“Ex-spy chief was Ćuruvija suspect”

Following the 2001 investigation into the murder of journalist Slavko Curuvija, the list of suspects included the former Belgrade DB Chief Milan Radonjic. B92 has learned that evidence for a criminal indictment had been prepared back then, but for some reason, the murder remains unsolved to this day. “Ex-spy chief was Curuvija suspect” Special Prosecutor Miljko Radosavljevic did not want to comment on media speculation that an investigation into Curuvija’s murder had started this month. He told B92 that he could only reveal that the case was still under preparation. However, TV B92’s Insider program has discovered that Serbia’s State Security Service (DB) had enough evidence to arrest suspects back in 2001, which the prosecution was aware of at the time. Namely, in July 2001, at a meeting of the District Prosecution and DB representatives, an agreement was reached to arrest Radonjic and to prepare a criminal indictment. Belgrade DB Deputy Chief at the time Zoran Stijovic also attended that meeting. Stijovic said that he had been included in the case as a representative of the Belgrade DB Center tasked with organizing Radonjic’s arrest. “I don’t know what happened next. All I know is that the entire business ended with the case being sent to the Belgrade District Court, and included within the Ibarska murder case,” he said, adding that he did not know whether charges for the Curuvija murder had been dropped. Prior to his murder on April 11, 1999, Curuvija had been followed by 27 DB members working in three shifts. In 2001, after the democratic changes, the new DB Deputy Chief Zoran Mijatovic ordered an investigation. He said that in the nine months that he and his superior Goran Petrovic ran State Security, a lot had been done, but that there had not been enough time to complete the entire case. Mijatovic said that reports showed that Curuvija had been tailed in secret for two days. “We know that on the first day they failed. Radonjic was angry because they had left the location early. He was angry because they had left the location, which, by the way was normal and in line with procedure, as Curuvija had come back home. Radonjic threatened that he would kill them,” the former deputy DB chief said. Mijatovic added that Radonjic had issued the order. Asked what happened to Radonjic, he replied that “he received orders from Radomir Markovic [DB Chief in 1999] and so on and so forth, it all went round in circles,” Mijatovic said. In 2003, the police found a witness who identified Luka Pejovic as the murderer. Pejovic, a member of Milorad Ulemek’s Special Operations Unit (JSO), was murdered back in 2000. It was not until 2006 that Special Prosecutor Slobodan Radovanovic finally ordered an investigation. He said that Curuvija’s murder had been political and that an investigation had been launched against a number of suspects, though the case soon became bogged down. Mirjana Markovic, wife of former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic, has never been asked to give a statement to the police, even though it was well-known that she had been behind the public threats published by state-owned daily Politika Ekspres against Curuvija days before his murder. Markovic escaped from Serbia in February 2003, in the wake of the murder of Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic. Today she lives in Russia, where she and her son Marko Milosevic have been granted political asylum. Slavko Curuvija (FoNet, archive)

“Ex-spy chief was Ćuruvija suspect”

Special Prosecutor Miljko Radosavljević did not want to comment on media speculation that an investigation into Ćuruvija’s murder had started this month. He told B92 that he could only reveal that the case was still under preparation.

However, TV B92’s Insider program has discovered that Serbia’s State Security Service (DB) had enough evidence to arrest suspects back in 2001, which the prosecution was aware of at the time.

Namely, in July 2001, at a meeting of the District Prosecution and DB representatives, an agreement was reached to arrest Radonjić and to prepare a criminal indictment.

Belgrade DB Deputy Chief at the time Zoran Stijović also attended that meeting.

Stijović said that he had been included in the case as a representative of the Belgrade DB Center tasked with organizing Radonjić’s arrest.

“I don’t know what happened next. All I know is that the entire business ended with the case being sent to the Belgrade District Court, and included within the Ibarska murder case,” he said, adding that he did not know whether charges for the Ćuruvija murder had been dropped.

Prior to his murder on April 11, 1999, Ćuruvija had been followed by 27 DB members working in three shifts.

In 2001, after the democratic changes, the new DB Deputy Chief Zoran Mijatović ordered an investigation. He said that in the nine months that he and his superior Goran Petrović ran State Security, a lot had been done, but that there had not been enough time to complete the entire case.

Mijatović said that reports showed that Ćuruvija had been tailed in secret for two days.

“We know that on the first day they failed. Radonjić was angry because they had left the location early. He was angry because they had left the location, which, by the way was normal and in line with procedure, as Ćuruvija had come back home. Radonjić threatened that he would kill them,” the former deputy DB chief said.

Mijatović added that Radonjić had issued the order.

Asked what happened to Radonjić, he replied that “he received orders from Radomir Marković [DB Chief in 1999] and so on and so forth, it all went round in circles,” Mijatović said.

In 2003, the police found a witness who identified Luka Pejović as the murderer. Pejović, a member of Milorad Ulemek’s Special Operations Unit (JSO), was murdered back in 2000.

It was not until 2006 that Special Prosecutor Slobodan Radovanović finally ordered an investigation.

He said that Ćuruvija’s murder had been political and that an investigation had been launched against a number of suspects, though the case soon became bogged down.

Mirjana Marković, wife of former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milošević, has never been asked to give a statement to the police, even though it was well-known that she had been behind the public threats published by state-owned daily Politika Ekspres against Ćuruvija days before his murder.

Marković escaped from Serbia in February 2003, in the wake of the murder of Prime Minister Zoran Đinđić. Today she lives in Russia, where she and her son Marko Milošević have been granted political asylum.