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Serbia: The man who unintentionally came to own a cemetery

November 27, 2024

In 2007, Slavisa Jovanovic's father sold a plot of land to the village authorities. When the full price was not paid, Jovanovic sued. After almost a decade, the court's final ruling was not what anyone expected.

https://p.dw.com/p/4nV5V

Donje Medurovo is a village near the city of Nis in southeastern Serbia. In 2007, Slavisa Jovanovic's father sold a plot of land to the village authorities, which wanted to extend the local cemetery. 

Because the full agreed price was never paid, Jovanovic sued the municipality of Palilula, which is responsible for the matter and is one of the five municipalities belonging to the city of Nis. 

The resulting court case began in 2015. The Court of Appeal recently issued a shock verdict: instead of paying for the plot in full, the authorities should return it to its original owner. 

But Jovanovic had nothing to celebrate: since his father sold the land to the village, 150 people had been buried there.