15. 01. 2014

ROMIC I RADONJIC ARRESTED

Belgrade, January 15, 2014 (B92, Tanjug) - Former State Security Service (DB) officials Ratko Romic and Milan Radonjic, suspected of involvement in the murder of Slavko Curuvija, were arrested around noon in Belgrade, was confirmed for B92. They were detained for questioning and the search of their apartments is underway. Radonjic and Romic have been mentioned for years as being involved in the murder of journalist Slavko Curuvija on 11 April 1999, in downtown Belgrade. In the years following the murder this was repeatedly reported by B92 and the crew of the "Insider" program.

According to reporting of Belgrade media in recent days, additional suspect in this case are the head of DB Radomir Markovic and member of special security services within the DB Miroslav Kurak.

Markovic is in prison in Pozarevac, and Kurak is not available for judicial authorities and an international arrest warrant will be issued for him.

Speaking to today's edition of daily " Politika" Romic said he expected to be arrested for the murder of journalist Slavko Curuvija, but claims he did not participate in the crime.

"I know that I will be arrested. I am in Belgrade, calm and poised, they can arrest me. My defense will be the truth because I did not participate in it, and I will prove that," said Romic for "Politika".

An emergency press conference has been scheduled for 5 p.m. at the Government of Serbia with participation of the First Vice President of the Government Aleksandar Vucic, Justice Minister Nikola Selakovic, the Special Prosecutor for Organized Crime Miljko Radisavljević , and Chairman of the Commission to Investigate the Murder of Journalist Veran Matic.

Daily newspapers "Danas" and "Blic" reported that the indictment for murder of Curuvija is written and that it included the former head of DB Rade Markovic, the former head of the DB Belgrade Center Milan Radonjic, and operatives Romic and Miroslav Kurak .

Recall that the journalist, chief editor, and owner of the Daily Telegraph was killed on Easter, 11 April 1999 during NATO bombing, in downtown Belgrade in front of the building where he lived.

Immediately after the murder, at the request of the family, a criminal complaint was filed against Radomir Markovic, Milan Radonjic, Mirjana Markovic, and unknown perpetrators.

Slavko Curuvija was killed on Easter, 11 April 1999, in the midst of NATO bombing of FR Yugoslavia. The murder was committed about 5 p.m. in Belgrade, at Svetogorska Street ( at the time, Ivo Lola Ribar St. ), in the passageway  of number 35, where the marketing department of the Daily Telegraph was located, and on the fourth floor the apartment where Curuvija lived.

Murderers fired 17 bullets into Curuvija, and then "verified" him  by one shot in the head.

With him was his common-law wife, historian Branka Prpa.

The power in Serbia was then held by a coalition of SPS , JUL and SRS.

Radomir Markovic was arrested in February 2001. He was sentenced to the maximum sentence of 40 years for the murder of Ivana Stambolic on 25 August 2000, and four members of the SPO in the assassination of the leader of SPO - Vuk Draskovic on the Ibar highway, on 3 October in 1999.

Radonjic and Romic are on trial by the High Court in Belgrade for aiding in the attempted murder Draskovic in Budva in 2000. In the first Instance they were sentenced to eight and seven years in prison , but the verdict was overturned  and a new trial ordered.