The Zurich Commercial Court has on 8 May 2024 rejected Telekom Srbija‘s claim against companies within the United Media group as unfounded and ordered that the telecommunications operator owned by the Republic of Serbia pay the costs of the proceedings.
In 2020, Telekom Srbija announced legal action concerning negotiations on the distribution of Sport Klub, N1 and other TV channels within the United Media group, as well as in relation to the alleged „negative campaign“ of independent media that critically reported on its activities. Telekom Srbija filed lawsuits worth around 2.7 million Euros in Switzerland and as much as 80 million Euros in Serbia.
In the meantime, Telekom Srbija continuously tries to delay the decision in the proceedings before the courts in Serbia, insisting on the testimony of its own CEO Vladimir Lucic as a key piece of evidence. Lucic failed to appear at the pre-scheduled hearings three times due to urgent business obligations and at the beginning of April 2024, four years into the court proceedings, changed his entire legal team, requesting an additional delay to get a new set of lawyers familiar with the case.
In 2020, Telekom Srbija and Mr Lucic were very active in appearing before the public and insisted that they would prove their claims before independent institutions. Four years later, that has not happened. Telekom Srbija has conducted (and lost) unfounded disputes contrary to the basic principles of Serbian law, attempting to stifle legitimate criticism of independent media.
Source: N1
