Dragan Marković Explained

Dragan Marković Palma
Native Name:Драган Марковић Палма
Native Name Lang:sr
Office:President of the Municipal Assembly of Jagodina
Term Start:2004
Term End:2008
Successor:Ratko Stevanović
Office2:Mayor of Jagodina
Term Start2:2008
Term End2:2012
Successor2:Ratko Stevanović
Office3:President of the City of Jagodina Assembly
Term Start3:2012
Predecessor3:Ratko Stevanović
Birth Date:2 May 1960
Birth Place:Končarevo, near Jagodina, FPR Yugoslavia
Nationality:Serbian
Occupation:Politician
Party:Party of Serbian Unity (1993–2003)
United Serbia (2004–present)
Nickname:Palma

Dragan Marković (Serbian: Драган Марковић; born 2 May 1960), commonly known as Palma ("palm tree"), is a Serbian businessman, politician and entrepreneur. He currently serves as a member of the National Assembly of Serbia and is a founder and the party leader of United Serbia (Jedinstvena Srbija).

He was the mayor of Jagodina from 2004 until 2012.[1] In February 2001, he was appointed Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management in the first post-Milošević government of Serbia.

Controversies

Due to public statements against the LGBT population, Markovic was sentenced by the First Basic Court in Belgrade in November 2011 for "severe discrimination", defined as "inciting and inciting inequality, hatred and intolerance based on sexual orientation".[2]

On 19 April 2021, vice president of the Party of Freedom And Justice, Marinika Tepić, accused Palma and his partners for "prostitution of women and girls" in Jagodina.[3] Tepić also revealed a video of the testimony of an anonymous man who is informed of the prostitution case. In the video he explained how everything was organized, who knew everything about cheating minors and which government members attended parties where prostitution was happening, claiming that all of this was happening in Hotel Končarevo whose "real owner" is Palma.[4] Palma responded to these claims by calling them "lies" and announced that he will sue Tepić.[5] Prosecutors announced that they would investigate the claims.[6] On 23 April 2021, rector of the Megatrend University, Mića Jovanović, stated that he was a present at a party where Palma "prostituted girls between the ages of 18 and 20 to state and municipal officials".[7]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: http://www.jagodina.org.rs/sr/gradonacelnik.php . sr:Градоначелник - Драган Марковић Палма . City of Jagodina . Serbian . 1 January 2010 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20100608103320/http://www.jagodina.org.rs/sr/gradonacelnik.php . 8 June 2010 .
  2. Web site: Palma osuđen za diskriminaciju LGBT populacije. 2021-04-19. Radio Slobodna Evropa. sh.
  3. Web site: 2021-04-19. Tepić: Palma i njegovi ljudi podvode devojčice od 15 godina. 2021-04-19. NOVA portal. sr-RS.
  4. Web site: 2021-04-19. VIDEO Ekskluzivan snimak svedočenja o Palminom podvođenju maloletnica. 2021-04-19. NOVA portal. sr-RS.
  5. Web site: DRAGAN MARKOVIĆ PALMA: Tužiću Mariniku Tepić! Ona je Đilasov glasnogovornik kog se ne plašim. 2021-04-19. kurir.rs. sr.
  6. News: Veteran Serbian Politician Faces Sexual Exploitation Investigation . 22 April 2021 . Balkan Insight . 20 April 2021.
  7. Web site: 2021-04-23. Mića Jovanović svedoči: Video sam kako Palma podvodi devojke državnim funkcionerima. 2021-04-23. NOVA portal. sr-RS.