Indictment filed against Aleksandar Papić over sale of luxury cars

Belgrade businessman Aleksandar Papić has been indicted on charges of money laundering, Serbian prosecutors announced. The Special Department for the Suppression of Corruption alleges Papić engaged in the transfer of assets valued at 72 million dinars (approximately $660,000 USD) during 2022 and 2023, with the intent to conceal their illicit origins.

The indictment, submitted to the Higher Court in Belgrade for confirmation, details Papić's alleged involvement in selling nine luxury vehicles. Prosecutors claim Papić acquired these cars from the director of the company "Sirb Kar," identified as S.B., who had obtained the vehicles through criminal activities. Papić is accused of personally and through intermediaries selling these cars to third parties.

Evidence presented by the prosecution suggests the vehicles' criminal provenance is supported by a final verdict from the Higher Court in Belgrade. The luxury cars in question include a Bentley Continental, a Mercedes-Benz A-Class, a Porsche Cayenne, an Audi Q7, two BMW X5s, a Mercedes-Benz GLE 400 D, a Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupe 300 D, and a BMW X6 xDrive.

Papić, 38, is described as a Belgrade businessman and a former close associate of ex-minister Nebojša Stefanović. Media reports have linked him to numerous corruption scandals, money laundering, and investigations into the criminal clan led by Veljko Belivuk. Papić was previously arrested alongside Milorad Grčić, former acting director of public enterprise EPS, and nine others, in connection with allegations of rigged tenders for EPS awarded to a company reportedly owned by Papić.