02. 06. 2003

New Serbia leader kicks out at probing journalist

NOVI SAD, 2 June, 2003 -- Velimir Ilic, controversial leader of the New Serbia Party, physically and verbally assaulted a journalist of Novi Sad television company Apolo on Sunday, according to the alleged victim. Speaking to B92, Apolo journalist Vladimir Jesic insisted that Ilic kicked him in the knee, swore at him and insulted him while they were recording an interview. Jesic explained: "When I asked him a question about the tobacco factory in Cacak, its construction, and about his brother's connections, more specifically - I mentioned the name of his brother Strahinja Ilic, who is linked to this whole story - at that moment he reacted strongly, got up from his chair, kicked me in my right knee, and there's a video recording to prove this, and then he continued his tirade with profanities and threats". Ilic, mayor of Cacak, denied the claims to B92, insisting: "He started to talk about the Cacak clan, about the Ilic family mafia and so on. I politely told him that we weren't going to talk about that, but he continued with his impertinent behaviour, and started naming members of my family, one by one, and asking 'how do you comment on this, how do you comment on that'. "Of course, I got up and left the show, I kicked his file with some concept that he had inside, from which he was reading. I acted as a man who has repeatedly cautioned that he would not let even the Interior Ministry or anyone else detain, provoke and so on anyone from my family". TV Apolo has since announced that the footage of the interview and Ilic's attack will be broadcast at 8pm tomorrow.