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By Staff Writer
Stan Miller, chief executive of United Group and an independent non-executive director on the board of South Africa’s MTN Group, is facing scrutiny after reports alleged he discussed removing a senior media executive in Serbia whose outlets have been critical of the government of Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and supportive of the opposition.
The Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) and its Serbian partner KRIK published a leaked audio recording on 27 August of a meeting between Miller and Vladimir Lučić, head of state-owned Telekom Srbija, a close political ally of President Vučić.
OCCRP reported: “Rumours that the government was seeking to neutralise N1, as well as five other United Media outlets in Serbia, have circulated among journalists, opposition figures and the wider public for some time. But new evidence obtained by OCCRP provides the clearest indication yet that Vučić’s allies have sought in recent months to muzzle the broadcaster.”
In the recording, Miller allegedly agreed to dismiss Aleksandra Subotić, the long-serving and widely respected head of United Media, which oversees independent news channels including N1. The broadcaster is widely regarded as one of Serbia’s last major independent media outlets.
According to the reports, Miller suggested that President Vučić was unhappy Subotić had not been replaced following critical reporting on his government and its pro-Russia policies. United Media’s channels, and N1 in particular, have frequently aired critical coverage of Vučić and his ruling party.
Miller and Lučić deny any attempt to interfere with editorial independence. Telekom Srbija said their discussions were limited to technical and compliance matters. United Group stated it has never collaborated with state entities to weaken independent media. The Serbian presidency also rejected claims of political involvement.
The allegations triggered protests in Belgrade and demands from United Media journalists for an internal investigation. Press freedom groups, including Reporters Without Borders, said the episode highlights mounting pressure on independent media in Serbia, where watchdogs have documented attacks on reporters and growing state influence over broadcasting and advertising markets.
Tensions escalated further when Ana Novaković, an N1 journalist, was blocked from questioning Miller at a Belgrade hotel days after the OCCRP report, with her phone allegedly confiscated by security staff, according to local media.
Miller became United Group’s CEO earlier this year. He has also served on MTN’s board in Johannesburg since August 2016. He sits on three key MTN board committees with governance responsibilities as an independent non-executive director: the Risk Management and Compliance Committee, the Social, Ethics and Sustainability Committee, and the Board Strategy Execution Committee.
Miller previously served on the board of MTS, the Russian telecommunications company. While he was an independent non-executive director there, the company was convicted in a major international bribery scandal in 2019. MTS and its Uzbek subsidiary agreed to pay a combined $850 million in penalties for violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) after admitting to paying hundreds of millions of dollars in bribes to the daughter of the former president of Uzbekistan. MTS’s owner, the Russian conglomerate Sistema Group, was sanctioned in 2023 along with one of MTS’s subsidiaries, MTS Bank.
Governance experts warn that if the Serbian allegations are confirmed, they could raise concerns about MTN’s board oversight standards and corporate culture, exposing the company to further reputational risk. MTN was recently implicated in South Africa for allegedly colluding with the State Security Agency to target whistle-blowers such as Democratic Alliance MP Emma Powell, who exposed the ramifications of MTN’s strategic partnership with the Iranian Ministry of Defence through its subsidiary MTN Irancell.
United Group has undergone restructuring in recent years, while Telekom Srbija has expanded its role in broadcasting, leading the opposition to raise concerns about “media capture” in the country.
Senior editors recently published an open letter warning that Serbia’s media are at a “dangerous turning point”. They wrote: “The government is stepping up its attack on independent journalism, especially targeting outlets within United Media … Instead of addressing real public issues, the government creates false stories that paint independent journalists and media as foreign agents and enemies of the state.”
Both the European Union and the United States have voiced concern about declining media freedom in Serbia, which is seeking EU membership. The latest scandal could complicate those efforts and further test the resilience of the country’s independent press.