Folk singer strikes deal to avoid jail

Folk singer Svetlana Raznatovic aka Ceca, accused of stealing money from football player transfers, will likely not serve any jail time. B92 has learned that she reached a deal with the prosecution that recently indicted her, which would allow her to pay a fine and spend a period of time under house arrest in exchange for a guilty plea. Folk singer strikes deal to avoid jail The proposal has been sent to the Higher Court in Belgrade, and would see the widow of Zeljko Raznatovicaka Arkan pay EUR 1.5mn in fines, and spend a year under house arrest and electronic surveillance. Her sister Lidija would be given six months under house arrest. Should the court accept the deal, the two would avoid trial altogether. The plea bargain leaves out Dragisa Binic and Jovan Dimitrijevic, officials of FK Obilic - the Belgrade-based football club owned by Zeljko Raznatovic and later by his widow. Binic and Dimitrijevic have been charged with involvement in the transfer of Milan Obradovic to Moscow's Lokomotiv. The transfer was worth USD 3mn, but the club received none of the money. Binic, a former footballer himself, told B92 TV's Insider Debate show that he had no intention of entering a plea bargain with the prosecution, "because there's no reason". The indictment against Raznatovic was raised recently after eight years of investigation. She and her associates are charged with stealing some 4mn German marks and more than USD 3mn from player transfers. Svetlana Raznatovic (Tanjug, file)

Folk singer strikes deal to avoid jail

The proposal has been sent to the Higher Court in Belgrade, and would see the widow of Željko Ražnatovićaka Arkan pay EUR 1.5mn in fines, and spend a year under house arrest and electronic surveillance.

Her sister Lidija would be given six months under house arrest.

Should the court accept the deal, the two would avoid trial altogether.

The plea bargain leaves out Dragiša Binić and Jovan Dimitrijević, officials of FK Obilić - the Belgrade-based football club owned by Željko Ražnatović and later by his widow.

Binić and Dimitrijević have been charged with involvement in the transfer of Milan Obradović to Moscow's Lokomotiv. The transfer was worth USD 3mn, but the club received none of the money.

Binić, a former footballer himself, told B92 TV's Insider Debate show that he had no intention of entering a plea bargain with the prosecution, "because there's no reason".

The indictment against Ražnatović was raised recently after eight years of investigation. She and her associates are charged with stealing some 4mn German marks and more than USD 3mn from player transfers.