A Belgrade court has ordered the owner of pro-government TV Pink Zeljko Mitrovic to pay damages to opposition leader Dragan Djilas for publishing an insulting letter in 2017, the Party of Freedom and Justice (SSP) said on Friday.

A press release said that the 1st Basic Court ordered Mitrovic to pay 200,000 Dinars in damages to Djilas for publishing an open letter in October 2017 which included a series of lies. In it Mitrovic claimed that Djilas “robbed the city and state, every family and individual, fixed tenders and stole from the citizens when he built bridges”. “Mitrovic’s audio recording of the letter was broadcast repeatedly for three days on his TV station,” the press release said.  

“The court ruled that those claims as well as claims that Djilas arrested doctors are untrue and offensive and ordered Mitrovic to pay 200,000 Dinars,” it added.  

Djilas is quoted as saying that this was the third law suit that he won against Mitrovic but that this has not stopped the TV Pink owner from continuing to voice lies and insults. The SSP leader voiced doubts about whether the fines are having an effect. “The situation is the same with the lies voiced by (President Aleksandar) Vucic, (Belgrade deputy Mayor Goran) Vesic, (the pro-government tabloids) Informer and Srpski Telegraf. They all pay the fines which are symbolic for them and continue with the lies,” Djilas said and added that the money will go to humanitarian organizations.