Đorđe Prelić hired for work at EXPO: I’m just a chewing gum in a supermarket

“I was hired only a couple of times (…). I did cleaning work. As professionals would say – construction site cleaning after completed works,” Đorđe Prelić told CINS.

Prelić says he was paid for construction site cleaning at EXPO through six invoices totaling around 1.2 million RSD. However, he did not want to send us the invoices or contracts under which he was hired, nor say who hired him.

“I won’t name anyone, since the article probably won’t be good for the authorities (…) meaning it certainly won’t be in their favor.”

The broader public knows Prelić as one of the men convicted for the murder of Brice Taton, and this year he drew attention by appearing at gatherings of the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS).

However, little is known about his business activities.

CINS reveals that Prelić was hired for EXPO works through his own company, which he founded in June this year. It is an entrepreneurial construction business called “Cap 1 ALCZ,” where he is the sole employee.

Prelić explains that he cleans construction sites himself, but can bring others along if he wants:

“I can bring with me my brother, father, friend, best man, whoever. So I don’t have to explain to anyone how I work, and I don’t need to have registered employees as an entrepreneur. I can do whatever I want.”

Screenshot from apr.gov.rs

Prelić says his involvement is very small compared to others working on EXPO and that there is no need for anyone to pay attention to him.

“Do you know where I stand compared to any other subcontractor or contractor? I’m a piece of chewing gum in a supermarket,” he said.

He also claims that because he has been convicted of the most serious crimes, it is difficult for him to enter business with people he doesn’t know. Because he is now exposed to the public eye, he says he will most likely have to close this company and open up a new one.

“I was so naive that I [put everything out there] transparently, I have nothing to hide (…) But now I think it’s going to be a bit more difficult.”

Speaking to CINS, Prelić says EXPO is not his only job:

“I worked in Jakovo on cleaning some small bridges, now I’m waiting – there’s also some border crossing cleaning jobs, and  I work privately in Pančevo, Belgrade, and Mali Mokri Lug.”

Prelić denied that he was hired for EXPO work by people in power. He said he is not a member of the Serbian Progressive Party, but also definitely not a supporter of those who protest against the government.

Construction contracts related to EXPO are generally kept out of the public eye because of the special status this project has.

Specifically, the Serbian National Assembly adopted a special law – lex specialis – for the special exhibition “EXPO 2027 Belgrade,” with the aim of speeding up construction. Thanks to this lex specialis, all infrastructure needed for this international exhibition is being built without the application of the Law on Public Procurement.

Đorđe Prelić, private archive

Who is Đorđe Prelić?

Đorđe Prelić was one of the leaders of Partizan’s ultras group Alcatraz. He was convicted for participating in the 2009 murder of Brice Taton, a supporter of French football club Toulouse.

According to the court ruling, Partizan hooligans attacked French supporters in central Belgrade, including Taton, whom they brutally beat and then threw headfirst over a public staircase railing. He died at a Belgrade hospital from the injuries he sustained.

Following this incident, Prelić fled and a warrant was issued for him. He was initially sentenced in absentia to 35 years in prison. The Appelate Court later reduced his sentence to 15 years, and, according to media reports, the sentences of the other convicted hooligans were also cut in half.

After three and a half years on the run, Prelić was arrested in Barcelona. According to then–Interior Minister Ivica Dačić, Prelić initially claimed to be a Czech citizen, and when police brought him in, he admitted he had a problem in Serbia because of the murder. He was extradited to Serbia in June 2014. Media reported that in 2021, he was released on parole for good behavior after serving two-thirds of his sentence.

Prior to Taton’s murder, Prelić had been convicted for causing severe bodily harm and illegal possession of weapons, and was also suspected of assaulting an official and violent behavior, according to a response that CINS received from the First Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office in Belgrade. According to an Insajder report, he was also convicted for drug dealing.

Prelić once again drew public attention this year at SNS gatherings.

In February, on Serbia’s Statehood Day, local KTV television recorded him at an SNS rally in Sremska Mitrovica.

Six months later, the portal Nova reported that Prelić was among SNS supporters in front of the National Assembly, in the so-called “Ćacilend,” which he confirmed for KRIK. According to him, SNS did not pay for his stay in Ćacilend – he was there for patriotic reasons.