Prosector admitted working for criminals, Serb govt claims

BELGRADE - Milan Sarajlic, the Deputy State Prosecutor of Serbia, has admitted working for underworld criminals, the Serbian Government says.

Mr Sarajlic confessed to "having been on the payroll" of the so-called "Zemun Clan", it said in a statement today

The clan, named after a neighbourhood in Belgrade, is blamed for ordering the assassination of Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic last week.

Mr Sarajlic admitted having received 150,000 euros out of a total of one million, promised by Serbian gangsters for his services.

He was arrested yesterday, in a sweeping operation of Serbian police aimed at finding the killers of Mr Djindjic, and also proving that gangsters had corroded the justice system.

Mr Sarajlic endangered the investigation on the killing of Mr Djindjic as he disclosed the whereabouts of a protected witness, who agreed to testify on the work of the Zemun Clan, the Government said.

Mr Sarajlic frequently went to see and get the instructions from Milorad Lukovic Legija, Dusan Spasojevic and Mile Lukovic, leaders of the Clan in their fortress-like premises in Zemun, the statement also said.

The two Lukovics, who are not related, and Mr Spasojevic are believed to be the organisers of the assassination of Mr Djindjic.

According to the Serbian police, Mr Sarajlic admitted "obstructing all the investigations against the Zemun Clan"in the past. He allegedly put pressure and lobbied within the judiciary to release the Clan members whenever they were in trouble.

One of his duties was to inform the Clan on the actions and work of the Special State Prosecutor, appointed only weeks ago in an effort of the state to fight the organised crime.

Mr Sarajlic is responsible for the quick release of Dejan Milenkovic "Bugsy" last month, the police said. Mr Milenkovic drove a truck that tried to swerve the vehicle of the Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic in an assassination attempt.

Serbian police said that Mr Sarajlic admitted obstructing investigations of a number of assassinations dating back to the era of Slobodan Milosevic who fell from power in October 2000.

Among the most prominent cases were the killing of anti-Milosevic journalist Slavko Curuvija in 1999, and an assassination attempt against the opposition leader Vuk Draskovic in 1999, the police said.

Mr Sarajlic obstructed the investigations of the killings of general manager of the Yugoslav Airlines Zika Petrovic in 2000 and Radovan Stojicic, deputy Interior Minister of Serbia in 1997 as well.

Mr Sarajlic is the first official of the state arrested for connections with the organised crime in Serbia. Analysts say that the arrest confirmed the long suspected links of state and organised crime.

Following a public outcry and allegations against the judiciary for failing to crack down on criminals, the head of the Supreme Court of Serbia, Leposava Karamarkovic, resigned yesterday.