Kosovo processes indictment against Radojici, Serbia seeks EULEX documents

At that time it will be a year since armed groups of Serbs attacked Kosovo police in this village in the north, killing Sergeant Africa Bulnjak.

Three Serb attackers were also killed in the subsequent armed clashes.

The responsibility for the attack was taken by Milan Radoic, former politician and businessman from northern Kosovo, believed to be in Serbia.

The investigation, in parallel, is also conducting the High Public Prosecutorship in Belgrade.

How far did the investigation reach Kosovo?

Sources Radio Free Europe In Kosovo's Special Prosecutor, the “works around the case are in the final phase” and that “statements in the Radojciqi case have received the final epilog”.

After several peripheral reports are completed and examined, “will be processed away, they say.

Other details do not give unless the indictment is expected to rise before autumn.

While Radojici is believed to be free in Serbia, in Kosovo three persons are detained in connection with the case.

At the Kosovo Institute for Justice (IKD), which monitors the justice system in the country, they say the Special Prosecutor is within the legal deadline for completing the indictment, as with the recent legal changes, the initial period for the outcome of investigations and the establishment of the indictment could take up to three years, up from two and a half years earlier.

According to the IKD, the prosecution has a considerable number of evidence of material and suspects for the attack.

The fact that [the attack] took place about nine months ago does not mean that, by no means, the prosecution will rush into its actions and hand over a less qualitative indictment. The three-year period, available to it, should serve to have a quality and best proven act through material and personal evidence”, the IKD says.

From this institute, however, stress that the prosecution should announce more the opinion on the course of the investigation -- “without damaging them -- to show how far it has reached”.

Free Europe Radio requested comments on the subject also by Kosovo Justice Minister Albulen Haxhiu, but she did not respond.

At the end of last year, according to a request by the Kosovo Interior Ministry, the international police organisation, I NTERPOL, issued a warrant for Radojcina.

How far did the investigation reach Serbia?

The exact location of Radojciq is not clear, but Serbia's president, Aleksandar Vuciq, said following the attack that he is located in Serbia's “rrier”.

State authorities in this country dismissed the charges made by Kosovo leaders that they stand behind “the September 24th terrorist attacks” in Banjska.

Radoic claimed responsibility for that attack on 29 September through his lawyer.

The Supreme Public Prosecutor in Belgrade charges him with several criminal acts involving illegal arms purchases and “cause of general risk”.

In early October, the Supreme Court in Belgrade rejected the prosecution's request for his detention and released him, but confiscated his passport and prevented him from going to Kosovo.

Contacted on 15 July by Radio Free Europe, the High Public Prosecutor in Belgrade said “findings are continuing”.

“In these investigations, the High Public Prosecutor in Belgrade co-operates with the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Customs Directorate and other state bodies of the Republic of Serbia, while consisting of the full actual situation through the Ministry of Justice EULEX [EU Mission to Rule of Law in Kosovo”.

“From EULEX has been requested documentation concerning the critical event of September 24, 2023, in Banjska. The documentation, until today, has not been submitted to”, the statement said.

What do EU officials say?

REL asked EULEX on this request of the Serbian prosecution, but from this mission demanded that questions be forwarded to the European Union Office in Pristina.

In a written response to the REL, this office confirmed that it accepted this request two weeks ago and that it was forwarded to the Kosovo authorities.

“Ende has received no response [from Kosovo authorities]”, it says in response, where it also stresses that, in October last year, Serbian authorities have also been forwarded to a request from Kosovo for bilateral judicial co-operation in the case of the Banjsk attack.

“Ende have received no response [from Serbia authorities]”, suggest from the EU Office in Kosovo and add that Kosovo authorities, meanwhile, have requested bilateral judicial co-operation with authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina and that such a request has been sent to official Sarajevo.

“We received a response [from Sarajevo], which has been forwarded to competent authorities in Kosovo at the right time”, said from the EU to Pristina, but did not specify what the response was.

The Supreme Public Prosecutor in Belgrade in October 2023 has said that Radoic is accused of securing weapons, ammunition and explosive devices with huge destructive power from Tuzla, northeast of Bosnia and Herzegovina, from January to September 24th.

What does the United States say?

US Assistant Secretary of State James O'Brien said late that Serbia has promised that Radojic will face the law concerning the September events in Banjska of Zvecan.

The U.S. State Department named him a criminal to be held responsible.

Otherwise, Radoic is under US and Great Britain sanctions because of allegations of organised crime and corruption.

Contain dialog

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti has conditioned the continuation of the dialogue on normalising relations with Serbia with the handover of Radojici and his “terrorist paramilitary group” to Kosovo judicial authorities.

“As long as Radoicic and his group are free and protected in Serbia, there is no trust in the dialogue for normalisation”, Kurti said on June 28th.

In an interview for Euronews Albania on 16 July, Kosovo Interior Minister Xhelal Svecla said authorities in Pristina have evidence that Serbia's President, Aleksandar Vuciq, has been directly “involved in training of the terrorist group that carried out the attack on Banjska”.

Amid such evidence, he mentioned information from intelligence and oral evidence.

The chief of the Office for Kosovo in Serbia's Government, Petar Petkovovic, reacted on the X platform, saying the only “that exists is the persecution of Serbs from Kurti and Svechla”.

Not to mention any evidence that would support that claim, Petkovic said that “about Banjska many lies and the biggest lie is that Vuciq has given the order”.

In another development, Kosovo Assembly Chairman Glauk Konjufca said that if Serbia is not punished, it would repeat the attack on Banjska. / REL/