Dacic: Milic was appointed by the previous government
Police minister Ivica Dacic breaks ten days of silence on the Senjak case, insisting Veselin Milic was not appointed by the current government.
- Ivica Dacic spoke about the Senjak case for the first time after more than ten days of silence.
- He claims Veselin Milic comes from the circle of former police chief Veljovic and was not appointed by the current government.
- He repeated that he will not resign because, as he puts it, he does not run the police.
- Former inspector Milan Dumanovic contradicted him, saying Milic held senior posts throughout every ministerial term.
Interior minister Ivica Dacic spoke about the Senjak case for the first time after more than ten days, insisting that Veselin Milic was not appointed by the current government but instead comes from the circle around former police chief Veljovic. With that, the minister sought to lift the weight of responsibility off the present police leadership, while the opposition reads both his long silence and this explanation as an attempt at a cover-up.
Dacic stood by his position that he has no intention of leaving office. He dismissed the question of resignation briefly and without hesitation.
Why would I resign, I do not run the police.
The minister also said that 210 police officers were prosecuted last year, citing that figure as proof that no one in the system is protected. By his logic, the number of those prosecuted shows that accountability spares no one, not even those inside the police itself.
What is known about the case
The dispute centres on Veselin Milic’s background and on who brought him into his post. Dacic insists that Milic belongs to the group of people gathered around former police chief Veljovic, suggesting this is a legacy of the previous lineup rather than a choice made by the current government.
That version was publicly challenged by former inspector Milan Dumanovic. He contradicted the minister, saying that Milic held senior positions throughout every ministerial term, not just during one period. This raises the question of continuity: if Milic kept his place at the top through changes of minister, it is hard to pin the responsibility on his predecessors alone.
The clash between the minister and the former inspector turns the case into a contest between two versions of the same story. One traces the root of the problem to earlier leadership, the other claims this is a man who endured regardless of who led the department.
Why the silence has become part of the story
More than ten days without a reaction from the minister in charge has itself become a political topic. At a moment when the public expects a swift answer from the top of the state, the opposition reads the delay as a sign that responsibility is being avoided rather than accepted.
When Dacic’s answer finally came, it focused more on who brought Milic in than on what is happening with him now. For that reason the minister’s first reaction did not close the matter but shifted it onto the ground of the past and present of the police leadership. The argument over the 210 prosecuted officers and over Milic’s background signals that the Senjak case remains open.
Does ten days of silence from the police minister suggest the state has no ready answer to the Senjak case?
