Director of Rade Neimar Diocesan Building Center arrested

Belgrade, February 17 (Tanjug) – Today in Belgrade police arrested the director of the Rade Neimar Building Center of the Diocese of Raska and Prizren Predrag Suboticki, a close associate of the dismissed Bishop Artemije, sources in the Serbian Ministry of Internal Affairs told Tanjug.

Suboticki is said to have been arrested on suspicion of illegally appropriating about 300,000 euros that were given to him without a receipt for monastery reconstruction. The Rade Neimar company was engaged in reconstruction and rebuilding of monasteries in Kosovo and Metohija in the period from 2004 to 2009.

The arrested man is the kum [best man or godfather] of the brother of Simeon Vilovski, Bishop Artemije’s secretary, who is said to have fled.

On Saturday, February 13, the Synod of the Serbian Orthodox Church replaced Bishop Artemije from administering the Diocese of Raska and Prizren on suspicion that there are financial irregularities in the operation of the Diocese.

Atanasije Jevtic has been appointed Bishop Administrator.

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Additional information about Predrag Suboticki:

Although he permanently resides in Belgrade, Suboticki was appointed a member of the diocesan executive council of the Diocese of Raska and Prizren, and recently also special supervisor for all financial matters of the Diocese. The Rade Neimar company, which was closed at the end of last year, was simply replaced with the “Diocesan Building Commission” with none other than Predrag Suboticki appointed as its head. In the diocesan archive there is a document whereby the Bishop establishes that no building on the territory of the Diocese can be built without the engagement of the Diocesan Building Center headed by Suboticki. Although an electrical technician by trade, for years Suboticki had a complete monopoly on all construction jobs that were performed on the territory of the Diocese of Raska and Prizren.