Prosecution seeks to extend Veselin Milic detention

Belgrade’s Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office has asked the pre-trial judge to extend detention by another 30 days for seven suspects in the Senjak case, among them the former chief of Belgrade police, Veselin Milic. The motion was filed because the current custody term was expiring while the investigation is still under way. According to the reasoning cited by the media, prosecutors are seeking the extension so that the suspects cannot, as they put it, destroy, conceal or alter evidence or traces of the crime.

The case concerns the aggravated murder of Aleksandar Nesovic, who was last seen at a restaurant in Senjak on May 12, where shell casings and traces believed to come from the victim were found. The body was recovered near Indjija on May 21. Prosecutors say the investigation covers a total of 11 people, with Milic, as a former senior official, the most prominent name in it. The prosecution has not established the guilt of any suspect, and all allegations remain at the investigation stage.

What exactly does the prosecution still hold against Milic

Part of the case against Milic no longer stands. On June 9, prosecutors dropped the section of the criminal complaint that alleged aiding the perpetrator after the crime, citing a lack of evidence for that charge. That removed one of the two original grounds for suspicion against Milic, a meaningful shift for his defence.

What remains is suspicion of failing to report a crime and its perpetrator. In other words, prosecutors still maintain that Milic had knowledge of the events and did not report them. The difference between the two charges is no mere legal technicality: aiding the perpetrator implies active conduct in the suspect’s favour, while failing to report implies a breach of official duty. For a man who ran the country’s largest police directorate, the second ground for suspicion carries weight in itself.

New details from the investigation have also surfaced. Investigative outlets have published the account of the victim’s best man, who claims Milic sent him messages, and report the existence of an official note allegedly drafted by Milic himself. Prosecutors have not officially confirmed these claims, so they should be read as material that is still being checked. The court has also ordered a fresh 30-day detention for the restaurant’s waiter, citing new facts and evidence obtained during the investigation.

Why Veselin Milic has long been under scrutiny

Veselin Milic was not an unknown name even before the Senjak case. During his career at the head of Belgrade police, he featured in several earlier contested investigations, and the public remembers him from his appearances after some of the city’s gravest incidents. That is precisely why the current investigation carries weight beyond a single case: it involves a former official who spent years at the top of the very system now examining his role.

The next move belongs to the pre-trial judge, who will rule on the prosecution’s motion to extend custody. If the motion is granted, the suspects remain in detention for another month while the investigation continues. The open question is how much more time will be needed to establish what actually happened that night in Senjak, and whether dropping part of the complaint against Milic marks the start of the case unravelling or just one episode in a long proceeding.

What do you think, do cases like this show that institutions are doing their job, or that they act only once public pressure grows too strong?