Former DB chief testifies in Highway Mafia case

Former State Security (DB) Chief Goran Petrović has told the “Highway Mafia” trial that he had no knowledge of the crimes the group is charged with.

Izvor: Tanjug

Wednesday, 29.10.2008.

16:40

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Former State Security (DB) Chief Goran Petrovic has told the “Highway Mafia” trial that he had no knowledge of the crimes the group is charged with. The group is accused of embezzling in the region of EUR 6.5mn worth of pay toll revenue. Former DB chief testifies in Highway Mafia case Even though he said at the beginning of his testimony that he had never officially dealt with the case, and that all his knowledge of the matter was circumstantial and indirect, the Belgrade Special Court nonetheless decided to question him thoroughly. Petrovic testified that after the group’s arrest in 2006, he had found out from several people working for the Security Information Agency (BIA) that the Agency had been dealing with this case for years and that several dozen BIA operative agents had participated in following and tapping the suspects. When the arrests were due to be made, a meeting was held between then Interior Ministry bosses Dragan Jocic and Miroslav Milosevic and BIA Chief Rade Bulatovic, after which the BIA operatives heard the suspects tell each other to “stop everything”, and that “we have been spotted, destroy the evidence,” Petrovic said. Petrovic said that he had discovered that “the wife of General Milosevic worked as a lawyer in the Serbia Roads company,” whose employees made up the majority of the accused, and that the information had fallen into the hands of the “wrong people“ as a result. The defense dismissed Petrovic’s testimony, arguing that it was circumstantial. 53 persons are on trial in the “Highway Mafia” case, charged with abuse of office and embezzlement of over EUR 6.5mn. Serbia Roads employees Milan Jovetic, Zivojin Djordjevic and Goran Stojanovic have been earmarked as the group’s ringleaders, while Zoran Nedeljkovic committed suicide during the investigation. They allegedly organized a system of double-printing of tickets for foreign lorries, allowing them to charge EUR 80 per vehicle.

Former DB chief testifies in Highway Mafia case

Even though he said at the beginning of his testimony that he had never officially dealt with the case, and that all his knowledge of the matter was circumstantial and indirect, the Belgrade Special Court nonetheless decided to question him thoroughly.

Petrović testified that after the group’s arrest in 2006, he had found out from several people working for the Security Information Agency (BIA) that the Agency had been dealing with this case for years and that several dozen BIA operative agents had participated in following and tapping the suspects. When the arrests were due to be made, a meeting was held between then Interior Ministry bosses Dragan Jočić and Miroslav Milošević and BIA Chief Rade Bulatović, after which the BIA operatives heard the suspects tell each other to “stop everything”, and that “we have been spotted, destroy the evidence,” Petrović said.

Petrović said that he had discovered that “the wife of General Milošević worked as a lawyer in the Serbia Roads company,” whose employees made up the majority of the accused, and that the information had fallen into the hands of the “wrong people“ as a result.

The defense dismissed Petrović’s testimony, arguing that it was circumstantial.

53 persons are on trial in the “Highway Mafia” case, charged with abuse of office and embezzlement of over EUR 6.5mn.

Serbia Roads employees Milan Jovetić, Živojin Đorđević and Goran Stojanović have been earmarked as the group’s ringleaders, while Zoran Nedeljković committed suicide during the investigation.

They allegedly organized a system of double-printing of tickets for foreign lorries, allowing them to charge EUR 80 per vehicle.

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