Police probe over compensation leak

Serbian police (MUP) officers yesterday canceled their announced arrival at the Borba daily premises in Belgrade. The newspaper earlier this week reported that the government was ready to pay USD 1mn in compensation to a U.S. student allegedly assaulted in the United States by Serbian national Miladin Kovacevic. Police probe over compensation leak Kovacevic was arrested and freed on bail, but he fled the country back to Serbia using the temporary documents issued to him at the Serbian consulate in New York. He is refusing to return to the U.S. A new twist in the compensation story, which unfolded in the media without being officially confirmed, came on Saturday when police was sent to search the newspaper's premises and interview its owner Ivan Radovanovic and editor-in-chief Olivera Zekic over their involvement in allegedly disclosing a state secret. But, several minutes before policemen were due to arrive, Interior Minister Ivica Dacic decided to call the search off, and instead asked Radovanovic and Zekic to appear at a MUP station for questioning. Dacic said later that his decision came in order not to appear as if the police were pressuring the media. Some media organizations, most notably the Independent Association of Journalists of Serbia (NUNS), nevertheless said that MUP was doing just that. Meanwhile, the editorial team at Borba is saying they are under no obligation to divulge the source of their USD 1mn government money compensation story. Zekic said that Dacic told her the police was merely acting on the State Prosecution's orders. "In this case, that means that the prosecution, in other words the state, has admitted that Kovacevic is a state secret and they started interrogating journalists, not those they should be interrogating. In other words, the one who revealed this state secret," said Zekic. She also said that she will not name her source, and called on the government to lift the state secret status from the Kovacevic case. Some Liberal-Democratic Party (LDP) MPs yesterday came to the daily's premises to offer their support. The government remains silent on whether the daily's report is accurate, and if so, what motivated the cabinet to make the decision. State Prosecutor Slobodan Radovanovic explained on Sunday that his office is not interested in the media and the journalist who revealed the Kovacevic compensation information. Rather, they are focusing on the responsible persons who passed the information to the newspaper, committing a criminal act, he explained. Faculty of Law Professor Milan Skulic said that under the law the media that reveal a state secret can also face criminal charges. The criminal responsibility depends on whether the media knew that the information was classified as state secret at the moment they decided to print or broadcast it, he added.

Police probe over compensation leak

Kovačević was arrested and freed on bail, but he fled the country back to Serbia using the temporary documents issued to him at the Serbian consulate in New York. He is refusing to return to the U.S.

A new twist in the compensation story, which unfolded in the media without being officially confirmed, came on Saturday when police was sent to search the newspaper's premises and interview its owner Ivan Radovanović and editor-in-chief Olivera Zekić over their involvement in allegedly disclosing a state secret.

But, several minutes before policemen were due to arrive, Interior Minister Ivica Dačić decided to call the search off, and instead asked Radovanović and Zekić to appear at a MUP station for questioning.

Dačić said later that his decision came in order not to appear as if the police were pressuring the media. Some media organizations, most notably the Independent Association of Journalists of Serbia (NUNS), nevertheless said that MUP was doing just that.

Meanwhile, the editorial team at Borba is saying they are under no obligation to divulge the source of their USD 1mn government money compensation story.

Zekić said that Dačić told her the police was merely acting on the State Prosecution's orders.

"In this case, that means that the prosecution, in other words the state, has admitted that Kovačević is a state secret and they started interrogating journalists, not those they should be interrogating. In other words, the one who revealed this state secret," said Zekić.

She also said that she will not name her source, and called on the government to lift the state secret status from the Kovačević case. Some Liberal-Democratic Party (LDP) MPs yesterday came to the daily's premises to offer their support.

The government remains silent on whether the daily's report is accurate, and if so, what motivated the cabinet to make the decision.

State Prosecutor Slobodan Radovanović explained on Sunday that his office is not interested in the media and the journalist who revealed the Kovačević compensation information.

Rather, they are focusing on the responsible persons who passed the information to the newspaper, committing a criminal act, he explained.

Faculty of Law Professor Milan Škulić said that under the law the media that reveal a state secret can also face criminal charges. The criminal responsibility depends on whether the media knew that the information was classified as state secret at the moment they decided to print or broadcast it, he added.