Miroslav Miškovič2 photos

In terms of wealth, throughout Serbia, Miškovič ranks only behind Philip Zepter; in 2007, his fortune was estimated at 2 billion dollars. On the list of the richest people from this former communist country, Miškovič occupies 42nd place. However, if those working within the former Soviet Union are excluded from the list, he rises to 5th place. In the 2007 Forbes ranking, Miškovič was only at 891st place—he became the first Serbian to ever appear on this list. Miškovič was born in Bošnjane, Varvarin. After finishing school, he moved to Belgrade and enrolled in the university’s economics faculty. After graduating, he worked for a while in Kruševac for companies such as “Jugobanka” and “Trayal,” before joining “Upa Chemical Industries.” There, he rapidly rose through the ranks, becoming financial director in 1984 and general manager in 1987. He held this position until he was appointed deputy prime minister in 1990. He served as deputy prime minister for only six months before leaving the position to found the company “Delta M.” Its name was a play on the initials of his surname. The company achieved rapid success, especially during the war in Yugoslavia and under Slobodan Milošević’s regime. Soon after, Miškovič launched another project: “Delta Banka,” which later became one of the components of the holding company he established. This holding company had a wide range of activities, including agriculture, retail trade, insurance, real estate, and brokerage services. It is still unclear how exactly Miškovič was connected to Slobodan Milošević, aside from his brief tenure as deputy prime minister. However, the rumor that he had influential connections at high levels was widespread. After Milošević’s regime was overthrown, it was speculated that he had ties to Minister Dušan Mihajlović and other members of the Democratic Opposition of Serbia. Miškovič made clever use of the privatization process in Serbia, significantly expanding his business empire. Some accused him of using funds transferred to Cyprus during Milošević’s rule to do this, but these accusations were never proven. On April 9, 2001, he was kidnapped, but the kidnappers were later paid a ransom and he was released. It is believed that the same gang was responsible for the murder of Prime Minister Zoran Đinđić. On December 12, 2012, Miškovič, his son Marko, and eight other people were arrested on charges of fraud. They were accused of manipulating privatized companies to illegally obtain property and funds worth a total of 2.87 billion Serbian dinars.