03. 09. 2003

Trial adjourned over illness

BELGRADE, September 3, 2003 – A hearing of charges brought by former Serbian Government spin doctor Vladimir “Beba” Popovic resumed yesterday with Popovic and Vecernje novosti editor Djuro Bilbija. Popovic is demanding damages of two million dinars from the daily over an article published on May 8 under the headline “Beba and Veselinov leaving”, which claimed that Popovic and Agriculture Minister Dragan Veselinov would leave the prime minister’s office because of negative public reaction to their behaviour. Popovic’s lawyer Vlada Pavicevic said that there had been no public pressure for his client to resign, but that the pressure was applied by Vecernje novosti through this article. The trial has been postponed indefinitely because of the hospitalisation of the Vecernje novosti journalist who wrote the contentious article