Natalija Stojmenović, a Member of Parliament from the Green-Left Front (ZLF), sharply criticized Serbia’s security and judicial institutions during a session of the Parliamentary Committee for Defense and Internal Affairs.
Stojmenović pointed out that more than ten days after the murder of Aleksandar Nešović (known as “Baja”) at “Restoran 27” in the Senjak neighborhood of Belgrade, the public is still being denied key details. She accused the Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office (VJT) of burning through administrative resources to issue reactive media reprimands rather than systematically clarifying the institutional cover-up.
1. The Timeline of a Cover-Up: What Happened at Senjak?
The incident, which took place on May 12, 2026, has spiraled into one of the most explosive political-criminal scandals in recent Serbian history, drawing a direct line between active underworld syndicates and high-ranking law enforcement.
[THE SENJAK SCANDAL: CHRONOLOGY OF EVENTS]
May 12, 2026 ──► Confrontation at "Restoran 27" (Senjak). Aleksandar Nešović is executed.
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May 14, 2026 ──► Restaurant owner & waiter arrested. Crime scene scrubbed before police arrived.
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May 15, 2026 ──► Belgrade Police Chief Veselin Milić is arrested after missing person report.
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May 21, 2026 ──► Nešović's body discovered stuffed in a barrel, buried in Inđija municipality.
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May 28, 2026 ──► Leaked testimonies reveal Milić claims he left the restaurant 15 mins prior.
The investigation, which currently encompasses 11 suspects, includes restaurant staff, members of the police chief’s personal security detail, and an SNS official from Stara Pazova accused of facilitating the getaway.
Leaked deposition transcripts published by the investigative weekly Radar show that Saša Vuković (alias “Boske”) is suspected of firing the fatal shots. Meanwhile, the body was removed from the venue, temporarily set on fire, transported to a secondary location, and hidden in a barrel in Vojvodina before forensic teams were notified.
2. Criticisms of the Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office (VJT)
Stojmenović focused heavily on the institutional behavior of the VJT, highlighting a sharp contrast in how prosecutors manage data flow depending on the political stakes.
Natalija Stojmenović (MP, Green-Left Front):
“The prosecution has issued about 10 press statements over the last 10 days, yet we still do not have an official answer to a fundamental question: Was Veselin Milić sitting at an active meeting with organized criminal groups? Instead of providing clarity, the VJT is spending more time policing what the independent media publishes than telling us what actually happened.”
She further noted the hypocrisy of the judiciary, stating she could not recall a single instance where the VJT or regulatory bodies publicly admonished regime-aligned tabloids like Informer when they routinely published unchecked insinuations or leaked sensitive data regarding other criminal investigations.
3. Political Accountability and Past Controversies
The ZLF representative targeted Minister of Internal Affairs Ivica Dačić and President Aleksandar Vučić, rejecting claims that state leadership was unaware of deep-rooted corruption inside the Ministry of Interior (MUP).
| Target of Criticism | Stojmenović’s Position & Political Arguments |
| Minister Ivica Dačić | Dismissed Dačić’s attempts to deflect political accountability. Stojmenović noted that while Vučić recently asserted that “the police have been protecting criminals for 40 years,” Dačić himself has been in power for 30 of those years and cannot act as if he “fell from the sky.” |
| Former Chief Veselin Milić | Stated that Milić should have faced criminal prosecution a decade ago. She cited his role in the 2016 Savamala demolitions (where police ignored citizen distress calls) and the 2023 Vladislav Ribnikar shooting (where Milić publicly broadcasted a handwritten list containing the names of targeted school children). |
| MUP Surveillance Irony | Pointed out the bizarre contradiction where MUP has recently deployed highly advanced biometric and facial recognition software, yet “around ‘Restoran 27’ on Senjak, absolutely none of these cameras seem to work.” |
The opposition’s push within the Parliamentary Committee comes amid further revelations that the victim’s wife reportedly managed a call center for the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) during the 2023 elections. This development further complicates the state’s narrative and fuels demands for absolute transparency regarding the institutional links between the police department, ruling party officials, and local mafia structures.
