Vulin: Mafia is powerful but there will be more arrests. Vuletic remembers health before polygraph

Photo: Nikola Tomic

Interior Minister Aleksandar Vulin said this morning that the mafia is very powerful and has unlimited money at its disposal, which always "speaks"- but also that the police are getting new information every day, so that more arrests can be expected.

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Vulin told RTS that there is an attempt to relativize the crime in order to present it as not having been "exactly like that," but that the victims of showdowns between the people in power are the ones that are now arrested.

When asked how this attempt is being made, Vulin said that there is an effort to change the public opinion by holding press conferences and saying every day that those arrested for belonging to a criminal group are the victims, that this is all politics, that it is not crime...

He stressed that the Ministry of the Interior (MUP) has a large amount of data at its disposal, and cited 44 seized Sky phones as an example.

"Imagine how much data, numbers, contacts, screenshots of messages, etc. are there," said the minister and added that the police raided 30 locations on the first night while the number increased after that, as well as the number of those questioned, and of suspects.

He added that the investigation is not narrowing, but expanding, and that new information is arriving every day. Asked if more arrests could be expected, he replied, "Without any doubt."

He stressed that the structure of the clan that sold drugs is being checked, and that there were interesting arrests yesterday as well.

Asked about the arrest of former SBPOK (Service for the Fight Against Organized Crime) deputy chief Goran Papic, the minister said he is suspected of trading in influence.

Vulin said that this has been unequivocally proven and that the court would not have ordered his detention if that were not the case. He pointed out that Papic is charged with using his position and influence to order the return of a seized armored vehicle belonging to Marko Miljkovic.

"This is the beginning of what we consider to be influence peddling," said Vulin and added that he believes that there will be more of that.

He says that Papic was a very high-ranking police official and that as such he could have have knowledge of some other members of the MUP who acted illegally.

When it comes to the questioning of the former Partizan FC official Vladimir Vuletic, who said that a recording of his conversation with Veljko Belivuk was edited, Vulin said that the police do not create forgeries and engage in editing.

"Our job is to find the truth, when the truth is painful to someone, that's not our problem," said the minister.

He said that Vuletic arrived to make a statement and that he agreed to a take a polygraph (lie detector) test, but then was talking about his health condition and that it was not possible to do the test.

"He remembered that just as he came in," said Vulin, adding that this is the favorite way out for all those who wish to avoid the polygraph.

When asked if a polygraph test counts as evidence, Vulin explained that it cannot be used in court, but that it gives the police a direction in the investigation.

"We believe in that and we know that rejecting or accepting a polygraph test says a lot," says Vulin.

He also said that, when it comes to the role of Dijana Hrkalovic in wiretapping Aleksandar Vucic, that matter is over and the evidence has been handed over to the prosecution. He added that her role has been explained, as well as of all those who participated in it. He pointed out that it is now up to the prosecution to say what they think about it.

Speaking about parts of her statement published by the media, Vulin said that the evidence did not leak from the police. He said it was a fact that the MUP and the one who gave the statement have copies of that statement.

He also recalled that taking data from the police is a criminal act punishable by imprisonment.

The minister said that the former head of the Belgrade Criminal Investigations Police (UKP), Ilija Milacic, confessed to the crime and noted that data from an investigation cannot be passed on to tabloids, mobsters, politicians...

"It's a message to everyone who breaks the law and thinks that the police will not find out who is revealing official secrets," says Vulin.

According to him, no one can order the prosecutor's office what to do, while the publication of disturbing photos was intended to show the truth, that the existence of a criminal group and those who committed crimes cannot be relativized.

(Telegraf.rs)