Ilić's bizarre accusation against reporter

Velimir Ilic's claim that a journalist who criticized him was "sexually abusing animals" is without confirmation. The controversial minister accused a reporter for a local Cacak newspaper after he tried to photograph a private clinic built on Ilic's estate. Ilic's bizarre accusation against reporter Ilic has since abandoned plans to build the hospital, faced with public criticism over its illegal construction. But at the time, the leader of New Serbia (NS) and infrastructure minister in the Kostunica cabinet, said the journalist in question was in the area "to sodomize sheep", and said local villagers had reported this to the MUP, which allegedly made an official note about the case. But when two journalist associations active in Cacak asked the police there to confirm these claims, they received no answer within the legal deadline of two weeks. They will now seek to have the matter cleared with assistance from the public information trustee Rodoljub Sabic. "We consider this to be a rude disqualification on the part of Ilic, toward journalists, and the public as a whole," Stojan Markovic from Cacanske Novine said. Ilic, known for his behavior in public often bordering on offensive, now maintains that his accusations are true, but says he never met the reporter in question, although a mere month ago he verbally attacked him for taking pictures of his ill-fated private clinic under construction. "I have no idea, that man was never on my land… you know how it is, election campaign has started and this has something to do with it. I have never seen that man, he never interviewed me. He was in conflict with the villagers and his sexual depravity should be discussed by his editor and police, who have a note about this," Ilic repeated. Now Sabic will ask the local MUP to verify if such a note exists, since the journalists' demand filed earlier fell on deaf police ears. "First we need to see what the status of this information is, whether there is any trace that this case exists that might back the minister's claims," Sabic said. The trustee added he would give police five days to inform him about the case. Meanwhile, Cacak-based journalists say they will continue to insist with other state bodies to, on the one hand, protect their colleague from slander, and on the other fully investigate the case and make facts known to the public. Velimir Ilic (FoNet)

Ilić's bizarre accusation against reporter

Ilić has since abandoned plans to build the hospital, faced with public criticism over its illegal construction.

But at the time, the leader of New Serbia (NS) and infrastructure minister in the Koštunica cabinet, said the journalist in question was in the area "to sodomize sheep", and said local villagers had reported this to the MUP, which allegedly made an official note about the case.

But when two journalist associations active in Čačak asked the police there to confirm these claims, they received no answer within the legal deadline of two weeks.

They will now seek to have the matter cleared with assistance from the public information trustee Rodoljub Šabić.

"We consider this to be a rude disqualification on the part of Ilić, toward journalists, and the public as a whole," Stojan Marković from Čačanske Novine said.

Ilić, known for his behavior in public often bordering on offensive, now maintains that his accusations are true, but says he never met the reporter in question, although a mere month ago he verbally attacked him for taking pictures of his ill-fated private clinic under construction.

"I have no idea, that man was never on my land… you know how it is, election campaign has started and this has something to do with it. I have never seen that man, he never interviewed me. He was in conflict with the villagers and his sexual depravity should be discussed by his editor and police, who have a note about this," Ilić repeated.

Now Šabić will ask the local MUP to verify if such a note exists, since the journalists' demand filed earlier fell on deaf police ears.

"First we need to see what the status of this information is, whether there is any trace that this case exists that might back the minister's claims," Šabić said.

The trustee added he would give police five days to inform him about the case.

Meanwhile, Čačak-based journalists say they will continue to insist with other state bodies to, on the one hand, protect their colleague from slander, and on the other fully investigate the case and make facts known to the public.