Millennium Team d.o.o. v. Maja Nikolić
Prosecutor
Millennium Team d.o.o.
Company
2026 | Criminal procedure
The company “Millennium Team” filed a private criminal complaint against N1 journalist Maja Nikolić, demanding that she be sentenced to a prison sentence of up to one year for the published text. The lawsuit was filed with the Third Basic Court in Belgrade, and the journalist is charged with the crime of damaging business reputation and creditworthiness under Article 239 of the Criminal Code. The basis for the lawsuit is a text published on January 15, 2026 on the N1 portal, which talks about the purchase of the Hotel “Yugoslavia” and state subsidies. The lawsuit states that the journalist “presented false information about the company’s operations” and that she intended to harm its reputation. Parts of the text were considered controversial according to the plaintiff included questions about the allocation of state incentives, including claims that the state “helps the richest” and that the purchase of a hotel with subsidies practically meant a “gift”. The company is demanding that the journalist be sentenced to one year in prison.
Basis of submission (according to which article of the law):
Article 239 of the 239. Criminal CodeDamages/penalty requested:
The prosecutor requests that the defendant be sentenced to one year in prison.
Defendant
Maja Nikolić (Journalist)
Organization/Media
N1
Sector
public information
Outcome - In progress
Present characteristics
1. With the lawsuit that initiated the procedure, the plaintiff uses an imbalance of power, such as his financial advantage, political/social influence or authority as a power holder, in which way he puts pressure on the defendant – an actor participating in the public debate.
Millennium Team is one of the largest construction companies in Serbia and implementer of numerous projects that enjoy the political support of the authorities, including Belgrade on the water, construction of facilities for the needs of the EXPO 2027 exhibition, the National Stadium, etc.
2. The arguments presented by the prosecutor are partially or completely unfounded.
A company that annually generates a net profit of several billion dinars is suing a journalist for damaging its business reputation and creditworthiness due to an article on a topic that is in the public interest of citizens.
3. The lawsuit or legal remedy, that is, the request or proposal submitted by the plaintiff is disproportionate, excessive or unreasonable.
A prison sentence is undoubtedly an unreasonable request and a direct attack on free journalistic reporting on topics of public interest.
4. The lawsuit was filed against (i) an individual, i.e. a responsible media editor and/or a journalist and not (only) against an organization that organized the disputed activity, i.e. a media publisher and/or a journalist who published the news within a public debate.
A lawsuit was filed only against the portal’s journalist.
5. The plaintiff, or persons associated with the plaintiff, have participated or are currently participating in intimidating, harassing, or threatening actors involved in the public debate.
The company Millennium Team filed dozens of lawsuits against journalists, media, activists, and opposition politicians. This kind of action is clearly aimed at stifling the public debate about the affairs of this company engaged in numerous projects that the government has designated as strategic priorities and as projects of public interest. The company also threatened activists who protested against the demolition of Hotel Jugoslavija that they could face criminal charges.
6. The plaintiff, or persons associated with the plaintiff, have previously been or are currently involved in multiple coordinated lawsuits filed against participants in the public debate.
Dozens of lawsuits have been filed by this company against actors participating in the public debate. In this way, debate on topics of public interest is prevented. One of the lawsuits was filed against the activist Dejan Atanacković due to his columns and statements about the business of this company.
7. The plaintiff did not initiate out-of-court mechanisms for resolving the disputed matter before filing the lawsuit, or the prosecutor, as a holder of public authority, did not issue a warning or admonishment to the defendant but filed the lawsuit immediately.
The lawsuit was filed without first trying to settle the dispute out of court.
Additional materials
https://n1info.rs/vesti/milenijum-tim-tuzi-novinarku-n1-traze-zatvorsku-kaznu-od-godinu-dana-zbog-teksta-o-kupovini-hotela-jugoslavija/
