Miroslav Mišković
Miroslav Mišković | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 5, 1945 Bošnjane, Central Serbia |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, investor |
| Known for | Proprietor of Delta Holding, wealthiest person in Serbia (2024) |
Miroslav Mišković (; born 5 July 1945) is a prominent Serbian entrepreneur, investor, and the proprietor of Delta Holding.
As of December 2024, Mišković's net worth was estimated at , positioning him as the wealthiest person in Serbia. He holds the 22nd spot on the wealth rankings across the region and is fifth among business magnates outside the former Soviet states. In Forbes' 2017 billionaire listing, he was placed 691st worldwide with an estimated fortune of $4.9 billion.
Early life
Mišković was born in 1945 in Bošnjane, located in Central Serbia, where he spent his childhood on his family’s farm. At the age of eight, he suffered an accident resulting in a loss of 90% vision in his left eye. He completed his secondary education in Kruševac and earned a degree in finance and economics from the University of Belgrade’s Faculty of Economics branch in Kragujevac in 1971. His early professional experience included positions at Jugobanka and Trayal before joining Župa Chemical Industries (ZCI) in 1977.
Business career
In 1984, Mišković was appointed financial director at ZCI, advancing to chief executive officer by 1987 and holding that role until 1990. That year, he briefly served as deputy prime minister in the government of Serbia for half a year. In 1991, he established Delta M—named after his initials—which thrived during the Yugoslav wars and under the regime of Slobodan Milošević. Subsequently, he founded Delta banka, which was sold to Banca Intesa in 2005; this marked the beginning of his highly diversified enterprise, Delta Holding, operating across agribusiness, retail, distribution, financial services, real estate development, and insurance sectors.
Mišković’s association with Milošević was primarily limited to his brief stint as deputy prime minister. Following the 5th October Overthrow, he developed ties with Dušan Mihajlović and leaders from the Democratic Opposition of Serbia. After 2000, Mišković leveraged privatization opportunities to expand his business holdings significantly, acquiring key companies especially after Prime Minister Đinđić’s assassination. It is frequently suggested that he effectively consolidated control over large parts of Serbia’s economy by utilizing funds transferred abroad during Milošević’s administration.
On 9 April 2001, Mišković was kidnapped and later released following payment of a ransom approximately amounting to 7 million Deutsche Mark. The group responsible for this abduction was subsequently connected to the assassination of Prime Minister Zoran Đinđić. Mišković owned Maxi and Delta retail chains but eventually sold them to Belgian company Delhaize for €1 billion.
Criminal investigation
On 12 December 2012, Mišković, along with his son Marko and eight others, were arrested over allegations involving illicit gains estimated at €30 million connected to the 2005 privatization of state-owned road maintenance firms. Between 2005 and 2010, Mišković and Milo Đurašković co-owned these companies and were accused of misappropriating assets valued around 2.87 billion dinars. This partnership originated when Hemslade Trading Ltd., a Cyprus-based firm controlled by Mišković, acquired a Belgrade road maintenance company for €23 million.
Mišković was released on bail set at €12 million on 22 July 2013. In March 2016, the Belgrade High Court acquitted him on charges of abuse of office but convicted him for assisting tax evasion. Upon appeal, the court upheld the abuse of office verdict while ordering a retrial concerning the tax evasion accusations.