Reasons for dismissal of police officials "unclear"

Reasons for dismissal of police officials "unclear"

Branko Ružić, a high ranking official of the ruling Socialists (SPS) noted that it was "necessary to establish the truth."

"We need to listen to each side. I understood this to be about the existence of two centers that were mutually conflicted, who had their protectors in the police, and that is how I understood the move by the state," he said, and added that Šarić - on trial for organizing a crime group that smuggled tons of cocaine - "certainly cannot be the conscience of the nation."

Vice President of the opposition Democratic Party (DS) Borislav Stefanović was another guest on the show. According to him, it was "not normal to use Šarić's testimony to sack (police officials)."

"We had a pathetic performance by Vučić, the president makes the address (to the nation), and we know when a president is supposed to make addresses. Šarić points the finger at someone and they're all dismissed, with the explanation that they did well. They needed a cause. Vučić wants us to live and go from one scandal to another, because there are no other results," said Stefanović.

Stefanović added that the dismissals could have been carried out "without such pomp" while the police director could have sacked the chiefs, "and could have resigned himself."

Ružić rejected claims made by certain media that "his people were purged from the police."

He further said it was not true that former Traffic Police Directorate chief Dragiša Simić "gave him a Rolex watch as a sign of gratitude for arranging that he is given a university degree."

Ružić then said it was true that now former Witness Protection Directorate chief Miloš Perović was his "brother" - but added this "had nothing to do with claims that Perović was his man in the police."

Stefanović revealed that he was shocked by Vučić's news conference on Friday when he mentioned "the biggest drug dealer Kosmajac" - a person the media in the meanwhile identified as Dragoslav Kosmajac, and whom, according to the prime minister, "nobody dared move against."

"I have no doubt that Vučić wants this Kosmajac to be arrested, but it was foolish to, in effect ,warn him. There was a white paper in which Kosmajac was labeled as a drug dealer, and the prime minister said that no one has written about this Kosmajac. This is not true. We have a prime minister who warned this man. Why was it necessary to go out and say that this is the most dangerous man, and we have to find him. And of course, he left," said Stefanović, in reference to reports that Kosmajac left Serbia over the weekend.

Ružić, however, said he did not agree that the press conference mention was "a warning":

"First, we do not know whether he ran away. If there is no indictment, no proceedings, he can go where he wants."

Živković remarked that while he was in power, he "asked who Kosmajac was," and was told that this person was "under observation, but there was no evidence against him."

"But this should be done in secret, not said in public. Vučić deals with investigations himself and that's a problem. During (Operation) Sabre I always said who had been arrested, not who was going to be," said Živković.

Stefanović noted that "all this is being done" in order to obscure the problems of the government that include "higher unemployment than before and no investments."

The talk show's host, Olja Bećković, mentioned at the beginning of the broadcast that for the past nine weeks nobody from Vučić's ruling SNS party wished to take part in the program.