Serbian court remands two police chiefs in custody for 30 days — Balkan Insight
The Higher Court in Belgrade, Serbia, ordered the head of the Criminal Police Directorate, Marko Kričak, and the head of the Crime Suppression Service, Boško Sekulović, to be held in custody for 30 days. They are suspected of abuse of office during the investigation into a murder at Belgrade's "27" restaurant in May, Balkan Insight reports.
Suspicions of official misconduct
According to the Higher Public Prosecutor's Office in Belgrade, Kričak and Sekulović may have improperly performed their official duties in the case involving the murder of a person identified by the initials A.N. According to the prosecution, their actions between May 12 and June 3 caused harm and violated the rights of former Belgrade police chief Veselin Milić.
Milić was detained on May 15 on suspicion of aiding an offender after a murder and failing to report a crime. In June, the prosecution closed the part of the proceedings concerning possible assistance to an offender after the crime had been committed.
The prosecution stated that Sekulović prepared a criminal complaint naming Milić, although he knew that Milić had left the restaurant before the murder. According to its version, Kričak verbally approved the filing of this complaint while knowing its contents.
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On May 21, police found a body in a metal barrel buried near the town of Inđija. Five days later, it was confirmed to be the body of A.N. Media reported that the deceased had links to the criminal underworld.
Suspicion of ill-treatment
Kričak is also suspected of ill-treatment and torture of N.L., who was believed to have been involved in the murder. According to the prosecution, on May 16, together with unidentified police officers, he struck the victim on the head with open palms and fists, placed a hood over his head, causing suffocation, and also removed his socks and beat him with a belt on the soles of his feet and back.
The court imposed the preventive measure because of the risk that the suspects could influence witnesses. The Higher Public Prosecutor's Office in Belgrade said it would appeal this decision and ask for the risk of reoffending to also be taken into account.
Kričak and Sekulović were detained on Sunday, one week after parliamentary elections in which the Serbian Progressive Party lost power after 14 years in government. Belgrade Chief Prosecutor Nenad Stefanović said that the detentions were not connected to the electoral process or the election results.
