BELGRADE, May 16 (BV) – Serbian Police Director Dragan Vasiljević denied reports on Saturday that the body of a missing man linked to an investigation involving former Belgrade police chief Veselin Milić had been found, saying authorities were still conducting an “intensive search.”
Speaking at a press conference alongside Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, Vasiljević said investigators were searching for the body “if it is proven that the person was deprived of life.”
Milić was arrested on Friday on suspicion of committing several criminal offenses aimed at covering up an attempted murder that allegedly took place at a restaurant in Belgrade on May 12.
A day later, prosecutors said a missing persons report was filed for A.N., whom Serbian media identified as Aleksandar Nešović, a man allegedly linked to one of Belgrade’s criminal groups.
Vasiljević said 10 people had been detained in connection with the case, including four police officers.
“There are no protected individuals, nor will there be,” he said.
Responding to media allegations that the restaurant where the incident occurred belonged to Andrej Vučić, the president’s brother, Vasiljević denied the claim, saying the venue was owned by one of the detained suspects.
Vučić also rejected the allegations, saying his brother had either visited the restaurant only once or never at all.
The Serbian president accused unnamed criminal groups from Montenegro, including the Kavač clan, of spreading false claims and attempting to target him politically.
Vučić also announced plans for a new law that would prohibit police and military personnel from working private security jobs outside state assignments.
“You will no longer be able to work in the police if you provide protection for tycoons or criminals,” Vučić said, adding that “half of the drug dealers have police protection.”
Serbia’s Interior Ministry confirmed after the arrest that Milić had been removed from his post as head of the Belgrade Police Directorate.
A higher court in Belgrade later ordered Milić into custody pending further investigation into allegations that he helped conceal evidence related to the attempted murder case.