Ex-MUP department chief accuses former minister

A former chief of MUP's organized crime department (UBPOK) has pointed the finger at former Interior Minister Dragan Jocic. Boro Banjac told B92 that he was sacked when he discovered where at that time fugitive Zemun Clan gangster Dejan Milenkovic, aka Bagzi, was hiding. Ex-MUP department chief accuses former minister Milenkovic subsequently became a protected witness in the trial for the 2003 murder of Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic. Several clan members were tried and found guilty in absentia, Sretko Kalinic and Milos Simovic among them. The pair hid in Croatia when Simovic allegedly shot and injured Kalinic last week. Kalinic is now in a Zagreb hospital, while Simovic is in custody in Serbia. Media in both countries are reporting on a daily bases about other murders they allegedly committed and their links with other organized crime groups. Now Banjac, who was one of the key persons involved in police Operation Saber (Sablja), launched immediately after the assassination, has decided to speak, and says he kept silent all this time “awaiting the end of the process for the murder of Serbia's prime minister”. Banjac says Minister Jocic told him he was relieved of his duties at a meeting where he informed the minister that Milenkovic was located in Greece. Belgrade weekly Vreme wrote at the time that Milekovic's lawyer Biljana Kajganic negotiated with him to falsely accuse another gangster, Ljubusa Buha aka Cume, for the murder of BIA operative Momir Gavrilovic, and that this was supposed to come in agreement with Jocic. Banjac said that this was aimed at stripping Buha of his own protected witness status and restart the assassination trial, and added that then government ministers often made statements that questioned the validity of the indictments and the process in place. He also stated that the transcripts of conversations between Kajganic and her fugitive client still existed. “I wish to ask who was the political partner to Legija (Milorad Ulemek), and to the Zemun Clan,” Banjac said. Ulemek and another Special Operations Unit (JSO) officer, Zvezdan Jovanovic, were charged, tried and found guilty as the main conspirators in the case. B92 TV's Insajder (Insider) program will next week bring the interview with Banjac, where he will talk about the details of Ulemek's surrender, the arrest of Jovanovic, a possible political background to the assassination, and the reasons why Operation Saber “did not go all the way”. Meanwhile, Interior Minister Ivica Dacic said he would not comment on the statements heard from Banjac, but said that police would consider all statements that could bring to light new details about murders committed in the past.

Ex-MUP department chief accuses former minister

Milenković subsequently became a protected witness in the trial for the 2003 murder of Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Đinđić.

Several clan members were tried and found guilty in absentia, Sretko Kalinić and Miloš Simović among them.

The pair hid in Croatia when Simović allegedly shot and injured Kalinić last week. Kalinić is now in a Zagreb hospital, while Simović is in custody in Serbia.

Media in both countries are reporting on a daily bases about other murders they allegedly committed and their links with other organized crime groups.

Now Banjac, who was one of the key persons involved in police Operation Saber (Sablja), launched immediately after the assassination, has decided to speak, and says he kept silent all this time “awaiting the end of the process for the murder of Serbia's prime minister”.

Banjac says Minister Jočić told him he was relieved of his duties at a meeting where he informed the minister that Milenković was located in Greece.

Belgrade weekly Vreme wrote at the time that Mileković's lawyer Biljana Kajganić negotiated with him to falsely accuse another gangster, Ljubuša Buha aka Čume, for the murder of BIA operative Momir Gavrilović, and that this was supposed to come in agreement with Jočić.

Banjac said that this was aimed at stripping Buha of his own protected witness status and restart the assassination trial, and added that then government ministers often made statements that questioned the validity of the indictments and the process in place.

He also stated that the transcripts of conversations between Kajganić and her fugitive client still existed.

“I wish to ask who was the political partner to Legija (Milorad Ulemek), and to the Zemun Clan,” Banjac said.

Ulemek and another Special Operations Unit (JSO) officer, Zvezdan Jovanović, were charged, tried and found guilty as the main conspirators in the case.

B92 TV's Insajder (Insider) program will next week bring the interview with Banjac, where he will talk about the details of Ulemek's surrender, the arrest of Jovanović, a possible political background to the assassination, and the reasons why Operation Saber “did not go all the way”.

Meanwhile, Interior Minister Ivica Dačić said he would not comment on the statements heard from Banjac, but said that police would consider all statements that could bring to light new details about murders committed in the past.