Vucic to file charges against himself in Belivuk case

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Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic told the Serbian state TV (RTS) that he and Internal Affairs Minister Aleksandar Vulin would be filing charges against themselves over claims that they were involved with the Belivuk organized crime group.

Group boss Veljko Belivuk told prosecutors that he met with Vucic and other ranking state and ruling party officials who demanded favors from him including stopping several protests and taking control of the Partizan FC supporter groups opposed to the Serbian president. His words were echoed by his lieutenant Marko Miljkovic.

Vucic said that he and Vulin would file charges against themselves in response to “all the lies voiced by the Mafia clan” and tycoon politicians, adding that they are prepared to answer any question and take a polygraph test. “All the lies will disperse because the people know who tackled the Mafia, who the target is and who was mentioned as well as who is responsible for the complete destruction of the Mafia, also who sees the interest of the public as the most important thing which means no murders and no Mafia,” he said.

The Serbian President also denied claims of FBI involvement in the police operation against the Belivuk organized crime group. “Everything was done by our police and the BIA (Security Intelligence Agency – the country’s top civilian security agency),” he said and added that European security agencies provided some support. “The FBI did nothing,” he said.

Vucic said that the FBI did inform the Serbian authorities about the ANUM app which criminals believed was secure but was actually controlled by the CIA. “They informed us but only when everything was finished,” he said.

Defense Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic, formerly the Internal Affairs Minister, said earlier that the FBI broke the encryption on an app used by the Belivuk group. According to him, the FBI shared the information it acquired with Serbian and other European services, helping gather evidence.

The Higher Court in Belgrade said in a press release on Monday that the detention of all the arrested members of the Belivuk group had been extended for another 30 days to prevent possible interference with witnesses or repeat offenses. The group was indicted for a number of crimes including murder and drug trafficking.