Businessman pleads not guilty to abuse of office charges

BELGRADE Zvonko Veselinovic and another two suspects have denied that they have unlawfully illegally obtained 32 trucks and therefore obtained more than RSD 237mn. Aside from Veselinovic, Milan Radojicic and Dragan Curcic are also charged with the same crime. Businessman pleads not guilty to abuse of office charges All three men pleaded not guilty and said that they would present a detailed defense at a main hearing that was scheduled for December 24. Veselinovic’s defense called on the court to release him on bail worth EUR 200,000 pending trial. His attorneys said that Veselinovic’s family and friends would offer EUR 200,000 in real estate. The court and the prosecution will subsequently decide on the request. Veselinovic and Curcic are in custody while Radojicic was remanded in custody by an investigative judge of the Higher Court in Pirot. The three men are charged with illegally obtaining 32 trucks from the Hypo Alpe-Adria-Leasing. The illegally obtained vehicles were used by Curcic’s Raska-based Evrokop company in April and June 2008 based on a financial leasing contract that the company had with Hypo Alpe-Adria-Bank. The leasing contract was terminated in November 2010 because Curcic’s firm stopped paying its leasing installments. Instead of returning the trucks to Hypo Alpe-Adria-Leasing, the three suspects transported them to Kosovo in the second half of 2010. They continued to use them and kept the money they earned for themselves. They also tried to sell the trucks. According to the indictment, the vehicles were used for the construction of the Pristina-Tirana highway. Several vehicles were found in the territory of Kosovo. The Higher Court in Kraljevo launched an investigation against Veselinovic for illegal weapons possession in December 2011. He was arrested at Mt. Kopaonik on December 20 together with his brother Zarko who is under investigation of the Special Court in Belgrade on suspicion that he incited Raska Municipal Court judge Srecko Topalovic to abuse of office. KFOR believes that Zvonko Veselinovic is one of the organizers of the last year’s riots in Kosovo. Zvonko Veselinovic (file) Tanjug

Businessman pleads not guilty to abuse of office charges

All three men pleaded not guilty and said that they would present a detailed defense at a main hearing that was scheduled for December 24.

Veselinović’s defense called on the court to release him on bail worth EUR 200,000 pending trial. His attorneys said that Veselinović’s family and friends would offer EUR 200,000 in real estate.

The court and the prosecution will subsequently decide on the request. Veselinović and Ćurčić are in custody while Radojičić was remanded in custody by an investigative judge of the Higher Court in Pirot.

The three men are charged with illegally obtaining 32 trucks from the Hypo Alpe-Adria-Leasing.

The illegally obtained vehicles were used by Ćurčić’s Raška-based Evrokop company in April and June 2008 based on a financial leasing contract that the company had with Hypo Alpe-Adria-Bank.

The leasing contract was terminated in November 2010 because Ćurčić’s firm stopped paying its leasing installments. Instead of returning the trucks to Hypo Alpe-Adria-Leasing, the three suspects transported them to Kosovo in the second half of 2010. They continued to use them and kept the money they earned for themselves.

They also tried to sell the trucks. According to the indictment, the vehicles were used for the construction of the Priština-Tirana highway.

Several vehicles were found in the territory of Kosovo.

The Higher Court in Kraljevo launched an investigation against Veselinović for illegal weapons possession in December 2011. He was arrested at Mt. Kopaonik on December 20 together with his brother Žarko who is under investigation of the Special Court in Belgrade on suspicion that he incited Raška Municipal Court judge Srećko Topalović to abuse of office.

KFOR believes that Zvonko Veselinović is one of the organizers of the last year’s riots in Kosovo.