Rubio is asked to impose sanctions on four Serbian businessmen close to Vučić

Four businessmen from Serbia, close to the current government, have been included in a list of individuals against whom Republican US Congressman Joe Wilson has requested that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio impose sanctions.

The list of persons for whom sanctions are proposed are: Ivan Boshnjak and Stojan Vujko, from the Millennium Team company, Davor Macura, from Alta Banka, and Zeljko Mitrovic, owner of Pink television.

According to the October 14 letter, which Radio Free Europe has had access to, Wilson is requesting that these four businessmen be banned from entering the United States and using the American financial system.

Wilson addressed the US Secretary of State in his capacity as co-chair of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, known as the US Helsinki Commission.

In the request, the four businessmen are described as associates of former Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, who are exploiting public resources for personal enrichment.

"They prop up his corrupt regime, have acted to undermine US interests in Serbia and the region, and have been actively involved in the manipulation of the October 25 elections," the letter states.

Millennium Team and Alta Banka have denied these allegations in their responses to Radio Free Europe, calling them untrue, while Zeljko Mitrovic has not directly responded to the accusations.

None of these three companies is under international sanctions and has not been in the past.

Neither have businessmen Ivan Bosnjak, Stojan Vujko, and Davor Macura ever been sanctioned.

The exception is Zeljko Mitrovic, the owner of Pink television, who was sanctioned by the US and the European Union during the regime of Slobodan Milosevic.

Vučić's Serbian Progressive Party did not respond to REL's request for comment.

The October 25 snap parliamentary elections in Serbia are seen as one of the biggest electoral challenges for Vučić, who is running for prime minister this time.

He and his Serbian Progressive Party have been in power in Serbia for the past 14 years.

What does the US State Department say?

The US State Department, in a response to Radio Free Europe, says that it does not comment on its communications with Congress, nor on actions related to specific cases, due to the confidentiality of visa data.

"The Trump administration protects our country and citizens by implementing the highest standards of national and public security when reviewing visa applications," the response states.

The United States imposes sanctions when it assesses that a country, company, organization, or individual poses a threat to its national security, foreign policy, or economy.

However, sanctions are an instrument of foreign policy and their imposition does not necessarily mean that the sanctioned person has been convicted of any criminal offense.

How is the request for sanctions justified?

The request for sanctions states that Ivan Bosnjak and Stojan Vujko, from the company Millennium Team, benefit from numerous contracts with the state and Chinese companies, which are suspected of being linked to corruption.

According to the request, this practice gradually excludes Western companies – including American ones – from the Serbian market, favoring businesses close to the government.

Alta Bank is alleged to be involved in money laundering activities, while Pink Television is accused of concentrating control over the media and serving as a propaganda tool for the government.

Congressman Joe Wilson believes that Vučić has weakened the rule of law and has made efforts to eliminate democratic competition in Serbia.

"He has made many promises to the United States, but has fulfilled none. Instead, his kleptocratic regime has opened the door to Russian and Chinese influence," the letter says.

Wilson calls on US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to take the proposed measures "to ensure that the Vucic regime cannot steal the elections."

The US Helsinki Commission, of which Wilson is co-chair, is an independent commission of the US federal government.

According to its official website, the commission aims to strengthen security through the promotion of human rights, democracy, and economic, environmental, and military cooperation in the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) area, which includes 57 states.

A few days before the elections, a group of US senators from both parties called on Serbian authorities to ensure equal conditions for all participants in the October 25 elections, expressing concern about developments before the vote.

They described as "deeply disturbing" reports of illegal wiretapping of opposition members and of attempts to discredit and obstruct election observation missions.

How do Serbian businessmen respond to demands for sanctions?

Alta Banka, in a response to Radio Free Europe, rejects allegations that Alta Group, Alta Banka or Davor Macura are involved in money laundering, corruption, misuse of public resources or interference in the electoral process.

"No competent authority, in any jurisdiction, has issued any such finding or decision against Alta Banka, Alta Pay Group or Mr. Macura," the bank's spokesperson said in a response.

According to him, Davor Macura is not a politician, but a private entrepreneur, whose activities include the banking sector, payment services and other fields.

Alta Banka emphasizes that it operates under the supervision of the National Bank of Serbia and that it implements the highest standards for preventing money laundering and complying with financial regulations.

"The effectiveness of these controls and the compliance system has been confirmed several times through internal and external audits," says the bank spokesperson.

He adds that the bank remains committed to cooperating with regulatory authorities and law enforcement bodies to combat illicit financial flows.

The response also states that the bank has not seen any evidence that the request for sanctions has been sent to the US Department of State and that it will seek clarification from the competent authorities regarding the allegations raised.

Even the company Millennium Team, in its response to REL, says that it acts "transparently and in accordance with the law."

"We do not comment on untrue and unfounded claims. In the event of their publication, we will protect our rights through the legal means at our disposal," the company's response states.

Meanwhile, Zeljko Mitrovic, owner of Pink Media Group, instead of a direct response to REL's questions, sent a post of his on Instagram, published on July 2, in which he wished Americans a Happy Independence Day.

"Personally, I am very happy that Serbia and America have entered a new era of rapid development of positive and friendly relations," he wrote.

