KRIK: Ljubljana mayor’s son granted Serbian citizenship, registers residence at home of Vucic’s close friend

On the final day of October 2024, then-Serbian Prime Minister Milos Vucevic signed the executive order allowing the Ljubljana mayor’s son to become a Serbian national, KRIK and Ostro revealed.

Jankovic received his citizenship via an expedited procedure that bypasses standard legal requirements, with the Serbian Government invoking a specific statutory clause reserved for cases of distinct “national interest.”

It remains unclear what national interest of Serbia was fulfilled by this decision. The Government did not respond to inquiries from KRIK and failed to clarify who recommended Jankovic for citizenship or at whose initiative the process was launched.

Official land registry data obtained by KRIK and Ostro shows that Jure Jankovic’s registered Serbian residence is a villa in Belgrade’s affluent Dedinje neighborhood. The property is owned by Petrovic, Vucic’s close friend and former head of the public enterprise EMS.

Petrovic’s close ties to the Ljubljana mayor had previously been uncovered by the news outlet N1 Slovenia.

According to data provided by Jankovic’s office to N1, the two met at least four times between late 2022 and April 2025, including a dinner that Vucic also attended.

Petrovic did not respond to questions from KRIK and Ostro regarding when or why he allowed Jure Jankovic to register a primary residence at his Belgrade address, nor did he elaborate on his relationship with the Ljubljana mayor.

Ostro journalists also reached out to Zoran and Jure Jankovic for comment, but received no response.