06. 09. 2004

BK television denies allegations

BELGRADE, September 6, 2004 (B92) – Bogoljub Karic’s BK Television has rejected allegations that it is illegally using forty transmission facilities belonging to the Serbia-Montenegro Army. The director of the company’s legal department, Dejan Manojlovic, said that the contracts signed with the Yugoslav Army in 1997 are legally valid. “The agreements were signed in 1997 for a duration of, I believe, ten years. At this time they were fully legal and legitimate because, with approval, the army is permitted to make some of its resources available for commercial use. This is laid out in the Army Act which is still in force, so we don’t know what Cekic means here,” said Manojlovic. Broadcast Agency Council chairman Nenad Cekic has written to Serbian and Serbia-Montenegro authorities demanding a probe into the legality of the establishment and operation of BK Television. In a statement released last week, Cekic said that, on the basis of a Defence Ministry and Telekom report, it was clear that the broadcaster was illegally using forty army frequencies and that the appropriate state bodies should investigate this. Cekic also said that, on the basis of the latest information available, BK Television was given assistance, without any contract or compensation, by Serbia Telekom. The Broadcast Agency Council chairman added that all information indicates that BK Television was established through a series of grave cases of abuse.