Milosevic Kidnapping? Belgrade prison guard to be retrialed

A court in Belgrade on Saturday overturned the ruling that issued former Central Prison chief Dragisa Blanusha innocent of Milosevic's kidnapping, allowing him to be sent to The Hague tribunal in 2001 and ordered retrial of the case.

The court accepted an appeal by Milosevic's family because the court's decision on the first degree “contains violation of procedural rights”, Serbian media report.

The charges against Blanusha, brought by Milosevic and his wife, Mirjana Markovic, claim that on June 28, 2001, he allowed strangers to take Milosevic from prison and transfer him to The Hague via Bosnia and Herzegovina.

After Milosevic was transferred to The Hague to be tried at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, Blanusha was dismissed by Serbian Justice Minister Vladan Batic.

Milosevic was being tried for war crimes in the former Yugoslavia when he died in The Hague on March 11th 2006, but his wife continued the process against Blanuza.

Blanusa was acquitted of the first-instance court's decision in March of this year.

It will also be retriald for illegal publication of Milosevic's photographs and confidential information for former Yugoslav president's talks with his lawyers and relatives during the time he held in Central Prison in Belgrade.

Markovic further accuses Blanusha of unauthorised publication of his book “I imprisoned Milosevic”, in which the guard tells details about the time the former president was in custody.

Mirjana Markwick has lived in Russia for the past 14 years.

It is wanted to be tried in Serbia, but Moscow has refused to send it to Belgrade to face charges.