BELGRADE, 15.11.2019. – N1’s Director Jugoslav Cosic said on Thursday he would file criminal charges against “some pro-regime media” for “organised and planned campaign” against him and denied accusations he was “paid Kosovo lobbyist,” the news agencies reported, carrying his statement.
Cosic said that the Keyconnection Media d.o.o. whose co-owner he was, was established in 2005 and registered as an agency dealing with the TV industry.
“Besides production, consultancy, education and marketing, the company has been cooperating with civil society and competed for different grants as did other agencies and production groups for 14 years,” Cosic said.
He added that the company had not a single financial violation and that all data about its businesses were accessible at the Business Registers Agency (APR).”
“When I started working with Adria News d.o.o. in 2015, I resigned as the Keyconnection Media d.o.o. CEO and quit. Since then, I’m only a shareholder and don’t have any operational or managing duties in the company,” Cosic said.
He added that the scans of illegally obtained documents which Bogoljub Pjescic published proved that Keyconnection Media cooperated with IREX and the US embassy.
“My lawyers will file criminal charges against all those involved in this campaign of lies and against individuals who obtained the NBS data illegally,” Cosic added.
Cosic said that IREX’s $ 47,432.50 grant from ten years ago, was meant for several months of organisation, shooting, production and broadcasting across local TVs of a serial of public debates during which students talked to the ministers, held at the Youth House in Belgrade.
He added that “25,974.357 Dinars was a total amount of the US embassy grant as the aid for media in five years (2009-2013.) During that period, Cosic said, Keyconnection Media d.o.o. trained some 150 students in journalism and media.
Additionally, he said, the project included 60 TV half-hour shows broadcast as series on Studio B TV and many local TV channels, members of ANEM.
Later on Thursday the NBS told Insider, an independent production network, it did not provide data about Keyconnection Media d.o.o. company transactions. The Bank said no one demanded those data and that even if someone did, it could not give them to anyone except the investigators or courts at their written request.
The Euro 249,862 income Keyconnection Media d.o.o. made in two years was based on the consultancy contract with the Albanian Gener2 company dealing with construction, telecommunications and retail.
“The contract was specifically about the foundation of a new A2 TV from Tirana, which is an exclusive CNN partner. Every paycheck went through the legal channel via National Bank of Serbia (NBS), and the tax was paid in full for the profit made,” Cosic said.
He pointed out that “the campaign of lies against me, led by Bogoljub Pjescic, an informant, (and the tabloids) Informer, Srpski Telegraf, Alo, as well as Marjan Risticevic, an MP has only one goal. To discredit and frightened me.”
“The informant Pejscic published documents about the Keyconnection Media d.o.o. that were obtained criminally, immediately after the announcement that the whistleblower Aleksandr Obradovic from Krusik factory will be my guest on the Pressing talk show. At that moment, he called me three times. The message is the campaign is meant to show that arms trade is a touchy topic, and it aims to frighten and endanger me,” Cosic said.
He added: “I have never had any contact with anyone’s lobbyist, not Kosovo’s not Albanian. This frightening campaign is an attempt to execute me as an independent journalist publically. In this country, where the journalists were killed and hurt, every such campaign must be taken seriously, and I’m taking it very seriously,” Cosic said.