The Special Court in Belgrade jailed Miroslav Miskovic – owner of the industrial giant Delta Holding – for five years and fined him 8 million euros for helping his son evade taxes.

Miroslav Miskovic. Photo: Beta

The Special Court in Belgrade on Monday jailed Serbian businessman Miroslav Miskovic for five years for helping his son Marko Miskovic with tax evasion, local media reported.

The Court said Miskovic, owner of Serbian industrial giant Delta Holding, helped his son evade payment of 3 million euros in taxes. Besides the prison sentence, Miskovic will have to pay a substantial fine.

In the first-instance trial, Miskovic was also charged with financial abuses related to the privatization of road maintenance companies but was acquitted of this. Serbia’s prosecution for organised crime had sought a 12-year prison sentence plus fines for abuse of office and tax evasion. His defense claimed there was no evidence that he conducted financial irregularities with the road maintenance companies.

Miskovic, who had been in custody for eight months before being released on bail set at 12 million euro, did not attend the verdict. His trial was delayed for health reasons at the end of last year.

His son was jailed on March 25 for three-and-a-half years in prison and fined 10.3 million euros for tax evasion in his first instance trial.

The owner of the road building company Nibens Group, Milo Djuraskovic, who was charged with the same offences, was acquitted of charges relating to the road maintenance companies.

Balkan Insight

20 June 2016