Trial of crime boss begins

The trial of suspected crime boss Sreten Jocic aka Joca Amsterdam has begun before the Special Court in Belgrade. Jocic was indicted with the murder of Croatian journalist Ivo Pukanic and his associate Niko Franic. Trial of crime boss begins The indictment was read at the beginning of the trial today and the defendant's lawyer Zdenko Tomanovic announced that his client would present the 30-page defense he wrote and that it will take about three hours. Jocic told the court that he was Serb by ethnicity, that he was a businessman and that he earned about EUR 2,000 a month on average as the owner of the Hemisfera company. He also told the judges that he has had three prior convictions. “The first time I was sentenced to three months in prison by the Nova Gorica (Slovenia) Municipal Court 30 years ago when I was running away from communism,” the accused said, specifying that the crime had been illegal crossing of the state border. The second time he was sentenced to two months in prison in Italy for auto theft. Jocic said that his third guilty verdict came in the Netherlands, and that included a minimum prison sentence of three years for firing a gun at police during the arrest, “although nobody had been injured”. Jocic was not alone in the dock today. The second accused Zeljko Milovanovic stated that he supported himself from his savings, that is, the money he had earned by selling property in Croatia. When the judge asked him where he kept his savings, Milovanovic replied “I keep it where nobody can find it”. When asked about his education and whether he had served in the military the accused briefly responded with “(I have) no answer”. He was also unwilling to discuss the number of previous convictions in his record, but the court heard that Milovanovic was convicted several times on theft, robbery and ID forgery cahrges. The third accused, Milenko Kuzmanovic aka Mica, stated that he was working as a security guard with a monthly income of about RSD 20,000 prior to the arrest, that was never tried and convicted, that he did not own any real estate and that he was living with his girlfriend. At 14:00 CET the defendants were transported to the Special Court from Central Prison. The four vehicles were escorted by six special police jeeps. Special Court Spokeswoman Maja Kovacevic told B92 that protected witnesses would be called for the first time during Jocic's trial. “I can't say anything about what his defense will look like. The trial begins with the reading of the indictment and the accused will be allowed to speak afterwards. As far as the evidence which we did not have before at the Special Court, that will be the protected witnesses. There is big interest in the trial, especially by journalists from Croatia,“ she explained. A parallel proceeding, which started in February this year, for the murder of Pukanic and Franic is conducted before the Zagreb Municipal Court. The four accused men who were available to the Croatian judiciary – Robert and Luka Matanic, Amir Mafalani and Slobodan Djurovic pleaded not guilty on all counts of the indictment. Robert Matanic, who during the investigation named Jocic as the person who had ordered the murder, changed his statement once the trial in Zagreb commenced. He told the judges there that he had falsely accused Jocic because the prosecution had promised to grant him the status of collaborating witness.

Trial of crime boss begins

The indictment was read at the beginning of the trial today and the defendant's lawyer Zdenko Tomanović announced that his client would present the 30-page defense he wrote and that it will take about three hours.

Jocić told the court that he was Serb by ethnicity, that he was a businessman and that he earned about EUR 2,000 a month on average as the owner of the Hemisfera company.

He also told the judges that he has had three prior convictions. “The first time I was sentenced to three months in prison by the Nova Gorica (Slovenia) Municipal Court 30 years ago when I was running away from communism,” the accused said, specifying that the crime had been illegal crossing of the state border.

The second time he was sentenced to two months in prison in Italy for auto theft. Jocić said that his third guilty verdict came in the Netherlands, and that included a minimum prison sentence of three years for firing a gun at police during the arrest, “although nobody had been injured”.

Jocić was not alone in the dock today. The second accused Željko Milovanović stated that he supported himself from his savings, that is, the money he had earned by selling property in Croatia.

When the judge asked him where he kept his savings, Milovanović replied “I keep it where nobody can find it”. When asked about his education and whether he had served in the military the accused briefly responded with “(I have) no answer”.

He was also unwilling to discuss the number of previous convictions in his record, but the court heard that Milovanović was convicted several times on theft, robbery and ID forgery cahrges.

The third accused, Milenko Kuzmanović aka Mića, stated that he was working as a security guard with a monthly income of about RSD 20,000 prior to the arrest, that was never tried and convicted, that he did not own any real estate and that he was living with his girlfriend.

At 14:00 CET the defendants were transported to the Special Court from Central Prison. The four vehicles were escorted by six special police jeeps.

Special Court Spokeswoman Maja Kovačević told B92 that protected witnesses would be called for the first time during Jocić's trial.

“I can't say anything about what his defense will look like. The trial begins with the reading of the indictment and the accused will be allowed to speak afterwards. As far as the evidence which we did not have before at the Special Court, that will be the protected witnesses. There is big interest in the trial, especially by journalists from Croatia,“ she explained.

A parallel proceeding, which started in February this year, for the murder of Pukanić and Franić is conducted before the Zagreb Municipal Court.

The four accused men who were available to the Croatian judiciary – Robert and Luka Matanić, Amir Mafalani and Slobodan Đurović pleaded not guilty on all counts of the indictment. Robert Matanić, who during the investigation named Jocić as the person who had ordered the murder, changed his statement once the trial in Zagreb commenced.

He told the judges there that he had falsely accused Jocić because the prosecution had promised to grant him the status of collaborating witness.