[ALBSA-Info] Milosevic Probe Hits a Snag

[Gazhebo at aol.com]

Milosevic Probe Hits a Snag

By DUSAN STOJANOVIC


BELGRADE, Yugoslavia (AP) - In their drive to put Slobodan Milosevic on 
trial, authorities have hit a major snag - finding evidence against the 
former Yugoslav president. 

Milosevic is suspected of involvement in the atrocities arising from four 
Balkan wars he set off, of ordering politically motivated killings and 
stealing millions in state funds. 

But it seems the former leader was careful to erase any incriminating paper 
trail. Some former associates, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition 
of anonymity, say he never gave written orders, and made sure minutes of his 
meetings were never kept. 

That has forced authorities to concentrate on less spectacular alleged 
wrongdoing. So far, hard evidence against Milosevic supports only suspicions 
of an illegal real estate transaction - an offense not considered serious 
enough to warrant detention. 

``That offense could be compared to a parking ticket,'' said Toma Fila, a 
Belgrade lawyer most likely to become Milosevic's defense attorney in any 
possible trial. Even if the former president were to ask for help, ``so far, 
I have nothing to defend Milosevic from,'' said Fila. 

Even worse, a potential key witness against Milosevic - his secret service 
chief Rade Markovic - had enough time to destroy or stash away incriminating 
evidence before his arrest last week. 

Markovic reportedly can implicate Milosevic in a series of murders of rivals 
or critics believed carried out by the secret police under the former 
president's orders. He kept his post for almost five months after Milosevic 
was ousted in October. 

``Markovic's remaining in his post gave the old regime a chance to peacefully 
clear up the traces of its numerous criminal deeds, especially financial 
wrongdoing,'' said Slobodan Vucetic, a judge and Milosevic critic. ``There is 
no doubt that Markovic and his closest associates started destroying the 
evidence already in October, or moved it to a safe place.'' 

He said Markovic, now in investigative custody, has adopted a defense 
strategy of simply refusing to speak to prosecutors. 

The assassinations and assassination attempts are potentially the most 
serious crimes that Milosevic could be tried for at home. 

Journalist Slavko Curuvija, a Milosevic critic, was shot and killed during 
NATO airstrikes against Yugoslavia in 1999. Ivan Stambolic, whom Milosevic 
toppled as Serbian president in 1988, disappeared and is presumed dead. 
Serbian warlord, Zeljko Raznjatovic-Arkan - a potentially dangerous witness 
against Milosevic- was gunned a year ago. 

The U.N. war crimes tribunal has charged Milosevic with Kosovo atrocities. 
But the leadership that replaced Milosevic and his clique is refusing to 
extradite Milosevic, saying he has to stand trial at home. 

Milosevic is also suspected of smuggling more than 380 pounds of gold to 
Switzerland and then transferring the money to private accounts in Greece and 
Cyprus. That would be tough to prove; legal experts say they believe 
Milosevic was not naive enough to keep any foreign bank accounts in his name. 

Authorities are determined to respect the law in attempts to show their 
government is different from the one headed by Milosevic. And that ties their 
hands for any quick move against the former president, senior government 
officials say. 

``Milosevic is guilty for what he has done to his people, but that cannot be 
a subject of court proceedings, that is a general guilt,'' which a judge 
cannot decide on, said Communications Minister Boris Tadic. 

``It is evident that Milosevic had forged the documents for his house,'' 
Tadic said. ``There are (also) indications that he may be involved in other 
... crimes.'' 

Still, the courts must wait for evidence against the former leader, and it 
will take time to build a strong case against him, officials say. 

``There is no doubt Milosevic will be arrested,'' said Zoran Zivkovic, 
Yugoslav Interior Minister in charge of police. ``The only question is 
when.''