Serbian authorities have taken the head of the country’s criminal police directorate into custody on suspicion of abuse of office, while official representatives insist there is no connection to the parliamentary elections held a week prior. Belgrade’s chief prosecutor announced that 42-year-old Marko Kricak was arrested on Sunday alongside Bosko Sekulovic, the police commander responsible for combating organised crime.

According to Prosecutor Nenad Stefanovic, the two officials are suspected of abusing their positions and failing to properly execute their duties, actions that purportedly caused serious harm to the rights of Belgrade’s former police chief, Veselin Milic. These allegations emerged during an ongoing investigation into the May murder of a suspected underworld figure at a Belgrade restaurant, a case that has exposed deep institutional fractures.

Kricak is widely regarded as a loyalist to defeated former President Aleksandar Vucic. Student-led movements had previously accused the police chief of brutality during law enforcement responses to demonstrations that ultimately contributed to the downfall of Vucic’s right-wing ruling party. However, the prosecutor’s office has officially denied any link between Kricak’s arrest and the sweeping reforms demanded by student activists.

The high-profile arrests coincide with somber nationwide commemorations marking two years since the catastrophic railway station disaster in Novi Sad. Thousands of citizens gathered on Sunday to mourn the 16 victims who lost their lives when a newly renovated concrete canopy collapsed, keeping a silent vigil that underscores the lingering public demand for systemic accountability.

Source: www.aljazeera.com