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Where did Radončić's wealth in Montenegro come from?

Where did Radončić's wealth in Montenegro come from?

Where did Radončić's wealth in Montenegro come from?

Political leader and media magnate from Sarajevo

Fahrudin Radončić, acquired real estate and shares in companies worth more than 11 million KM (5.5 million euros) in two years in Montenegro, according to the Center for Investigative Reporting (CIN).

The value of real estate and formal divorce

This is the value of four luxury apartments in the Porto Montenegro marina in Tivat and a share in Montenegrin Telecom. However, as CIN journalists note, the money from the sale of Avaz-roto press to his ex-wife did not flow into Fahrudin Radončić's accounts to the extent that he could invest millions of dollars in Montenegro. Two and a half years before investing in Montenegro, Fahrudin Radončić, a politician and media magnate, formally''transferred his media empire to his wife Azra, from whom he divorced after nearly two decades of marriage. The assets were divided between the couple, after which Radoncic sold Avaz-roto press to his ex-wife for 200 million KM (100 million euros).

The sale agreement and doubts about stability

"There are a number of economic indicators that suggest this contract is unstable. Our research has shown that this contract was not executed within the stipulated period of three years, meaning that Mr. Radončić was not able to receive even five percent of the agreed price. However, he managed to withdraw the money he needed to invest in Montenegro," says Ažar Kalamujić, a journalist at the Center for Investigative Journalism, who worked on the''this research story.

Investing in Montenegro

After the 2014 elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Fahrudin Radončić started buying luxury real estate in the Porto Montenegro marina in Tivat, as well as stakes in Montenegrin Telecom. The properties cost several million KM, and just the maintenance of one of the apartments there costs 3,000 KM (1,500 euros) per month. Radončić bought his first apartment in the Teuta residence, one of the most luxurious residential buildings in "Porto Montenegro", where some of the world's billionaires, such as Canadian billionaire Peter Munk or Briton Simon Murray, have properties.

The debts and involvement of Nathaniel Rothschild

To get about KM8.5 million (€4.25 million) from Avaz, Radoncic''borrowed from banks. ' He got part of the money by borrowing from the Montenegrin banks. It is not known to me from where he repaid the loan from the Montenegrin bank. We are talking about 4.2 million KM (2.1 million euros).

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That's how much one piece of real estate cost him. We are talking about an exquisite apartment of 351 square meters. It is one of the largest apartments in Porto Montenegro, where apartments belong to world billionaires such as Peter Munch and Nathaniel Rothschild. Rothschild sold the apartment to Mr. Radoncic and at the same time acted as guarantor for the loan he took out with a Montenegrin bank," Kalamuic explains.

The influence of taikuns on politics

The News Journalism Research Center, in researching this story, found that Fahrudin Radoncic, although''officially was no longer the owner of the media, but was his ex-wife, still, as an advisor, influenced the work of the media, Avaz and other media companies. At the time, he had already served as a minister and then as a delegate to the country's parliament, while avoiding conflicts of interest.

Political and economic taiknas

Many consider Fahrudin Radoncic to be the most influential media tycoon in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He founded a political party, the Alliance for a Better Future, and in 2010 he announced the construction of the tallest building in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Ivana Korajlic from Transparency International says that there are taikun in Bosnia and Herzegovina who are involved in politics and have direct influence on political processes, so the example of Fahrudin Radoncic is not the only one. "After''the disintegration of the former country and during the war, military exploitation and after the war, they took advantage of the total disintegration of the system, the lack of institutions to enrich themselves illegally without being obliged to account for the origin of the property and pay taxes. We have many cases where we have gotten politicians from the Taikuns. In other countries, it is about the influence of the taikuns on politics, but with us, the taikuns are the politicians. So, any attempt to block this falls flat at the very beginning due to the influence of the taikuns on decision-making," says Korajlić.

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