06. 08. 2014

Two lines of investigation into murder of reporter

Belgrade, 6.8.2014 (Danas, Tanjug, B92) - Seven police working groups are working on two lines of investigation in the case of the murder of journalist Milan Pantić, Veran Matić has said.

Matić, who serves as president of the Serbian government's commission to investigate unsolved murders of journalists, said he expects a major breakthrough in the probe.

He told the daily Danas in an interview that the two directions concern business dealings of the Jagodina brewery and the cement factory Novi Popovac, and that it is "possible they intersect in one inter-direction."

According to Matić, the working groups were first formed by police in Jagodina, where Pantić lived and where he was murdered, while examinations and hearings are carried out on the orders of the local prosecutor.

However, he said, members of a working group first set up to investigate the murder of another journalist, Slavko Ćuruvija, joined the team of colleagues investigating the murder of Pantić after an indictment was raised in the Ćuruvija case.

"A major breakthrough in the investigation is expected on the basis of what was technically not done in previous years, and that is expert examination of the calls made from mobile phones. I can say that we have done the expertise of all calls to the network 064, and previously of those from the network 063. Once these analyses are complete and some other persons questioned, we expect to learn relevant information," Matić said, adding that in recent months this was "accelerated."

The Danas newspaper reported that, according to what was previously announced, it is assumed that the 2001 murder of Pantić was ordered by a circle of local businessmen or those who had political power, because of Pantić's reporting. Earlier it was thought that the perpetrators did not intend to kill, but "only to intimidate" the journalist.

"In all investigative activities we had a lot of problems in international communication. This concerns requirements to question certain persons who are abroad, one in Bosnia, one in Germany. We expect a response to the request set to German authorities in order to be able to question the person who is in Germany, there was a delay of this due to a particular procedure that is being conducted there," said Matić.