Court OKs extended probe into journalist's murder

The Zagreb District Court has adopted an application to widen the investigation against Solobodan Djurovic into his part in the murder of journalist Ivo Pukanic. The application was submitted on Monday by the Anti-Corruption and Organized Crime Department (USKOK). Court OKs extended probe into journalist's murder Djurovic, who is suspected of being the middleman between the those who ordered Pukanic’s execution and the hitmen themselves, has been remanded in custody for a year. Djurovic, a Montenegrin national and close friend of Serbian drug baron Sreten Jocic, is believed to have been responsible for hand-picking the assassins in the murder of the weekly Nacional owner and his marketing director, Niko Franjic. The police believe that the former JNA counter-intelligence agent, together with fellow suspects Robert and Luka Matanic, Amir Mafalanije, Zeljko Milovanovic and Bojan Guduric, planned the murder. Djurovic was exposed by Robert Matanic, after whose testimony the magistrate at the Zagreb District Court sanctioned an extension of the probe, said court spokesman Kresimir Defcic. “That proposal has been adopted and a decision has been passed to widen the investigation,” he said. Having had his cover blown by Matanic, Djurovic then proceeded to fail a lie detector test on critical questions related to Pukanic’s murder, the murder of Ivana Hodak, the daughter of a top Zagreb lawyer, as well as his relationship with Milovanovic, Jocic and fellow Serbian underworld figure Stanko Subotic. The police claim that there are leads linking Djurovic to Serbia, while daily Vecernji List writes that there were celebrations in police circles after Matanic’s testimony, as they believe that this is the biggest breakthrough in the investigation to date.

Court OKs extended probe into journalist's murder

Đurović, who is suspected of being the middleman between the those who ordered Pukanić’s execution and the hitmen themselves, has been remanded in custody for a year.

Đurović, a Montenegrin national and close friend of Serbian drug baron Sreten Jocić, is believed to have been responsible for hand-picking the assassins in the murder of the weekly Nacional owner and his marketing director, Niko Franjić.

The police believe that the former JNA counter-intelligence agent, together with fellow suspects Robert and Luka Matanić, Amir Mafalanije, Željko Milovanović and Bojan Gudurić, planned the murder.

Đurović was exposed by Robert Matanić, after whose testimony the magistrate at the Zagreb District Court sanctioned an extension of the probe, said court spokesman Krešimir Defčić.

“That proposal has been adopted and a decision has been passed to widen the investigation,” he said.

Having had his cover blown by Matanić, Đurović then proceeded to fail a lie detector test on critical questions related to Pukanić’s murder, the murder of Ivana Hodak, the daughter of a top Zagreb lawyer, as well as his relationship with Milovanović, Jocić and fellow Serbian underworld figure Stanko Subotić.

The police claim that there are leads linking Đurović to Serbia, while daily Večernji List writes that there were celebrations in police circles after Matanić’s testimony, as they believe that this is the biggest breakthrough in the investigation to date.