Serbian Ombudsman Files Charges Over PM's Brother's Assault

Sasa Jankovic, Serbian ombudsman, on Wednesday said he had filed criminal charges over the incident that occurred during Gay Parade when members of the Gendarmerie clashed with four persons, two of whom were Andrej Vucic, brother of the Prime Minister, and Predrag Mali, brother of the Mayor of Belgrade.

Jankovic's office stated that the law obliges the Ombudsman to file charges against state employees if, in the course of his work, he finds that they have breached the law.

"Despite an obligation that is explicitly defined in the Law, the Military Security Agency and the Ministry of Defence refused to provide the Ombudsman with all the information they have about this case, which the Ombudsman needed to accomplish his control role," the office stated.

Jankovic has thus canceled a previously announced control visit to the ministry and the agency.

"During [the visit] he was due to check the veracity of a range of other information that he had received, which indicate politicization of [the agency's and ministry's] work, their involvement in civic life and the judiciary, failure to prosecute criminal offences and other serious illegalities and irregularities in the work of this service," the Ombudsman's office wrote.

Jankovic also informed the prosecution office of his information that the Military Security Agency had seized video recordings from shops and business premises with video surveillance near the place of the clash and had talked to the witnesses before the police, tasked by prosecution with conducting the investigation.

"The Ombudsman filed criminal charges against two members of the Military Police on suspicion of attacking members of the Gendarmerie in the performance of official duties," the ombudsman's office wrote....