First Bank’s Lawsuit Is a Textbook Example of a SLAPP

Cases against MANS · 25/09/2026

Milovac explained to the court that he had spoken on the programme as a representative of MANS, after the television station invited him to comment on the event. He recalled that MANS and the international investigative journalism network OCCRP had previously investigated Prva banka’s operations, including its business dealings with individuals who were, at the time, charged with serious criminal offences.

He said the investigation had relied in part on bank supervision records that raised questions about compliance with anti-money-laundering rules and customer due diligence. After publishing the investigation, MANS filed a criminal complaint asking the competent prosecutor’s office to examine its findings. Milovac stressed that he had spoken about suspicions arising from the investigation, not about any established criminal liability on the part of the bank.

Prva banka’s witness stated that, after the television report, clients called the bank because they were concerned about their deposits and that, according to her, some withdrew money and closed their accounts. She also said employees had expressed concern about their jobs. At the hearing, she did not name a specific client who had withdrawn funds because of Milovac’s statement. The defence argued that the consequences she described could not be attributed to a single television report without considering other events and information concerning the bank and its largest shareholder at the same time.

MANS maintains that this lawsuit is a textbook example of a SLAPP. We believe the legal proceedings and financial pressure are intended to prevent MANS from continuing its work in the public interest, investigating powerful actors and raising questions in public debate to which citizens have a right to answers.

“Our job is to use documents to point to grounds for suspicion and ask the competent authorities to investigate them. That is what we did in the case of Prva banka. Lawsuits will not stop us from continuing to investigate and speak publicly about matters of public interest,” Milovac said.

The next hearing is scheduled for 4 November.