Serbia takes millions from the mafia
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Police have taken property valued in the tens of millions from organised crime figures with plans to sell the goods and use the money to fund social programmes, such as new kindergartens, schools and primary health care facilities.
Serbian Justice Minister Snezana Malovic said on Sunday (January 17th) that 21 financial investigations against 208 organised crime suspects have been launched since the law allowing the measures went into effect in March.
It defines property eligible for confiscation as that whose legitimate origin cannot be proven, putting the legal burden squarely on the suspects rather than the prosecutors. During the process, defendants cannot sell or give away their property.
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![Interior Minister Ivica Dacic declares the battle against organised crime this year to be a top priority for Serbian police [File]](http://flarenetwork.org/files/2010/02/igorphoto2.jpg)
- Interior Minister Ivica Dacic declares the battle against organised crime this year to be a top priority for Serbian police. Photo: SETimes
Driving home the point, Malovic spoke in front of about 30 luxury cars — Porsches, Audis and BMWs — seized by the authorities.
“Those vehicles have been confiscated from individuals who have not spent a single day working and have never done any kind of legal business,” said organised crime prosecutor Miljko Radisavljevic, noting that most property has been confiscated from drug traffickers.
Especially damaging to Serbia and its economy, Radisavljevic said, is that crime money was being invested in private companies and the housing industry.
Confiscated property includes the former headquarters of the Zemun gang, whose members were convicted of assassinating Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic in 2003. Part of a residence owned by Milorad Ulemek, the architect of Djindjic’s murder, was temporarily seized and may be confiscated permanently in court.
Noting that 2010 will be a big year in Serbia’s war against organised crime, Interior Minister Ivica Dacic said police busted seven organised crime groups last year. About 1.3 tonnes of narcotics were seized in 2009.
January 19, 2010
