Owner of private Serbian bank detained and accused of siphoning money

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Serbian authorities Monday detained the owner of a private bank on suspicion he was siphoning money from the lender that was used for some public utility payments during the previous government of former President Aleksandar Vucic.

Alta Bank rose to prominence under the rule of Vucic’s Serbian Progressive Party that was ousted from power in a parliamentary election last week. The bank has handled all electricity payments by millions of users in the capital Belgrade, as well as public parking accounts.

On Saturday, Serbia’s Central Bank revoked Alta Bank’s operating license and launched bankruptcy proceedings to protect the bank’s depositors, saying that its liquidity “has deteriorated significantly” and “could worsen further."

Serbia’s Deposit Insurance Agency, which guarantees deposits of up to 50,000 euros ($56,000), will act as Alta Bank's bankruptcy administrator, the central bank said.

Davor Macura, the bank owner who initially owned an exchange office before becoming a prominent banker, was given a 48-hour detention on Monday, prosecutors said.

Macura’s lawyers told local media he was present at the bank headquarters in Belgrade and fully cooperated during an hourslong police search over the weekend. Lawyers added that Macura will be questioned by the public prosecutor on Tuesday.

Macura, whose businesses also span retail and construction, is suspected of illegally moving 45 billion dinars ($428 million) out of Alta Bank’s vault. Two other persons were also held for aiding and abetting the crime.

The moves against Alta Bank and its owner came as part of a wave of changes triggered by Vucic’s defeat in the Oct. 25 election that also included resignations in the state-run media, arrests of several officials and an announced review of long-standing corruption cases.

Former central bank governor Kori Udovicki on Sunday criticized the Serbian Central Bank moves as too slow. She said on RTS television that the central bank “lost a week in which it could have limited the bank’s ability to transfer the money abroad or to the connected individuals.”

Alta Bank is a rare Serbian lender that allowed tens of thousands of Russian émigrés to open personal and business accounts. Scores of Russians have moved to Russia-friendly Serbia since the start of the invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Alta Bank's troubles resonated outside Serbia. The Central Bank of North Macedonia put Alta Bank’s subsidiary into temporary administration and limited cash withdrawals to 160 euros ($179) per week, while Montenegro's banking regulator shut down payment processing company Alta Pay.

In Serbia, armed police could be seen guarding the bank's offices in Belgrade after dozens of customers stood in long lines over the weekend trying to withdraw their savings.

Serbian investigative outlets in the past have described Macura as a tycoon whose political connections to Vucic and his SNS helped him win lucrative contracts with state agencies and public enterprises.

In 2024, Macura’s Alta Group came under scrutiny by the European Central Bank, or ECB, when it attempted to acquire a 20% stake in Austria’s Addiko Group through two connected firms to avoid triggering the ECB’s approval requirement. The ECB spotted this and stopped the deal. It also questioned the anti-money laundering controls and the source of funds in Macura's network.

The Association of Serbian Banks called Alta Bank's collapse “an individual issue” and said it would not affect other banks.

The SNS, which has governed Serbia since 2012, lost the parliamentary election to the student-led Student List movement. The outgoing authorities remain in control until a formal transition of power, expected to take several weeks.

Critics say the SNS has steadily taken control of state institutions since it came to power. It has been accused of corruption, cronyism, links to organized crime and pressure on the judiciary, police and media. The party has denied the accusations.