United Media has responded to attacks by the Serbian authorities by saying it paid €100 million in taxes in the last two years and is one of the biggest contributors to the country’s budget.
In statement published by N1 TV, which like United Media is part of United Group, it added: “United Media was unpleasantly surprised by the reaction of some representatives of the executive and legislative authorities who, commenting on the fact that Dragan Solak became the owner of the (the Premier League club) Southampton, told numerous untruths about the company’s business, one of the largest foreign investors in the country”.
It continued: “the government, led by Prime Minister Ana Brnabic, immediately after publishing the information that the founder of the United Group took 80% ownership of the Premier League club, launched a shameful campaign against him and the company, deceiving the public by presenting a series of incorrect information”.
The statement also said that “members of the United Group have invested €850 million in Serbia in the last 10 years, which makes the company one of the largest foreign investors.
“Despite that, our companies are continuously the target of attacks by the Serbian government, which is trying in every way to stop the development of operators and shut down independent media”.
United Media also said that “instead of talking about our business, government officials can publicly answer why as much as €600 million of Serbian citizens (money) was given to (Telekom Srbija) to buy the transmission rights of the Premier League at a price several times higher than the most developed countries in the world.
“Also, when they talk about breaking the law, let us remind them that the legal obligation is for the state to leave the ownership of the media and not to open new channels, and that the state must be the guarantor of media freedoms. Also, the state should ensure equal treatment of all foreign investors, and not expel the biggest ones from the country, considering them unsuitable, while on the other hand, it is consciously ‘squinting’ at certain violations of basic human rights”.
As previously reported by <em>Broadband TV News, earlier this week Dragan Solak, the founder and chairman of the advisory board, United Group, acquired a controlling stake in the Premier League club Southampton through the London-based investment firm Sport Republic.
