Commission: Ex-RDB chief made serious threats

BELGRADE Rade Markovic has threatened with the publication of 15 files "which would have devastating consequences both for him and for the country." This is accordion to a statement from the Commission for Investigation of Murder of Journalists, issued on Tuesday. Commission: Ex-RDB chief made serious threats According to this, the now incarcerated former head of the state security service (RDB) made the threat after a working group that is investigating the killings of journalists tried to interview him regarding the new information about his role in the murder of Slavko Curuvija. Markovic did not want to declare himself on the stated facts, and asked instead to talk with a member of the Commission, to whom he, among other things,said that the policemen who had spoken with him were "too low-ranking" and that "they would trick him if he help them," while he said he had firm promises that he would be helped and come out of prison next year, based either on the implementation of the protection of legality, or on receiving a pardon, and that he "already discussed this with presidential advisor Oliver Antic." Markovic said on that occasion also said that immediately after the conversation with the police called his wife and said, alluding to the police, that "they were here again, were very rude, and had no intention of getting off his back." The Commission's statement further said that reportedly, "she replied that she had had enough and that if 'they' make one more step, she would move to Zagreb and publish the 15 secret dossiers which she was allegedly given by Markovic in all European newspapers, and somewhere else as well, 'and she knows where'." Markovic then indicated that all of this "will have serious and unforeseen consequences for him, and for the state, but that he was getting sick and tired of everything, and so was his wife." Markovic added that when it comes to the files in question "he did not agree to deals with former Interior Minister Dusan Mihajlovic, head of RDB Goran Petrovic and his deputy Zoran Mijatovic while he was in custody in the District Prison in Belgrade," and was also unwilling to make a deal "with the Hague prosecutor Geoffrey Nice when he testified during the trial of former President Slobodan Milosevic." The Commission said in its statement that it considers these to be serious threats, and that it had sent the report which documented the conversation with Markovic to Special Prosecutor for Organized Crime Miljko Radosavljevic. "The Commission expects that the special prosecutor will determine which dossiers are in question, whether and how they had been removed from the premises of the State Security Department (RDB) and where they are now, who did it, and will take action against the perpetrators. The Coordination Bureau of Intelligence Services and First Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic, who is very involved and committed to actively support the work of the Commission, has been notified about this," said the statement, which ends by saying that the Commission continues its intensive work, regardless of the threats. Radomir Markovic, who is serving a 40-year-sentence, recently asked to be pardoned. However, B92 has learned that the competent court and the Ministry of Justice gave a negative reply. The decision is now up to President of Serbia Tomislav Nikolic. Markovic was arrested in February 2001 on charges of involvement in the assassination of four senior SPO party officials on the Ibar highway in 1999, and for falsifying official statements. Rade Markovic (file) B92

Commission: Ex-RDB chief made serious threats

According to this, the now incarcerated former head of the state security service (RDB) made the threat after a working group that is investigating the killings of journalists tried to interview him regarding the new information about his role in the murder of Slavko Ćuruvija.

Marković did not want to declare himself on the stated facts, and asked instead to talk with a member of the Commission, to whom he, among other things,said that the policemen who had spoken with him were "too low-ranking" and that "they would trick him if he help them," while he said he had firm promises that he would be helped and come out of prison next year, based either on the implementation of the protection of legality, or on receiving a pardon, and that he "already discussed this with presidential advisor Oliver Antić."

Marković said on that occasion also said that immediately after the conversation with the police called his wife and said, alluding to the police, that "they were here again, were very rude, and had no intention of getting off his back."

The Commission's statement further said that reportedly, "she replied that she had had enough and that if 'they' make one more step, she would move to Zagreb and publish the 15 secret dossiers which she was allegedly given by Marković in all European newspapers, and somewhere else as well, 'and she knows where'." Marković then indicated that all of this "will have serious and unforeseen consequences for him, and for the state, but that he was getting sick and tired of everything, and so was his wife."

Marković added that when it comes to the files in question "he did not agree to deals with former Interior Minister Dušan Mihajlović, head of RDB Goran Petrović and his deputy Zoran Mijatović while he was in custody in the District Prison in Belgrade," and was also unwilling to make a deal "with the Hague prosecutor Geoffrey Nice when he testified during the trial of former President Slobodan Milošević."

The Commission said in its statement that it considers these to be serious threats, and that it had sent the report which documented the conversation with Marković to Special Prosecutor for Organized Crime Miljko Radosavljević.

"The Commission expects that the special prosecutor will determine which dossiers are in question, whether and how they had been removed from the premises of the State Security Department (RDB) and where they are now, who did it, and will take action against the perpetrators. The Coordination Bureau of Intelligence Services and First Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vučić, who is very involved and committed to actively support the work of the Commission, has been notified about this," said the statement, which ends by saying that the Commission continues its intensive work, regardless of the threats.

Radomir Marković, who is serving a 40-year-sentence, recently asked to be pardoned. However, B92 has learned that the competent court and the Ministry of Justice gave a negative reply. The decision is now up to President of Serbia Tomislav Nikolić.

Marković was arrested in February 2001 on charges of involvement in the assassination of four senior SPO party officials on the Ibar highway in 1999, and for falsifying official statements.