Trial of Belivuk and Miljkovic postponed: Gendarmerie armed with rifles in front of court
The preparatory hearing was postponed on March 8 because Belivuk's lawyer Dejan Lazarevic asked for the dismissal of prosecutors and judges. Lazarevic was arrested about ten days ago
Defendants Veljko Belivuk and Marko Miljkovic, as well as other members of the criminal group, today arrived at the Special Court for a preparatory hearing. With great security measures, they were transferred from the District Prison in Belgrade early this morning. In the meanwhile, the court hearing has been postponed once again.
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Ustaniska Street was this imorning surrounded by members of the Gendarmerie armed with rifles.
According to the original indictment, the defendants are charged with five murders, drug trafficking, illegal possession and carrying of weapons, kidnapping and rape. In the meantime, they have been charged with two more murders.
The preparatory hearing was postponed on March 8 because Belivuk's lawyer Dejan Lazarevic asked for the dismissal of prosecutors and judges.
Lazarevic was arrested on April 14 as a member of Darko Saric's criminal group, and he has been in custody ever since.
The preparatory hearing is closed to the public and can only be attended by the defendants, their defense counsel, the prosecutor and the trial chamber.
At this hearing, which is scheduled to continue on Wednesday and Thursday, the defendants will state their pleas, i.e., whether they admit or deny the crimes they are charged with, and then the prosecution and the defense will propose the evidence to be presented during the trial.
After the preparatory hearing is over, the court will schedule the main trial and it will be public, when the defendants will be able to present their defense in detail.
In addition to Belivuk and Miljkovic, the indictment also includes Srdjan Lalic, Milos Budimir, Marko Budimir, Nebojsa Jankovic, Vlado Draganic, Bojan Hrvatin, Dejan Tesic, Nikola Spasojevic, Nemanja Djuric, Nemanja Lakicevic, Marko Andric, Vlado Georgiev, Aleksandar Vuceljic, Milovan Tadic, Filip Ivanovski, Zeljko Kodzic, Sladjana Sekulic, Boris Karapandzic, Nikola Stefanovic, Vladimir Grek, Aleksandar Scepanovic, Aleksa Sejic, Mijat Simeunovic, Milos Lukic Selak, Aleksa Dunjic, Vojislav Djordjevic, Aleksa Stosic, Vladimir Dimitrijevic.
The defendants' associate Hrvatin, who was previously convicted for the murder of a football supporter in 2005, told the prosecution in detail how four of the five murders were committed in Ritopek, for which a total of 13 members of the group have been accused, including himself. Spasojevic also told the prosecution about the murders.
Vladimir Dimitrijevic and Vojislav Djordjevic, who do not have the status of associates of the defendants, told how the group resold drugs.
Sladjana Sekulic and Nikola Stefanovic are under house arrest and they will be the only ones to come unaccompanied to the court tomorrow.
The group is charged with operating under the auspices of Partizan's fan group "Principi" from the beginning of 2019 until the arrests in February 2021.
It is suspected that the members of the group acted on the instructions of the leaders, Veljko Belivuk and Marko Miljkovic, who gave them orders where, when and in what way someone should be abducted and killed, as well as where the drugs were to be placed on the market.
The orders were transferred mostly via the Sky application.
At the beginning of April, the Prosecutor's Office for Organized Crime filed a new indictment, the second, against Belivuk, Miljkovic and ten other members of their group.
(Telegraf.rs)