Dačić: More arrests to follow

MUP has launched a major clampdown on organized crime groups, and according to Interior Minister Ivica Dacic, more arrests will follow today. Yesterday 16 people were arrested, suspected of corruption in the Serbian Army (VS), as were eight people suspected of abuse of office and fraud. Dacic: More arrests to follow Dacic said that yesterday’s operations had been meticulously planned and carried out in cooperation with the Military Security Agency and the Special Prosecution for Organized Crime. “What we have here is archetypal organized crime and corruption in state organs, the chief victims of which have been the state and the tax payer. The suspects worked in state organs and in the Ministry of Defense, the army, the Military Medical Academy (VMA), and in another case, the Ministry of Trade and Tourism,” said Dacic, speaking to B92. “That just goes to show that the Interior Ministry, along with other state organs, has grasped the responsibility of its task, which is to do everything in its power to combat organized crime and all other forms of criminality,” he added. Dacic said that the probe into corruption in state organs would continue, and that no one would be able to hide behind their position in the event that they had committed a criminal act. “There are no special privileges and no one who discharges public duties can expect to use that as an alibi for crime and corruption. It goes without saying that in this battle it doesn’t matter who is involved, just that they committed a criminal act,” he said. The minister also announced the arrest of two more criminal groups. “One criminal group was involved in robbery, blackmail, extortion, illegal drug dealing and possessing arms. The other was involved in forging travel documents, traffic and driver’s licenses and so on. The public will be informed about that in the next few days,” he said. Yesterday, 16 members of organized crime groups were arrested on suspicion of giving and taking bribes, abuse of office, committing fraud when allocating housing to VS members, and paying out compensation for damages related to injuries in the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and for social insurance rights. Among the suspects are eight Ministry of Defense employees, and several retired army personnel, as well as two VMA doctors. Ivica Dacic (FoNet, archive) Officials arrested for corruption Police arrested eight people on Tuesday, including four state officials, for abuse of office, bribery and other crimes. The Interior Ministry said in a statement that their criminal activity caused RSD 25mn in damages to the state. Dragan Kokunesoski, an aide in the Ministry of the Economy and Regional Development, former assistant ministers of trade Radivoje Pirgic and Milos Simic and Ministry of Economy official Ljubomir Jovanovic were arrested. Belgrade-based European company director Branivoje Lazovic, Savo Cvetojevic from Ljubovija, Agro Eko Etno Selo agricultural collective manager Nikola Knezevic and BG 23 company director Nebojsa Antunovic were also detained. They are suspected of creating a criminal enterprise between Sept. 2006 and May 2007, offering and accepting bribes and abusing their official positions to illegally obtain RSD 25mn Interior Minister Ivica Dacic announced Tuesday that the investigation of corruption in government would continue and that no one would be protected by their office, if found guilty of having committed a crime. Dacic told public broadcaster RTS late yesterday evening that an operation was currently underway to arrest a crime group involved in theft, murder and other crimes and that the public would be informed on Feb. 11. The minister added that both operations, which had ended in the arrest of 24 individuals, had been planned for some time in association with the help of representatives of the Military and Security Agency and the prosecution.

Dačić: More arrests to follow

Dačić said that yesterday’s operations had been meticulously planned and carried out in cooperation with the Military Security Agency and the Special Prosecution for Organized Crime.

“What we have here is archetypal organized crime and corruption in state organs, the chief victims of which have been the state and the tax payer. The suspects worked in state organs and in the Ministry of Defense, the army, the Military Medical Academy (VMA), and in another case, the Ministry of Trade and Tourism,” said Dačić, speaking to B92.

“That just goes to show that the Interior Ministry, along with other state organs, has grasped the responsibility of its task, which is to do everything in its power to combat organized crime and all other forms of criminality,” he added.

Dačić said that the probe into corruption in state organs would continue, and that no one would be able to hide behind their position in the event that they had committed a criminal act.

“There are no special privileges and no one who discharges public duties can expect to use that as an alibi for crime and corruption. It goes without saying that in this battle it doesn’t matter who is involved, just that they committed a criminal act,” he said.

The minister also announced the arrest of two more criminal groups.

“One criminal group was involved in robbery, blackmail, extortion, illegal drug dealing and possessing arms. The other was involved in forging travel documents, traffic and driver’s licenses and so on. The public will be informed about that in the next few days,” he said.

Yesterday, 16 members of organized crime groups were arrested on suspicion of giving and taking bribes, abuse of office, committing fraud when allocating housing to VS members, and paying out compensation for damages related to injuries in the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and for social insurance rights.

Among the suspects are eight Ministry of Defense employees, and several retired army personnel, as well as two VMA doctors.

Officials arrested for corruption

Police arrested eight people on Tuesday, including four state officials, for abuse of office, bribery and other crimes.

The Interior Ministry said in a statement that their criminal activity caused RSD 25mn in damages to the state.

Dragan Kokunesoski, an aide in the Ministry of the Economy and Regional Development, former assistant ministers of trade Radivoje Pirgić and Miloš Simić and Ministry of Economy official Ljubomir Jovanović were arrested.

Belgrade-based European company director Branivoje Lazović, Savo Cvetojević from Ljubovija, Agro Eko Etno Selo agricultural collective manager Nikola Knežević and BG 23 company director Nebojša Antunović were also detained.

They are suspected of creating a criminal enterprise between Sept. 2006 and May 2007, offering and accepting bribes and abusing their official positions to illegally obtain RSD 25mn

Interior Minister Ivica Dačić announced Tuesday that the investigation of corruption in government would continue and that no one would be protected by their office, if found guilty of having committed a crime.

Dačić told public broadcaster RTS late yesterday evening that an operation was currently underway to arrest a crime group involved in theft, murder and other crimes and that the public would be informed on Feb. 11.

The minister added that both operations, which had ended in the arrest of 24 individuals, had been planned for some time in association with the help of representatives of the Military and Security Agency and the prosecution.