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Serbian prosecutors have asked the investigative outlet KRIK to provide the original or “best available copy” of an audio recording featured in a joint OCCRP/KRIK investigation, in which the head of Telekom Srbija and the CEO of United Group are heard discussing possible ways to undermine one of the last independent television networks in the country.
KRIK said the recording is publicly available on its YouTube channel and commented that prosecutors seem actually be more interested in the whistleblower
The conversation took place between Vladimir Lučić, head of the state-owned Telekom Srbija, and Stan Miller, CEO of United Group, amid sweeping changes in United Group’s ownership and management. In recent months, United Group — controlled by the British private equity firm BC Partners — has sold several telecommunications assets across the region, while Telekom Srbija purchased a number of its companies and broadcasting rights in deals totaling more than 650 million euro ($752 million).
Under Lučić’s leadership, Telekom Srbija has become a key vehicle for state influence over Serbia’s media market, acquiring or funding outlets supportive of the government. N1 TV — the network discussed in the recording — remains one of the few media outlets providing independent and critical coverage.
At one point in the conversation, Miller refers to the planned dismissal of Aleksandra Subotić, longtime CEO of United Media, United Group’s media division that operates N1.
“I cannot fire Alexandra today, as we discussed, okay? I need to make that company very small in Serbia, if you understand what I mean, and separate it,” he is heard saying.
Neither Miller nor Lučić have denied the authenticity of the recording or its contents. However, the new director of United Group’s Serbia branch, Vladica Tintor — who previously led Serbia’s Regulatory Authority for Electronic Communications and Postal Services — filed a criminal complaint against unidentified individuals on October 2, 2025. Prosecutor Aleksandar Milošević requested the recording from KRIK that same day to “verify its authenticity.”
Such a swift response from the Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office in Belgrade is highly unusual, KRIK noted. The letter from the prosecutor’s office states: “Please provide the original or ‘best copy’ of the audio recording, or, if possible, the device on which it was made,” adding that “urgency is required in this matter.”
KRIK emphasized that under Serbian law, journalists are not obliged to reveal their sources — which, the outlet said, appears to be the prosecution’s underlying goal.
“Instead of examining the content of the conversation we published — and investigating whether there were elements of a criminal offense in the discussions between Miller and Lučić about removing the head of a Serbian media company and pressuring the press — prosecutors want to identify the source of the recording,” said Stevan Dojčinović, KRIK’s editor-in-chief.
“It’s clear from their letter that the goal is to uncover and punish the whistleblower rather than to investigate possible abuses of power. Unfortunately, this isn’t surprising in Serbia, where the prosecutor’s office often acts in the interest of President Vučić.”
United Group’s lawyer, Bogdan Gecić, told KRIK that he was not aware of such a criminal complaint and would check and call back. He had not done so by Thursday.
