Arrests following political shifts
The Higher Court in Belgrade ordered 30 days of detention for Marko Kricak and Bosko Sekulovic. Kricak, head of the Criminal Police Directorate, and Sekulovic, head of the Crime Suppression Service, face charges of abuse of official position, while Kricak faces charges for mistreatment and torture linked to a Belgrade restaurant murder on May 12. These arrests happened on Sunday, one week after the long-ruling Serbian Progressive Party lost power after 14 years. I find the Higher Prosecutor’s Office’s plan to complain about the court’s decision regarding detention to be a sensible move to prevent both the influence of witnesses and any repeat of the criminal offence within a short period of time. Belgrade’s chief prosecutor, Nenad Stefanovic, insisted on Monday that the arrests have nothing to do with electoral processes or the results of the parliamentary elections. The case involves the murder of A.N., a gangland figure, whose body police found in a metal drum buried near Indjija on May 21. It took five days to confirm the identity of the victim. Kricak is suspected of having used force against those suspected of being involved in the murder.
Details of the misconduct
Kricak and unidentified police officers allegedly abused N.L. on May 16, 2026. They struck N.L. in the head with open and closed fists, then placed a hood over his head to cause suffocation. Kricak also allegedly removed the victim’s socks and beat him on the soles of his feet and back with a belt. I find these accusations disturbing. Nikolina Sindjelic claimed in August 2025 that Kricak had threatened her with rape. Protesters have claimed Kricak used force against them during massive anti-government protests. Sekulovic drafted a criminal complaint naming Veselin Milic, even though he knew Milic left the restaurant before the murder took place. Kricak gave verbal approval for this. This misconduct follows the arrest of Milic on May 15 for allegedly assisting an offender in the murder. The Higher Prosecutor’s Office dropped part of the complaint relating to assisting an offender after the commission of a crime in June.
