Dangerous Liaisons

For years, directors of Yugoslav state and socially owned companies paid for their mistakes by losing their jobs (but with a good chance of getting another), some went to jail but no heads rolled. So now two directors of large companies in Belgrade have died in the space of a month.

First in mid-November, Coca-Cola director Milorad Zecevic was killed in his office, now the director of the Majestic hotel, Miodrag Batricevic has killed himself.

Batricevic died on Sunday, December 17 in his father in law's apartment where he also lived. Just after the family got up from lunch, he went into another room and put a gun to his head. He died hours later in hospital despite efforts by the doctors. Many of his friends said they aren't surprised and that the reason should be sought in the usual place: money or more specifically debts.

Batricevic came to Belgrade after the earthquake that destroyed much of Banja Luka 25 years ago. He started his career as a receptionist in Belgrade's hotel Toplice and advanced quickly to become the director of the Majestic a few years ago.

The hotel operated well prior to and during the war while the authorities on both sides of the Drina had good relations and many of the professional patriots came there to spend money. The likes of Mihalj Kertes, Radovan Pankov, Arkan, and state security chief Jovica Stanisic were frequent guests. The most prominent among them was Milorad Vucelic, former director of the RTS, who sent many company directors to the hotel to organize company festivities. Some say one of the best apartments in the hotel was permanently reserved for Vucelic (508) and Batricevic boasted that a whole floor was always reserved for the Bosnian Serbs state and military leaders and that many of the wounded from Bosnia and the Krajina stayed there for free.

Times changed and the Bosnian Serb leaders fell out of favor in Belgrade. Vucelic was ousted and Arkan's tigers no longer frequented the hotel. Majestic got into difficulties and Batricevic's efforts to get back its old glory failed although staff found pre-WWII silver dining services with the name of the hotel engraved on it in the cellars. The prominent hotel that served caviar from the Caspian sea and fruit from Hong Kong now can't even pay salaries to its staff. The delicately bugged rooms are empty.

The failure of a classical state or social company does not lead to suicide often but this time the problem was that Batricevic's private business dealings were in trouble. He was also reported to have been involved in mediating big trade deals. Something went wrong and he was left owing over a million (perhaps even two) DEM.

He knew he couldn't pay back the money and killed himself to save his family is the most frequent rumor.

Batricevic is survived by a wife and two children. His friends say he was god husband and father.

Milo Djukanovic cried openly at his funeral which Arkan didn't attend despite his friend with Batricevic. Batricevic portrayed himself as a dangerous man who liked hanging out with tough guys but his tragedy is that he couldn't swim in the Balkan triangle of politics, business and the underworld.