Court Extends Veselin Milic Detention by 30 Days

The pre-trial judge of the Higher Court in Belgrade ruled on June 12 to extend the detention of former Belgrade police chief Veselin Milic by a maximum of thirty days. The ruling followed a prosecution motion filed the previous day, and the same decision extended detention for six other suspects in the investigation into a killing at a restaurant in the Senjak district. Milic is charged with failing to report a criminal offense and its perpetrator in connection with the death of Aleksandar Nesovic.

The court grounded the extension in the risk of interference with evidence. The reasoning states that there are particular circumstances indicating the accused would destroy, conceal, alter or falsify evidence or traces of the criminal offense. Under the applicable law, this is one of the grounds that allows a court to keep a suspect in custody even before an indictment is filed.

What exactly the former chief is charged with

The criminal complaint against Milic initially included a more serious count, assisting the perpetrator after the offense. That part of the complaint was earlier dismissed for lack of evidence, leaving the charge of failing to report a criminal offense and its perpetrator. The offense applies to a person who had knowledge of an act and its perpetrator but did not report it to the competent authorities.

It is worth noting that, at this stage, the prosecution has not confirmed the guilt of any of the suspects. Detention is not a punishment but a procedural measure meant to ensure the investigation proceeds without interference. Until an indictment is filed and confirmed, and a final verdict is reached, the accused retain the presumption of innocence. The names of the other six suspects, as well as the victim, are being withheld in favor of initials at this stage, as they are not public officials.

The case concerns a death that occurred at a restaurant in Belgrade’s Senjak district, and the investigation has drawn attention from the outset because of the profiles of those named in it. Until his arrest, Milic was one of the most prominent officers in the Belgrade police, which gives his appearance in this case added public weight.

What options the defense now has

The court’s decision is not final. The defense may file an appeal with the criminal panel of the Higher Court within three days, and the panel then rules on whether it is well founded. If the panel upholds the ruling, detention runs until the thirty days expire, after which the court again reviews whether legal grounds for an extension still exist.

The thirty-day limit is the maximum the law permits at this stage for a single extension. That means the question of detention, if the investigation continues, will return before the court at regular intervals. Each new extension must be separately justified, and the court is obliged to assess whether the measure still serves the purpose for which it was ordered.

The course of the investigation will show whether an indictment is brought against Milic and the other suspects, and on what scale. For now the public has only the procedural framework, while the substance of the case remains in the hands of the prosecution. How much this case reveals about the relationships that led to it will become clear only once the investigation is complete. How do you read the court’s decision to extend detention to the full statutory limit?