Radar: The murder of Aleksandar Nešović shakes Serbia's security leadership, raising numerous questions

The disappearance and possible murder of Aleksandar Nešović, known as Baja, a close associate of Dejan Stojanović Keko, who has been identified in Serbian security service documents since the 1990s as the leader of a criminal group, has caused serious upheavals in the top leadership of the SNS government in Serbia, writes the Serbian weekly Radar.

The arrest and dismissal of Belgrade Police Chief Veselin Milić could, according to this media outlet, further deepen the crisis within the security system and government in Serbia.

As stated, the case raises a number of questions - from how the person now being linked to the cover-up of the crime was able to serve as the chief of the Belgrade police for two terms, to who was aware of the movements and status of the murdered Nešović.

A particular question arises as to whether the competent authorities had knowledge of his whereabouts and activities, given that his name has appeared in reports from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and security services for years, and that in early February foreign nationals were arrested for attempting to murder him.

According to Radar, additional controversy is being caused by the allegation that Prime Minister Đuro Macut had lunch at the restaurant in Senjak, where it is believed that Nešović was last seen, a day later.

After the first information about the disappearance, the Higher Public Prosecutor's Office in Belgrade issued five statements in a short period of time, citing various information about the arrests and suspects, including several police officers, restaurant owners and their family members, which, as this newspaper writes, opened a dilemma about the consistency of official data.

Only a few days after the disappearance, the arrest of Veselin Milić, who had previously been one of the most prominent police officials in Belgrade and an advisor to the President of Serbia, was confirmed.

The analysis states that the suspects' possible testimonies could have significant political consequences, given their previous positions and connections to government structures.

Radar recalls that there has already been a split within the security sector, which, according to unofficial information, intensified after the large protests on March 15th last year, after which some police officials were promoted, while others were dismissed or marginalized.

"At that time, only two police officials, Marko Kričak, then head of the Protection Unit, and Radoslav Repac, commander of the Belgrade brigade, were ready to unquestioningly fulfill the orders of the authorities. Both were promoted, Kričak to head of the UKP, and Repac to commander of the Gendarmerie. It is also interesting that after Milić was reappointed as head of the Belgrade police, he removed Kričak from the position of deputy chief of the Belgrade UKP, which the latter, now as head of the entire UKP, has certainly not forgotten," writes Radar.

The text also states that the Higher Public Prosecutor's Office did not even try to reveal what role Veselin Milić had in the demolition of Savamala when the only convicted police officer, Goran Stamenković, mentioned him in his testimony. In addition to Milić, Stamenković claimed that the role in concealing the truth about the demolition in Hercegovačka was played by Nikola Selaković, Dijana Hrkalović, Vladimir Rebić, Zvonko Kostić, Nemanja Stajić, Sonja Božović and a former close associate of Nebojša Stefanović and the owner of the tabloid Aleksandar Papić. Stamenković identified them as the people who forced him to confess his guilt.

Finally, Radar asks whether this case could be a prelude to new conflicts between criminal groups, which, according to the weekly, intensified after the SNS took absolute power in 2014 and carried out purges in the police.

The investigation is ongoing, and official institutions in Serbia have not yet provided definitive answers to numerous open questions.