Belgrade dismissed as superficial and malicious the claims made by certain individuals and media outlets that the prosecution was “trying to dispute the authenticity of the conversation” between Miller and Lučić. As part of the pre-investigation procedure, acting on an expert examination order, a permanent court expert in electrical engineering and audio and video technology determined that the English-language audio recording of the conversation between Miller and Lučić was not authentic, i.e. not original.

“Based on the presented material and findings, it was determined that the audio recording entitled ‘Records’ was created by joining, cutting, repositioning and deleting operations, which means that the content cannot represent a faithful/true record of events,” the expert opinion concluded.

Despite this, certain media outlets persist in further abusing this doctored recording, with the main narrative they are attempting to impose being that Vladimir Lučić allegedly told Stan Miller that “the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, had requested that Aleksandra Subotić (one of the key figures of United Media, under whose management operate the media outlets N1, Nova S, Danas, Radar…) be dismissed”, while Miller allegedly explained to Lučić that before dismissing Subotić, he would first have to weaken the company she runs.
This spin served to obscure the key issue – that Aleksandra Subotić abused her authority in certain parts of United Group and caused damage to the parent company and, as is reasonably suspected, secured material gain for herself amounting to millions of euros.

Companies in Panama and Malta

Telekom Srbija told us that there are regular and normal consultations with Stan Miller, as CEO of United Group, just as with any other industry manager.

“Discussions with the CEO of United Group are all the more necessary because Telekom Srbija currently has three highly significant contracts in force with United Group, resulting from the recent acquisition from United Group of NETTV (an OTT platform broadcasting TV programmes to the diaspora), Total TV (satellite TV for Serbia and North Macedonia), and sports rights for Serbia, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. For all three acquired asset units, Telekom Srbija has contracts in force with United Group.

Aleksandra Subotić was also a subject of discussions with Mr Miller, but in the context of information obtained following the acquisition of NETTV from United Group. Namely, it was established that on 18 June 2013 NETTV concluded a general representation agreement with the company Benelux Intermedia S.A., Panama, valid until 18 June 2020, under which that company was entitled to certain commissions per NETTV user from the territory of Benelux, the United Kingdom and Ireland. It was also established that, despite the concealed ownership structure, there is a well-founded suspicion that the actual owner of the said Panamanian company is Aleksandra Subotić,” Telekom explained.

The company also recalls that the existence was established of a Partnership Agreement concluded on 1 April 2022 between NETTV and the company Benelux Intermedia Limited from Malta, valid until 31 January 2029, with the owner of that Maltese company also being Aleksandra Subotić.

“In this agreement as well, the subject is a commission per NETTV user from the territory of Benelux, the United Kingdom and Ireland. There is a well-founded suspicion that the said agreements are fictitious in nature and were used to siphon financial resources from NETTV for the benefit of Aleksandra Subotić. These circumstances are significant for United Group, which should be made aware of the said suspicions, and are of particular importance for Telekom Srbija, which will not allow the existence of fictitious agreements, nor any actions aimed at the unlawful extraction of funds from NETTV, which is now part of the Telekom Group,” Telekom stated.

She shut down N1

Aleksandra Subotić was also a key player in negotiations in the period from December 2019 to January 2020 and ultimately the person responsible for the ban on broadcasting N1 on Telekom networks. In the end, due to her requests, Telekom also filed a criminal complaint against her. Namely, during this period intensive negotiations were conducted between Telekom and United Media regarding the extension and legal regulation of the distribution of channels from United Group’s portfolio on the operator’s network within the Telekom Srbija Group (Supernova), including N1 and Sport Klub. Telekom recalls that during those negotiations it repeatedly insisted that it was extremely important for users to have uninterrupted access to those channels, especially N1, and emphasised that its goal was continuity of broadcasting and the conclusion of a long-term contract, while at the same time striving to reach a broader agreement at the level of the entire Telekom Srbija Group.

“Telekom Srbija and Supernova accepted the key commercial terms of United Media’s offer, including price and duration, and the only point they could not accept related to territorial restrictions, i.e. the division of the market within Serbia. More precisely, the request was to restrict distribution to a predefined territory and/or number of users, which constitutes a strictly prohibited restriction under competition protection rules,” Telekom explained, noting that it was precisely Aleksandra Subotić who crudely imposed an ultimatum approach, insisting on the acceptance of exactly such territorial restrictions and other contentious provisions.

“Conversely, from the course of negotiations and the communication conducted with Aleksandra Subotić and other representatives of United Media, an aggressive and ultimatum approach emerged: repeated insistence on accepting precisely such territorial restrictions and other contentious provisions, accompanied by the message that otherwise the signal of all channels on the Supernova network would be shut down within short, unilaterally imposed deadlines, as well as the rejection of transitional solutions which are standard business practice when negotiating a broader package.

Bearing in mind such a pattern of behaviour – ultimatum instead of agreement, rejection of a transitional solution and insistence on provisions prohibited by competition rules – a firm impression was formed that Ms Subotić was not in essence fighting for N1 to remain on the Telekom network, but rather that through such conduct of negotiations she was aiming for an outcome in which N1 would be removed from the network. In connection with Aleksandra Subotić’s insistence, as the key negotiator on behalf of United Media, that the contract be concluded with a strictly prohibited territorial division of the market, which also constitutes a criminal offence under Article 229 of the Criminal Code (conclusion of a restrictive agreement), a criminal complaint was filed against her with the Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office in Belgrade in January 2020,” Telekom told us.

A key link

Lastly, the role of Aleksandra Subotić represents a key link through which Dragan Šolak ensured direct influence over shaping the editorial policy of media operating within United Group, which is completely contrary to the concept of independent editorial policy that N1, Nova and others within United Group declaratively insist upon. From the report of Brent Sadler, former chairman of the N1 editorial board, it clearly emerges that N1’s editorial policy was shaped primarily through pronounced control from within the ownership structure itself.

Sadler states that Dragan Šolak, shortly after the launch of N1, attended and prominently participated in editorial meetings, which were also attended by Aleksandra Subotić, and that it became obvious to all present that Šolak had real control over those meetings. Sadler further describes that Aleksandra Subotić acted as a channel for implementing such control by sending instructions to news directors to pay attention to group statements, with such instructions in practice always being complied with.

As an illustration of direct influence on content, Sadler also cites a case in which Subotić instructed journalists to contact United Group’s legal representative and specified the questions to be asked, after which the broadcast of a report was ensured in line with those questions. Finally, Sadler also records a pattern of pressure on the editorial staff when content was assessed as harmful to the group’s interests, including descriptions of threats and intimidation.

Kurir Politics