In that post, Mitrovic also mentioned a "brief interruption in relations" between Serbia and the US in the late 1990s, which he described as a period characterized by "misunderstandings and lack of understanding."

In the late 1990s, Mitrović was included in the US sanctions list as a person close to the regime of Slobodan Milošević, whose activities supported that regime.

Milosevic, former president of Serbia and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, died in custody at the Hague Tribunal while being tried on war crimes charges.

The sanctions at the time against Mitrovic included a ban on entry to the United States, as well as a ban on trade and financial relations with American companies and individuals.

At that time, Mitrović was also sanctioned by the European Union.

Who are the persons for whom sanctions are sought?

Ivan Bosnjak and Stojan Vujko are owners of the company Millennium Team – one of the large companies involved in major infrastructure projects in Serbia.

The company was founded in early 2003 and initially dealt with the trading of food products and waste.

Two years later, she also started working in construction.

Since then, Millennium Team has been engaged in some of the largest projects in Serbia, including the construction of the "Belgrade on Water" complex and facilities for the international exhibition EXPO 2027, which will be held in Belgrade.

According to the company's public financial documents, previously analyzed by Radio Free Europe, its profit at the end of last year exceeded 21 million euros.

Bosnjak and Vujko are also owners of about 15 other companies in Serbia and the region.

Millennium Team also has a lobbying contract in the United States with the Washington-based law firm Steptoe LLP, according to the US Department of Justice's foreign agent registry.

The Steptoe law firm, in documents submitted to American authorities, has announced that its cooperation with the Serbian company, Millennium Team, includes media relations, as well as contacts with institutions and officials in the United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Union.

"Activities in the US include lobbying Congress, as well as executive branch departments and agencies," the documents state.

Alta Group owner Davor Macura was in the spotlight in mid-October after Montenegrin authorities denied him entry into the country and turned him away from Podgorica Airport.

The company stated at the time that Macura had not been given any explanation for the entry ban.

According to her, the reason given in the border police report was "protection of national security, namely internal security or public health."

The company stressed that the minutes contained "no justification, factual basis or evidence."

Davor Macura started his business in 2008, when he opened a currency exchange called Alta in Zemun, Belgrade.

In 2014, he transferred his activity to the company Alta doo.

Over the years, the company expanded its activities from currency exchange to payment services.

In 2019, it changed its name to Alta Pay Group, and in 2025 to Alta Group.

In 2024, Alta Pay came under scrutiny by the European Central Bank for how it, along with the company Diplomat Pay, had acquired shares in the Austrian bank Addiko.

The Financial Times reported at the time that the European Central Bank had been investigating Alta Pay for months, due to suspicions regarding anti-money laundering controls and questions about the origin of Davor Macura's capital.

Alta Pay stated that it was unaware of such an investigation, that it had submitted documentation to regulatory authorities on the origin of financial assets and internal controls, and that the allegations of possible irregularities were unfounded and untrue.

Among the activities of Macura and his companies that have attracted public attention is Alta Pay's collaboration with the Serbian Electric Power Company (EPS).

Since November 2023, Alta Pay Group has been mediating electronic payments of electricity bills through the EPS website and application, "Uvid u raçun".

Meanwhile, from June 2025, Belgrade citizens will no longer pay their energy bills into the EPS account at the State Treasury, but into an account opened at Alta Banka.

EPS has stated that Alta is just one of the banks with which it successfully cooperates. However, the contracts that define the details of this cooperation are not public.

From a currency exchange opened in 2008, Macura has expanded its business into the banking sector, through the acquisition of JUBMES Banka, as well as into payment services, real estate and construction.

In 2026, through the company Alta Retail, he also took ownership of the Idea, Roda and Mercator retail chains in Serbia.

Zeljko Mitrovic runs the Pink Media Group company, whose main activity is the production of television programs.

He started his business in the late 1990s, during the regime of Slobodan Milosevic, when he founded the Pink radio and television, and later the record company City Records.

At that time, Mitrović was part of the leadership of the Yugoslav Left (JUL) – a party led by Mirjana Marković, the wife of Slobodan Milošević.

Currently, Mitrović is the owner or co-owner of 18 companies operating in various sectors – from media and cinematography, to the production of chocolates, chewing gum and drones.

Relations between Serbia and the USA

Serbia has increasingly come to the attention of members of the US Congress in recent months.

In August, Republican Congressman Joe Wilson and Democrat Bill Keating introduced a bill in the House of Representatives calling for measures against Serbia due to its democratic backsliding and ties to Russia and China.

Subsequently, another bill for Serbia was introduced in the Senate, supported by both parties, at the initiative of Republican Senator Chuck Grassley and Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal.

In addition to financial sanctions and visa restrictions for Serbian officials, the draft laws also provide for the suspension or conditioning of the Strategic Dialogue between the US and Serbia.

Serbian authorities did not comment on these legal initiatives.

The United States and Serbia launched the Strategic Dialogue in mid-July, with the aim of deepening cooperation between the two countries.

Within the framework of this dialogue, the parties signed a memorandum of understanding on energy infrastructure and regional energy security.

The meeting of American and Serbian officials, on July 17, was opened by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.