EUR 60,000 compensation for ex-JNA general

Serbia's Justice Ministry has agreed to pay RSD 6.2mn (some EUR 62,500) to the retired general of the former Yugoslav People's Army (JNA), Vlado Trifunovic. The some was awarded for wrongful imprisonment, Justice Minister Snezana Malovic said on Sunday. EUR 60,000 compensation for ex-JNA general Retired JNA Colonels Berislav Popov and Sreten Raduski will receive RSD 4.2mn each. They were Trifunovic's associates in command of the JNA Varazdin Corps in Croatia in the fall of 1991. Trifunovic and his associates were arrested in Belgrade in January 1992 and charged with subverting the country's military and defense capability. In 1995, Trifunovic was sentenced to seven years in prison for withdrawing with about 250 soldiers under his command from the Varazdin barracks after days of siege by and armed battles with Croatian forces in 1991, leaving all military material behind for the Croatian forces to capture. Trifunovic spent 547 days in prison and his subordinate officers Raduski and Popov spent 465 and 446 days, respectively. The case of Trifunovic provoked great controversy during the 1990s, with many people believing that he had done a heroic deed by saving the lives of 250 officers and men. At the time, the JNA Varazdin Corps had existed only on paper, since it did not have a full complement of men. "I am sure that history will show that Trifunovic did nothing to tarnish the honor and the reputation of Serbia as the regime of Slobodan Milosevic had found and that, on the contrary, he acted as an honest and honorable man, soldier, and general," Malovic was quoted as saying. A file photo of Vlado Trifunovic (FoNet)

EUR 60,000 compensation for ex-JNA general

Retired JNA Colonels Berislav Popov and Sreten Raduski will receive RSD 4.2mn each.

They were Trifunović's associates in command of the JNA Varaždin Corps in Croatia in the fall of 1991.

Trifunović and his associates were arrested in Belgrade in January 1992 and charged with subverting the country's military and defense capability.

In 1995, Trifunović was sentenced to seven years in prison for withdrawing with about 250 soldiers under his command from the Varaždin barracks after days of siege by and armed battles with Croatian forces in 1991, leaving all military material behind for the Croatian forces to capture.

Trifunović spent 547 days in prison and his subordinate officers Raduski and Popov spent 465 and 446 days, respectively.

The case of Trifunović provoked great controversy during the 1990s, with many people believing that he had done a heroic deed by saving the lives of 250 officers and men.

At the time, the JNA Varaždin Corps had existed only on paper, since it did not have a full complement of men.

"I am sure that history will show that Trifunović did nothing to tarnish the honor and the reputation of Serbia as the regime of Slobodan Milošević had found and that, on the contrary, he acted as an honest and honorable man, soldier, and general," Malović was quoted as saying.