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Emails Reveal Kojic's Hidden Influence in $1.16B Railway Deal

5/22/2025

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Summary

Story summary

The Serbian Ministry of Construction's negotiating team secured a $1.16 billion railway reconstruction deal with a Chinese consortium, but only after President Vucic's chief of staff, Ivica Kojic, was looped in. Emails expose Kojic's unexpected influence over the project, which fell outside presidential authority, culminating in the contract's signing on May 28, 2018.

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Story summary

The Serbian Ministry of Construction's negotiating team secured a $1.16 billion railway reconstruction deal with a Chinese consortium, but only after President Vucic's chief of staff, Ivica Kojic, was looped in. Emails expose Kojic's unexpected influence over the project, which fell outside presidential authority, culminating in the contract's signing on May 28, 2018.