President of Palilula municipality, Aleksandar Jovicic, arrested yesterday

President of Palilula municipality, Aleksandar Jovicic, arrested yesterday

A few hours after Aleksandar Vulin said that no one will be protected in the fight against crime, and that President Aleksandar Vučić "is going to the end", president of Belgrade Palilula municipality got arrested.

Members of the Ministry of the Interior, the Criminal Police Directorate - Department for the Fight against Corruption and the Service for the Fight against Organized Crime, on the order of the Special Department for the Suppression of Corruption of the Higher Public Prosecutor's Office in Belgrade, arrested eight people suspected of illegal construction works on the territory of the Municipality of Palilula.

Aleksandar Jovicic, the president of the City Municipality of Palilula, and D.V., the person responsible for inspection affairs in the City Municipality of Palilula, were arrested due to the existence of grounds for suspicion that they committed the crime of trading in influence in complicity.

Also, due to the existence of grounds for suspicion that they committed the criminal offense of abuse of official position, construction inspectors M. M. (63), Z. R. (68), Dj. R. (62), Z. P. (62), G. P. (52) and D. L. (57) while, in addition to the above, the suspects G. P. and D. L. are also charged with the criminal offense of forging an official document.

350.000 euros in cash were found in his apartment.

As it turns out, he hired Zora Dobricanin as his lawyer.

What are they suspected of?

Aleksandar Jovicic is suspected of influencing D.V. to further influence construction inspectors, to abuse his position to enable the construction of a facility without a building permit on the territory of Palilula in the period from July 2016 to November 2018.

Construction inspectors are suspected of abusing their positions to enable protection by the inspection bodies of the CSO Palilula from demolition for their illegally constructed facilities, as well as that after entering false data regarding the facilities in the minutes and decisions issued by the construction inspection, forwarded to legalization, contrary to the Law on Legalization of Buildings.

The suspects were detained for up to 48 hours, and they will be brought to the competent prosecutor's office, along with a criminal report.

"Jovicic is charged with abuse of official position, trading in influence and falsifying official documents," Vulin told Serbian Radio and Television, stating that he would be questioned today, around 9:00, in the prosecutor's office, and that seven other people were charged with him.

He said that the others detained were not some well-known names, but Jovicic's associates, mostly construction inspectors. According to Vulin, Jovicic is suspected of material gain of 28.8 million dinars, but the minister could not confirm media information that 350.000 euros were found in the apartment of the mayor of Palilula.

"We have material evidence of everything," Vulin emphasized.