Serbian entrepreneur and Alta Bank owner Davor Macura was arrested overnight and brought in on Monday morning. His arrest was preceded by an extensive police search of Alta Bank's premises, which lasted more than 30 hours.
Police searched Alta Bank's premises in Novi Beograd over the weekend. Heavy police forces, including members armed with long guns, were deployed outside the bank's headquarters on Saturday. Details of the criminal offences for which Macura is potentially suspected have not been published, nor has an official explanation for his arrest.
The arrest comes just two days after the closure of Alta Bank. The executive board of the National Bank of Serbia (NBS) decided early on Saturday to revoke the bank's operating licence due to a serious deterioration in its financial condition. Bankruptcy proceedings were opened following the revocation of the licence.
The central bank stated that inspections had revealed a significant deterioration in Alta Bank's financial condition and that there was a risk of further liquidity decline. The NBS noted that it had attempted to secure an increase in the bank's liquidity before revoking the licence, but the measures taken were insufficient. The decision to close the bank was made to protect depositors and preserve the stability of the financial system.
Alta Bank has played a significant role in financial transactions for numerous state-owned enterprises in Serbia in recent years. Some state companies redirected payments from the state Postal Savings Bank to Alta Bank, with its largest clients including the Serbian Electric Power Industry (EPS), Belgrade Parking Service and the Serbian Automobile and Motorcycle Association. Related company Alta Pay notified business partners just before the bank's licence was revoked to redirect future payments to accounts opened at the Postal Savings Bank and OTP Bank. Alta Pay held accounts and its own payment traffic within Alta Bank.
Civil initiative Kreni-promeni, led by Savo Manojlović, published footage on Saturday of citizens gathered outside a closed Alta Bank branch in Novi Sad. Andrej Žernovski, an official of the opposition Social Democratic Union of Macedonia (SDSM), requested answers from the Macedonian government and central bank regarding monetary transfers that had arrived in North Macedonia from Serbia via Alta Bank. He also raised the question of whether North Macedonia had been used as a transit point for transferring money to Moscow.
Macura began his business career as the owner of local exchange offices, and over the years, under the rule of the Serbian Progressive Party, he significantly expanded his business. He built a business system encompassing banking, payments and trade, becoming one of the wealthiest Serbian entrepreneurs. His recent business expansion included the acquisition of the IDEA, Roda and Mercator retail chains, as well as a total of five companies that were owned by the Croatian Fortenova group. Macura is a businessman close to the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS).
