Dijana Hrkalovic's lawyers announce appeal: They will ask for her release

The defense of the former state secretary in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Dijana Hrkalovic, announced today that they would file an appeal against the decision ordering her detention for up to 30 days and ask for her to be free during the legal process.

Hrkalovic was remanded in custody for fear that she would influence witnesses, and since all witnesses are active police officers, this reason for detaining her is, according to one of her defense attorneys, Nenad Tasic, absurd.

"That she would influences active police officers is the same as if to say she was put in detention so that she could not influence a judge or a prosecutor," Tasic told Tanjug.

The decision on detention was received by the lawyers today and they have three days to appeal, a deadline which expires on Thursday.

Hrkalovic is charged with influencing the head of the department for special investigative methods, Dejan Milenkovic, not to submit some reports to the prosecution in time, regarding the murder of Vlastimir Milosevic, known as the "murder on the rails" case, for which Veljko Belivuk was accused and later set free. Belivuk is now accused of most brutal crimes as the leader of a criminal group.

According to lawyer Tasic, these reports have nothing to do with DNA analysis, as some newspapers wrote.

Hrkalovic has denied all allegations from the criminal complaint during a questioning at the prosecutor's office.

She is charged with the criminal offense of trading in influence, while Milenkovic is accused of the criminal offense of abuse of official position.

Hrkalovic was arrested on Friday, October 15, as a result of the joint work of the Prosecutor's Office and the Internal Control Sector of the Ministry of the Interior, and she was ordered into custody the same night, while Milenkovic has not been detained.

(Telegraf.rs)