The detention was first reported by the outlet Nova and confirmed to Blic by the businessman's lawyers. Macura is being held for 48 hours, during which he is to be brought in for questioning.
The detention followed a search of the bank's premises. According to local media, it began on the morning of 31 October and lasted more than 30 hours.
A day earlier, the National Bank of Serbia revoked Alta's licence. The regulator said the move followed "control measures aimed at raising the bank's liquidity level." The bank's financial position, the press release said, "deteriorated significantly, and there is a possibility of further deterioration of its financial position or liquidity," as a result of which depositors' interests "came under threat."
Alta confirmed the start of bankruptcy proceedings and suspended operations. The Deposit Insurance Agency has promised to begin payouts no later than a week from now; deposits are insured up to 50,000 euros per client.
As of 2025 the bank had 66,500 active clients, 10,000 of them corporate. Alta was one of the most popular banks among Russian migrants who moved to Serbia.
Macura is regarded as close to the leadership of the Serbian Progressive Party and to the country's former president, Aleksandar Vucic. Marinika Tepic, vice-chair of the opposition Party of Freedom and Justice, claims Macura is a "front for the financial operations of the brothers Aleksandar and Andrej Vucic" and "a key link in an organized criminal group and a cover for money laundering." According to her, he went from owning a small currency exchange office to owning a large bank, and such growth would be impossible without the Vucic brothers' involvement.
Serbia's Prosecutor's Office for Organized Crime has opened an investigation into a possible outflow of funds from Alta abroad. The bank collapsed shortly after early parliamentary elections held on 25 October. The ruling Serbian Progressive Party and its leader, former president Aleksandar Vucic, lost the elections.