The opposition Srbija Centar (SRCE) party has launched a fierce assault on the Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office (VJT) in Belgrade, labeling its decision to drop a major felony charge against former Belgrade Police Chief Veselin Milić as a “shameful act of judicial capitulation before political power.”
The political backlash follows the VJT’s announcement on Tuesday, June 9, 2026, that it has dismissed the criminal complaint against Milić for “aiding a perpetrator after the commission of a crime” due to a lack of evidence. The case involves the brutal May 12 assassination of Aleksandar Nešović (nicknamed “Baja”) at “Restoran 27” in the Senjak neighborhood.
“Arrest to Calm Public Anger, Release When the Dust Settles”
In a sharply worded public statement, SRCE argued that the watering down of the indictment follows a calculated and well-worn crisis-management blueprint used by the ruling regime.
“While the public is served brief, sterile explanations about a ‘lack of reasonable suspicion,’ it is perfectly clear to everyone that this is a tried-and-tested recipe of the Vučić regime—arrest to calm public anger, and release once the dust settles,” the SRCE statement read.
The party pointed out that the outcome was entirely predictable after President Aleksandar Vučić publicly minimized the incident, downplaying Milić’s presence at the crime scene by claiming the former police chief was “just having a cup of coffee.”
[The Regime's Alleged Judicial Crisis-Management Loop]
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
▼ │
┌──────────────────────────┐ ┌──────────────────────────┐ │
│ Public Anger Explodes │ ──► │ High-Profile Arrest │ │
│ (Crime or Tragedy) │ │ (To defuse local rage) │ │
└──────────────────────────┘ └──────────────────────────┘ │
│ │
▼ │
┌──────────────────────────┐ ┌──────────────────────────┐ │
│ Complete Exoneration / │ ◄── │ Evidentiary Downgrade │ ────┘
│ Case Quietly Shelved │ │ (Charges dropped later) │
└──────────────────────────┘ └──────────────────────────┘
Demand for Answers on Tampered Evidence
SRCE demanded that the VJT immediately go public with the specific forensic and testimonial evidence that suddenly transformed Milić from an alleged accomplice into a bystander. Initial investigative leaks suggested that Milić was physically present during the shooting and actively participated in cleaning up and removing vital crime-scene tracks before forensics arrived 48 hours later.
The party explicitly questioned the integrity of Head Prosecutor Nenad Stefanović, mockingly branding him “Vučić’s favorite sanitary inspector.”
“Is the ‘continuation of evidentiary actions’ for the minor charge of failing to report a crime simply being used as a smoke screen for the final and total liberation of Milić from any real responsibility?” SRCE asked.
A Pattern of Impunity: From Belgrade to Novi Sad
The opposition drew direct parallels to other high-profile figures who faced severe initial scrutiny only to see their legal troubles fade away or drag out indefinitely.
- The Institutional Pattern: SRCE linked Milić’s legal retreat to the paths taken by former minister Goran Vesić, former interior ministry official Dijana Hrkalović, and a broader “army of regime loyalists and enforcers.”
- The Core Message: “Be obedient, serve the system, and you will remain completely above the law.”
- The Contrast: While state officials are systematically shielded, SRCE highlighted that absolutely no one has been held criminally accountable for the late 2024 concrete canopy collapse at the Novi Sad railway station, which claimed multiple lives. The party alleges that the Novi Sad case has been intentionally pushed into a “dark abyss” while physical evidence is deliberately destroyed.
“The judiciary in Serbia has become a protective barrier for organized crime bearing a state seal,” SRCE concluded. “As long as Aleksandar Vučić’s regime remains in power, no one in Serbia is safe.”
