Aleksandar Vulin: All those who broke the law should be held accountable

Aleksandar Vulin; Handout photo

"Anyone who has broken the law should be held accountable. The investigation is ongoing and we are yet to find out what actually happened and what role of each of those who participated in (the case) had, and which crime they committed," the leader of the Movement of Socialists, Aleksandar Vulin, told TV B92, when asked to comment on the latest arrests in Belgrade, including members of the police, related to a potential murder of a member of a drug clan.

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"Does the arrest of (now former Belgrade police chief) Veselin Milic mean that nobody's shielded (by the state), or as the opposition claims, that the government has criminalized the MUP (Interior Ministry)," Vulin asked, and added that every time a member of the police is arrested, the opposition says that is either a deal, or a showdown between criminals.

"One shouldn't pay attention to that. One should pay attention to the fact that the law is being enforced unconditionally and of course nobody's above it. The fact, which we all know, is that at that moment (the shooting of Aleksandar Nesovic Baja) Veselin Milic found himself in a place where he should not have been or was not allowed to be. We will see what his role was, what he did specifically. I've never been a fan of blanket condemnations which is why I want to learn what happened and I will present my stance accordingly," Vulin said.

Vulin added that when he served as interior minister he worked with Veselin Milic and that the police achieved some of the most significant results in the history of the MUP during that time.

"During that time, we broke up several of the most important criminal gangs, known for their brutality, and that was not some kind of a showdown within the authorities, nor a showdown between criminal clans, it was a showdown between the MUP, the Prosecutor's Office for Organized Crime and the worst drug clans in this country. Veselin Milic was one of those who played a very important role in this along with BIA, SBPOK, UKP. If he is responsible for something, he will be held accountable," Vulin said.

Asked about the announced new law that would prevent cooperation between the police and criminals, Vulin said that legal mechanisms already exist, but that it is always good to pass new laws and reminded that one of the first measures he took when he was appointed as interior minister was a dispatch sent to all organizational units of the MUP that reminded the members of the ministry of the already existing obligation for every police officer to report any contact with criminals to their immediate superior.

"Such things must be reported. And it was done for a clear reason, so that we would have a basis to discipline 'dirty' police officers who provide security for criminals, who work in night clubs, who use the badge and weapons in unlawful ways, and to be able to fire them. During the time I served as minister, 365 members of the police were arrested. Of these, 113 had criminal complaints filed against them, 44 senior officers were arrested, including three strategic officers. Criminal or disciplinary proceedings were initiated against them, and some were dismissed from service," Vulin said and stressed that the fight against this evil is always ongoing and never ends, not only in Serbia but throughout the world.

(Telegraf.rs)