Government car runs over accident victim

A driver of an official Republic of Serbia vehicle is facing misdemeanor charges after he ran over the body of a person who previously died in a car crash. Police and a judge in Bor, eastern Serbia, were out on Monday conducting an investigation of the scene of the accident, when the driver, identified as Goran Jovic, ignored police warnings to stop, drove by them, and over the body of the victim. Government car runs over accident victim Judge Jasminka Stefanovic said that the vehicle sped by police cars and marked traces on the road, and that it nearly hit the officials conducting the investigation. Once the driver was forced to stop, she continued, “he was aggressive and arrogant”. “At first, he called on his immunity, and then on the immunity of a person traveling with him in the car, but that person did not fall back on their immunity,” said Stefanovic. It has in the meantime emerged that neither are in fact entitled to immunity from investigation and prosecution. It emerged today that Jovic had a secretary of Parliamentary Speaker Slavica Djukic-Dejanovic with him in the vehicle. Djukic-Dejanovic identified the woman as “my associate Branislava Parezanovic”, but said she did not issue any authorization for the trip. The speaker – a member of the ruling Socialists (SPS) – also noted that she was not aware that the driver and the passenger were traveling “on party duty”, or that they were members of her party. B92 has not been able to find out today from the parliamentary officials who had authorized this official trip to Bor.

Government car runs over accident victim

Judge Jasminka Stefanović said that the vehicle sped by police cars and marked traces on the road, and that it nearly hit the officials conducting the investigation.

Once the driver was forced to stop, she continued, “he was aggressive and arrogant”.

“At first, he called on his immunity, and then on the immunity of a person traveling with him in the car, but that person did not fall back on their immunity,” said Stefanović.

It has in the meantime emerged that neither are in fact entitled to immunity from investigation and prosecution.

It emerged today that Jović had a secretary of Parliamentary Speaker Slavica Đukić-Dejanović with him in the vehicle.

Đukić-Dejanović identified the woman as “my associate Branislava Parezanović”, but said she did not issue any authorization for the trip.

The speaker – a member of the ruling Socialists (SPS) – also noted that she was not aware that the driver and the passenger were traveling “on party duty”, or that they were members of her party.

B92 has not been able to find out today from the parliamentary officials who had authorized this official trip to Bor.