Regarding the recall of Desko Nikitovic, until recently Consul General in Chicago, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement denying the allegations of some Belgrade media that he had been removed from that post because of irregularities in connection with the rental of the residential property where he has been living with his family.

To recap, a month ago, a Belgrade daily newspaper published the information that Nikitovic was sacked as Consul General because his wife had taken a loan on a house in Chicago, which he then rented to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

- Nikitovic informed the Ministry of his intentions as early as 2004 and, at that time, he was given consent for the lease of the property - said Maja Ninkovic Corac, the Ministry's Spokeswoman, adding that the procedure for his recall was initiated in February but not because of the lease, but for the fact that his double term in office as Consul had expired.

- From 2003 to 2013, the MFA allocated US$320,000 annually for the lease on Nikitovic's house, which is well below the going market rates in Chicago - Maja Ninkovic Corac added.

The recall of the Consul caused strong reactions, and the most influential Serbs in the United States, headed by Bishop Longin, request the Serbian Government to recognize Nikitovic for ten years of successful work, about which "Alo!" already wrote. Patriarch Irinej awarded the former Consul the Order of Emperor Constantine, and he became the first American Serb to hold this worthy decoration.

- The information available to us about his work is positive, and we are familiar with the fact that Nikitovic has done so much for the Serbian community in America, especially in the case of the Nastic family, to whom the children were returned thanks to the efforts of the former Consul - says the MFA. In addition, the MFA was the first to announce on its website that the former Consul was awarded by Patriarch Irinej.