Daily claims PM knew about Šarić gang member's "activities"

BELGRADE Belgrade-based Blic daily is writing on Monday that there is audio and video evidence of PM Ivica Dacic's meetings with Rodoljub Radulovic. The article also claims that contrary to what he told reporters on Saturday, the prime minister and interior minister knew about Radulovic's "activities" - i.e., his association with the drug gang led by Darko Saric. Daily claims PM knew about Saric gang member's "activities" However, it was Radulovic, not Dacic, who was under surveillance when the evidence was collected, according to the article. Furthermore, the newspaper specifies that its source, "who has seen the Organized Crime Prosecution documents", said that the Criminal Investigations Police Administration had audio tapes, while the intelligence agency BIA had both video and audio - and that it collected the material on the orders of a Special Court judge. The source asserted that Dacic - then interior minister - met and communicated with Radulovic on several occasion in 2008 and 2009, and that he was referred to by Radulovic in his conversations with Saric as drug ("pal"). Blic says that it saw documents that showed that transcripts sent to the Prosecution on January 12, 2009, showed Saric asking Radulovic to check once again with his "pal" whether the police were "working on him". "Several hours later the same day," writes Blic, Radulovic called Dacic's cabinet chief Branko Lazarevic to check if police "had something on Saric", and they agreed to meet - which they did at the cabinet of the Interior Ministry. On Jan. 31 2009, Dacic "personally saw Radulovic in an elite Belgrade restaurant", claims the article, and adds that Radulovic informed Saric about the details, while he "told a friend in Novi Sad" - that Radulovic had seen his "pal", and that he would travel to Novi Sad to tell him what they had agreed on. A year earlier, contacts were also recorded, writes the daily, and says that "on Dec. 15, 2008, Radulovic asked Saric in a telephone conversation for several BlackBerry phones to give to 'him' and 'that guy of his'." According to Blic, these were references to Dacic and Lazarevic. Six days later Radulovic met with Dacic in the residence in Uzicka St., "where he gave him the phone", and later with Lazarevic at Topciderska Zvezda, where another phone was allegedly given. After that he "called Saric to tell him that the gifts had been delivered". "All the recorded material, according to the law, should have been sent to judicial organs, which the Criminal Investigations Police Administration did, but according to some speculation, not the BIA, which leads to the suspicion that somebody wanted to cover up facts," Blic concludes in its article. Ivica Dacic (Tanjug, file) Radulovic's "other activities" investigated The indictment against Rodoljub Radulovic for trafficking of more than 1.8 tons of cocaine from South America to Europe was confirmed three days ago at the High Court in Belgrade. However it is possible that one of the highest-ranking members of Saric's gang will be prosecuted for some other crimes as well, Organized Crime Prosecutor Miljko Radisavljevic has said. "Besides the acts listed in the indictment from October 2012, we are also investigating other Radulovic's activities related to Saric's gang," Radisavljevic told Belgrade-based daily Blic. Meanwhile, Darko Saric - a Montenegrin who was in the mid-2000s given a Serbian passport - remains at large, a fugitive from justice for more than three years. Blic

Daily claims PM knew about Šarić gang member's "activities"

However, it was Radulović, not Dačić, who was under surveillance when the evidence was collected, according to the article.

Furthermore, the newspaper specifies that its source, "who has seen the Organized Crime Prosecution documents", said that the Criminal Investigations Police Administration had audio tapes, while the intelligence agency BIA had both video and audio - and that it collected the material on the orders of a Special Court judge.

The source asserted that Dačić - then interior minister - met and communicated with Radulović on several occasion in 2008 and 2009, and that he was referred to by Radulović in his conversations with Šarić as drug ("pal").

Blic says that it saw documents that showed that transcripts sent to the Prosecution on January 12, 2009, showed Šarić asking Radulović to check once again with his "pal" whether the police were "working on him".

"Several hours later the same day," writes Blic, Radulović called Dačić's cabinet chief Branko Lazarević to check if police "had something on Šarić", and they agreed to meet - which they did at the cabinet of the Interior Ministry.

On Jan. 31 2009, Dačić "personally saw Radulović in an elite Belgrade restaurant", claims the article, and adds that Radulović informed Šarić about the details, while he "told a friend in Novi Sad" - that Radulović had seen his "pal", and that he would travel to Novi Sad to tell him what they had agreed on.

A year earlier, contacts were also recorded, writes the daily, and says that "on Dec. 15, 2008, Radulović asked Šarić in a telephone conversation for several BlackBerry phones to give to 'him' and 'that guy of his'." According to Blic, these were references to Dačić and Lazarević.

Six days later Radulović met with Dačić in the residence in Užička St., "where he gave him the phone", and later with Lazarević at Topčiderska Zvezda, where another phone was allegedly given. After that he "called Šarić to tell him that the gifts had been delivered".

"All the recorded material, according to the law, should have been sent to judicial organs, which the Criminal Investigations Police Administration did, but according to some speculation, not the BIA, which leads to the suspicion that somebody wanted to cover up facts," Blic concludes in its article.

Radulović's "other activities" investigated

The indictment against Rodoljub Radulović for trafficking of more than 1.8 tons of cocaine from South America to Europe was confirmed three days ago at the High Court in Belgrade.

However it is possible that one of the highest-ranking members of Šaric's gang will be prosecuted for some other crimes as well, Organized Crime Prosecutor Miljko Radisavljević has said.

"Besides the acts listed in the indictment from October 2012, we are also investigating other Radulović's activities related to Šarić's gang," Radisavljević told Belgrade-based daily Blic.

Meanwhile, Darko Šarić - a Montenegrin who was in the mid-2000s given a Serbian passport - remains at large, a fugitive from justice for more than three years.