Clash of Tabloid Tycoons Intensifies in Serbia

Kurir owner Rodic on Monday accused Miroslav Bogicevic, a Serbian businessman currently on trial for corruption and Goran Veselinovic, a member of the main board of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party, of blackmailing him with the backing of Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic.

"I was blackmailed by Miroslav Bogicevic and Goran Veselinovic, with the support of Aleksandar Vucic," Rodic said in an open letter published in his tabloid.

He alleged that Vucic was one of those involved in making threats to prevent him from getting the money to secure ownership of another newspaper, the veteran Serbian broadsheet Politika.

His open letter was published the day after the owner of rival tabloid Informer, Dragan Vucicevic, produced a four-hour special programme on Serbia's TV Pink which accused Rodic of racketeering.

The expose-style programme on Sunday featured an interview with businessman Bogicevic, who also made accusations of financial wrongdoing against Rodic.

On the same day, Rodic published another open letter in Kurir saying that his tabloid - formerly a staunch supporter of Vucic - was not going to back the prime minister anymore because people around him have been pressurising the media in Serbia.

Rodic said he could no longer support Vucic because the country needs to "know the truth".

Some analysts however have suggested that the row is more to do with gaining control of the broadsheet Politika - and the political influence it wields - than with media freedom.

Serbian interior minister Nebojsa Stefanovic said on Sunday meanwhile that all the allegations against Rodic will be investigated and if proven true, someone "will have to answer" for them.