An 18-meter-high plastic Christmas tree has sparked controversy and ridicule among residents of the Serbian capital, Belgrade.
A local newspaper said: “The tree’s horribly huge cost, which is estimated at 83,000 euros, is just the peak of a mountain of corruption and a typical example of how money is being stolen from the city’s treasury."
The newspaper added that the most expensive Christmas tree in the world was installed three days before the end of the public bid, the German press agency (dpa) reported.
Serbians expressed their disapproval by writing wishes on small pieces of paper they placed under the tree.
They included: "My wish for 2018 is to see fraudsters in jail, not in parliament," “To prison with the city’s administration authority", "My wish for 2018 is to lay down a long-term punishment to the mayor" and" arrest the mayor.”
Twitter users launched #83,000wishes a hashtag on the social media platform.
News about the city's mayor Sinisa Mali had previously made headlines after experts proved that he had plagiarized big parts of his doctoral thesis, while many still wonder how he bought 24 houses in Bulgaria.
