Djindjic Murder Trial Resumes in Belgrade

22/04/2004

The head of Zoran Djindjic's security detail gave testimony in the trial of his suspected assassins, telling the Belgrade Special Court that police knew that a plot was in the works well before the attack was carried out.

By Davor Konjikusic for Southeast European Times in Belgrade - 22/04/04

Serbian Interior Minister Dragan Jocic (far right, with Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica, left, and Deputy Prime Minister Miroljub Labus) has backed away from an apparent suggestion that a new probe be launched into the Djindjic assassination. [AFP]

The trial of the suspected assassins of Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic has resumed at the Special Court in Belgrade. One of the major developments so far has been the testimony of the head of Djindjic's security detail, Milan Veruovic, who told the court Tuesday (20 April) that Serbian police knew of a plan to kill the prime minister well before the attack was carried out.

Veruovic, who was wounded in the shooting, indirectly accused former senior police officials of failing to properly boost measures to protect Djindjic, even after an earlier attempt on his life.

Prosecutors have charged Zvezdan Jovanovic, deputy commander of a special operations unit at the time, with the actual shooting. As the second phase of the trial got under way, a statement from one of the accused, Dusan Krsmanovic, was read to the court. Krsmanovic said he was near the Serbian government building on 12 March 2003 when he heard two gunshots, and that another suspect, Ninoslav Konstantinovic, later told him that Jovanovic had fired the shots.

The trial has been partly overshadowed by controversial remarks from the new interior minister, Dragan Jocic, who seemed to suggest during an interview on 10 April that a new police investigation into the murder should be launched.

Jocic later said that his comments to the Belgrade daily Blic had been sensationalised and that the case would not be re-opened.

According to former Deputy Police Minister Nenad Milic, a new investigation would likely not uncover anything new. "There are many different interpretations among the public, but I think that they are completely unfounded. The material evidence found at the scene of the crime, in front of the Serbian government and the location from where shots were fired, indicates that only one gunman is at issue," Milic said.

The lawyer for the Djindjic family, Rajko Danilovic, said a brand new investigation is unnecessary because of "all the facts that indicate who organised and carried out the assassination". Danilovic said it is still not known who commissioned the murder and that that any further investigative efforts should be directed towards that question, rather than starting from scratch.

"It is known that the Zemun Clan, amplified by the criminally inclined wing of the Red Berets, could not carry out the murder of Djindjic, had they not enjoyed the support of certain powerful politicians. If the investigation were to take that direction, that would be very useful and that is what the victims are demanding," Danilovic said.