„It’s the stupidest thing I’ve heard in my entire life,” a well-known businessman from the north of Kosovo, Sinisa Nedeljkovic, commented on the recent decision the US Treasury Office’s of Foreign Assets Control, in which Nedeljkovic was added to its SDN list and linked to the “organized criminal group of Zvonko Veselinovic.“ Nedeljkovic emphasized that he is a legitimate businessman, voicing concerns over how this decision will affect his reputation among his longtime customers.
In the document issued by the US Treasury Office’s of Foreign Assets Control, Nedeljkovic is linked to seven entities, two of which are registered in the Serbian system, and five within the Kosovo system.
Nedeljkovic, who owns the Zvecan-based Metal store – the first department store opened in northern Kosovo after 1999, told KoSSev that he actually has only one company, and that the other one – „Izvor“ was closed in 2017. He added that it was practically never in business.
Nedeljkovic is linked to, among others, „Farma Izvor B.I.“ – registered in Kosovo and “Markom Metal Commerce DOO Zvecan” which is registered in the Serbian system.
He is also linked to „Metal – robna kuca“ – a company registered in the Serbian system, and „P.P. Robna kuca metal B. I“ and „Robna kuca metal DOO“ registered in the Kosovo system.
The list also includes the company „Siniša Nedeljković B.I, P.T.P. Metal“ in Zvecan, as well as „SINIŠA NEDELJKOVIĆ I.B.“ in Strpce, registered in the category „Restaurants and mobile food service activities“ within the Kosovo system.
On the other hand, he claims that he has no ties to Zvonko Veselinovic, who was named as the leader of an organized criminal group by the OFAC.
„I have no ties to them and I haven’t done anything. We have known each other for 20 years and I can’t say that I don’t know them, but as far as connections are concerned, I’m connected with them as much as you are,” Nedeljkovic told the journalist of the KoSSev portal.
He claims not to know where the US authorities obtained such information, stressing that he is not aware exactly how his name turned up on the SDN list.
In the meantime, the owner of the Rad company, Radule Stevic, who was also added to the SDN list, told KoSSev that he runs a legitimate business. He underlined that he does not know why he and his company were included on this list. Furthermore, Stevic claimed that it had been twenty years since he has last seen Veselinovic.
„As far as my companies and I are concerned, that is the stupidest thing I have ever heard and I deny it on all grounds. I’m at loss for words, it’s nonsense,“ Nedeljkovic underlined.
He also added that he has not spoken to anyone, nor does he want to, emphasizing that he is a legitimate businessman who fulfills his obligations.
„No one is bothering me, nor is there a need for it. I filed and paid my taxes – everything is in order. The company operates legally and this can be verified in the tax records,“ said Nedeljkovic.
He also said that the business of the store declined due to the pandemic, noting that this could make things a whole lot worse and potentially damage his reputation among his longtime customers.
The US Department of the Treasury published an updated Specially Designated Nationals And Blocked Persons List of the Office of Foreign Assets Control yesterday. The updated list includes 16 persons – 13 from Kosovo and three from El Salvador.
In addition to Sinisa Nedeljkovic, Zvonko Veselinovic and his brother Zarko, and Milan Radoicic, the list includes former high-ranking Kosovo police official Zeljko Bojic, as well as several other businessmen from the north, including the Radisavljevic brothers, one of whom is wanted by the Kosovo Police in connection with the October 13th action in the north.
Also, in addition to these individuals, a total of 24 entities with which they are linked were also added to the list. The majority of these entities, except for two, are registered in the Serbian and Kosovo systems, respectively. The remaining two entities are registered in Bulgaria and Croatia and are linked to Zvonko Veselinovic and Milan Radoicic.
Preuzimanje i objavljivanje tekstova sa portala KoSSev nije dozvoljeno bez navođenja izvora. Hvala na poštovanju etike novinarske profesije.
