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"Millan Radoicic is a criminal who must be held accountable" - The United States is clear in its stance on the former vice-president of Lista Serbe, the largest party of Serbs in Kosovo, who, through his lawyer, took responsibility for the armed attack of September 2023, in Banjska.
More than five months have passed since the attack in the north of Kosovo, as a result of which the police officer Afrim Bunjaku was killed, while in the exchange of fire, three attackers were also killed.
For Radoicic there is still no decision from justice.
Several sources told Radio Free Europe that the justice system in Kosovo will file an indictment against Radoicic in the first three months of 2024.
Something like that has not happened yet.
REL has learned from other sources that the investigations into the case are nearing completion, but the indictment is not expected even during the month of March.
Parallel investigations
After the attack in the village of the municipality of Zveçan, Radoicic - included in the American blacklist for participation in international organized crime - went to Serbia.
There, the Belgrade Prosecutor's Office interrogated him and indicted him for several crimes, including arms trafficking and causing general danger.
However, he is now free, as it has been said that his documents have been confiscated and that he is banned from going to Kosovo.
REL has addressed the Prosecutor's Office in Belgrade to understand more about the stages of the judicial process, but has not received an answer.
On February 8, the High Public Prosecutor's Office in Belgrade told REL that it is verifying Radoicic's testimony and that it is collecting evidence, in cooperation with the police and customs, "to determine the origin of the weapons and the channels through which they have arrived in Kosovo".
Kosovo-Serbia cooperation in the field of justice is almost only on paper.
In 2013, the parties reached an Agreement for mutual legal assistance, but they do not have genuine cooperation in criminal matters.
"Protected in Serbia and from Serbia"
Kosovo state officials constantly demand that Radoicic and the Serbian state itself be held responsible for the attack in Banjska, which they consider "terrorist".
On March 13, the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, said that Radoicic "is free and protected in Serbia and by Serbia".
"Until today, Serbia has not faced any consequences for the terrorist attack, despite the fact that its direct involvement has become publicly and globally known," said Kurti.
Official Belgrade, on the other hand, denies involvement in this attack.
The arrest warrant by INTERPOL
In addition to the parallel investigations for Radoicic, the International Police Agency (INTERPOL) issued an arrest warrant for him in December of last year, at the request of Kosovo, through the United Nations Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK).
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Serbia, Ivica Dacic, said that the extradition of Radoicic to Kosovo is impossible, as all investigations will be carried out by "local courts".
Bojan Ellek, from the non-governmental Belgrade Center for Security Policy, told Radio Free Europe months ago that Radoicic's extradition is unlikely to happen, as INTERPOL member countries operate according to domestic legislation - and, in the case of Serbia, it does not recognize the citizenship of Kosovo.
The Minister of the Interior of Kosovo, Xhelal Sveçla, said that, apart from Radoicic, all the other suspects for carrying out the attack in Banjska have been entered into the INTERPOL system with arrest warrants. According to him, more than "80 terrorists" were involved in the attack in Banjska.
Serbia's ties with Radoicic
In recent days, a photo has been circulating, where Radoicic is seen in the company of the Serbian ambassador in Washington, Marko Gjuric.
Serbian authorities have not said where or when the two met.
Gjuriq himself said that he never hid them nor was he ashamed of public contacts related to his work.
After Banjska, the Serbian president, Aleksandar Vucic, claimed that Radoicic was a close associate, and not a friend.
What did Radoicic do after the attack?
Radoicic has renounced the position he had in the Serbian List and ownership in several companies in Serbia.
The Serbian authorities said that he is "in the territory of central Serbia".
Predrag Petrovic, from the non-governmental Belgrade Center for Security, told Radio Free Europe a few days ago that Radoicic now represents a "huge burden" for the authorities in Belgrade.
"Serbia is expected to prosecute Radoicic. Currently, we have no information that Serbia is doing this. The latest records show the opposite - that Radoicic enjoys great privileges of the authorities in Belgrade".
The international community constantly calls for this case to be clarified and for the culprits to face justice./REL
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