European media: Dragan Šolak loses control of United Group in court defeat

Dragan Šolak’s (pictured) turbulent bid to regain control of United Group, the telecom conglomerate in Southeastern Europe where he remains minority shareholder, has ended in decisive defeat. Media outlets across Europe report last week’s ruling by the Amsterdam Enterprise Chamber as the final chapter in the billionaire’s struggle to cling to influence over the company he once dominated.

As Bloomberg reported, “the ousted founder of… United Group BV failed to convince Dutch judges he could bring an unfair dismissal lawsuit.” The court in Amsterdam ruled his case inadmissible, rejecting his attempt to initiate an investigation into the company’s governance and leadership. The decision, Bloomberg noted, represents “the latest legal salvo stemming from a management fallout at the European telecom and media firm.”

Šolak - who still owns 36% in the Group - had asked the court to appoint an independent investigator into what he described as alleged “abuse of governance” by the company’s new management. But the judges found that the dispute was not within their jurisdiction, as United Group’s parent company is registered in Luxembourg.

Leading Dutch title Het Financieele Dagblad reported that Solak “has failed in his attempt to involve the Enterprise Chamber in the conflict surrounding the company.” The article pointed that Solak has tried to “involve Serbian politics in his campaign” and emphasised United Group’s position that there is “no management crisis whatsoever, but rather a fabrication by Solak to regain his influence and income at United Group.”

The Times of London column section, entitled ‘Dragan roars in vain’, also covered the “failed bid to install a court-appointed representative to investigate” the company Solak was ousted from in June. The paper added that the ruling leaves Šolak “unsuccessful in his legal action against the European media conglomerate United Group”.

According to Mobile Europe, earlier this summer the court rejected Solak’s attempt to fast-track his action, denying him an urgent intervention in July 2025.

Greek business daily ProtoThema  called last week’s outcome “a judicial victory for United Group,” signalling a stabilisation of the group after months of internal turbulence and legal drama. The outlet underlined that the decision “marks a clear end to the founder’s influence” and “confirms the strength of the company’s governance under new leadership”.

United Group, in a statement quoted by Bloomberg, said the verdict “confirms what has been clear all along: this was never a genuine governance dispute, but another in a long line of distractions orchestrated by Mr. Šolak for his own ends.” The company added that “the court was able to see through it,” an apparent reference to a campaign by Šolak to regain his influence through litigation and media pressure.

For Šolak, the loss is more than legal - it represents a dramatic decline in both his corporate and personal influence. Once hailed as the Balkan media mogul and self-styled defender of press freedom, he now finds himself shut out of the company that made his fortune. Solak’s insistence to the Times that “this has no impact on Sport Republic or Southampton” - the football club he owns - did little to shift attention from his mounting setbacks.

Whether Šolak will pursue “other competent jurisdictions,” as his family office told Bloomberg, remains to be seen. It does appear to be contradicted by a subsequent statement issued by Solak and covered by N1, where he expressed his “hope that the new management delivers the same exceptional results for all stakeholders, as we did for all those years.” Perhaps this statement is a recognition that each successive defeat further isolates him while strengthening BC Partners’ position and reinforcing the legitimacy of United Group’s current management.

For a company that has spent the past year under intense scrutiny, the ruling offers closure and the chance to move forward. For Šolak, it may mark the start of a more uncomfortable chapter: that of a founder-turned-outsider, decisively shut out from the empire he built.

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