How Dodik's tycoon Milanović, from black financial lists, is expanding his business empire in Slovenia, an EU member!?

(Patria) - Businessman Mladen Milanović Kaja, close to Milorad Dodik's regime, has expanded his business empire to Slovenia.

Milanović is known, as previously reported by the media, for his connections with Dodik's loyalists such as Zoran Tegeltija, but he is not far from Dragan Čović either, considering that the HDZ-controlled media outlet 'Večernji list' declared him businessman of the year last year.
Also, like his political mentors, Milanović and his companies have ended up on the blacklists of the World Bank, EBRD, and the US Development Bank.

This has not stopped him from developing his businesses in Slovenia, which is an EU member. Milanović also has close ties with the Serbian Orthodox Church. He is a benefactor of the Temple of Saint Sava in Mrkonjić Grad, which was consecrated by former Patriarch Irinej on August 2, 2018.



Namely, the company Rastoder, owned by businessman Izet Rastoder, sold the unfinished commercial part of Stožice to MG Mind from Bosnia and Herzegovina, specifically Republika Srpska. In Slovenia, it owns, among other things, the construction company KPL, which mostly does business with the municipality of Ljubljana. Business partners do not disclose the purchase price.
The Rastoder company, known primarily as an importer and distributor of Derby bananas and also active in the real estate sector in Ljubljana, explained that the sale was carried out due to the consolidation of investments in its real estate portfolio.

Several Court Proceedings

Businessman Rastoder became the owner of the commercial part next to the Stožice stadium and arena in 2017, after acquiring claims from the company Grep from the then Bank Asset Management Company (DUTB), and as the sole secured creditor in Grep's bankruptcy, as the investor in the Stožice project, he then took over the assets.

The unfinished commercial part represents the stranded private part of the center's construction project, whose central parts are the largest arena and stadium in the country, which are owned by the municipality. Dilapidated properties have plagued the area for years, and the story of business related to the Stožica center has also ended up in court in several proceedings.

The Rastoder company, where interest in purchasing the decaying property had been checked earlier, wrote that after a detailed review, they signed a purchase agreement with the Bosnian-Herzegovinian company MG Mind, making it the owner of the company Trgovsko mjesto, inženjering, which officially owns the properties in the commercial part of Stožice.

The new owner took over the management of the property a few days ago. Between 200 and 250 shops The unfinished commercial building has 200,000 square meters. Of the total area, 103,000 square meters are planned for the construction of 200 to 250 retail units, and the rest consists of parking and service facilities, Slovenian media report.

The new owner will have to enter into a public-private partnership agreement with the City of Ljubljana, which will include a contractor for the construction of public parking lots, access roads, and a possible football field on the roof of the commercial building.

MG Mind from RS

MG Mind from Republika Srpska heads a group founded in 1998 engaged in construction, real estate, and trade, owned by businessman Mladen Milanović. The group includes 15 companies and employs over 3,000 people. According to available data, MG Mind achieves annual revenues ranging from 38 to 46 million euros.

In Slovenia, the company is already present, among other things, as the owner of the construction company KPL, which conducts most of its business on projects for the municipality of Ljubljana. The Mayor of Ljubljana, Zoran Janković, was on the defendant's bench in several proceedings related to the Stožice project, but in two proceedings concluded at one level so far, he was acquitted of charges, while in another, the criminal proceedings were suspended.

The purchase price was not disclosed. The Rastoder company wrote about the buyer that it is an established firm in the field of construction and real estate development, but according to assurances from circles close to the seller, the buyer has ambitious plans for the area. MG Mind also competed a few years ago for the purchase of the stranded Tobačna mjesto project.

Rastoder does not disclose the purchase price, but they wrote that they will use the funds to strengthen their core business and develop new ones. In the real estate sector, Rastoder is known for building two residential high-rises along Celovška cesta, while the Serbian Delta Holding also sold land in Bavarski dvor a few years ago, where the Intercontinental Hotel was built.

Rastoder has also bought the dilapidated Bellevue hotel in the Tivoli area of Ljubljana in previous years, but has not yet started the project of its renovation with a new building.

The Rastoder group has 650 employees and currently has 13 companies, including Spektra Invest, Air Adriatic, and Bellevue Investicije. The group's revenues in 2022 amounted to 320 million euros.