August 22, Pozirk. The United States has lifted sanctions on Dana Holdings, a real estate development company owned by Serbia’s Karić businessmen and registered in Belarus and Cyprus, as well as on its CEO, Serbian and Cypriot national Nebojša Karić. The US Office of Foreign Assets Control published the decision on Thursday.
The Minsk City Executive Committee registered Dana Holdings on October 23, 2007. Later, in February 2013, it was incorporated in Cyprus.
The administration of US President Joe Biden imposed sanctions against Dana Holdings on August 9, 2021, the first anniversary of Belarus’ disputed presidential election that sparked mass protests against the Alaksandar Łukašenka regime.
According to the US justification of the sanctions, the “construction empire” obtained “numerous extraordinary benefits, including gifts of plots of state land in Minsk, through presidential decrees signed by Łukašenka.” Besides, it allegedly received tax breaks or complete abolition of taxes, as well as state resources for infrastructure work.
The justification pointed out that the Karić family was close to Łukašenka and rose to prominence funding the regime of Serbia’s Slobodan Milošević in the 1990s.
The statement also suggested that the company offered employees a day off for participating in a pro-Łukašenka rally in the aftermath of August 9, 2020, and that Łukašenka himself commended the company’s real estate projects.
The sanctions against Dana Holdings have been lifted four days after US President Donald Trump affirmed the importance of releasing 1,300 prisoners from Belarusian jails.
