Sacked Minister To Head Serbian Security Agency

A senior official of the ruling Progressive Party, Bratislav Gasic, best known recently for making a sexist insult to a journalist, will be the next director of Serbia's Security Information Agency, the BIA.

"Gasic will be the head of the BIA because for a year-and-a-half he had been without a function ... Is Bratislav Gasic competent for this? I am absolutely sure he is," Vucic told a press conference on Monday, adding that Gasic has many qualities, calling him "a man who knows everything in the world of defence and security".

Serbia's former Defence Minister was sacked in January 2016 for a sexist remark he made a month earlier to reporter Zlatija Labovic from TV B92, who had knelt down to get out of the way of her cameraman at a press event. "I love female journalists who get down on their knees easily," he had said.

The remark outraged many journalists, causing protests in front of the government building in Belgrade, where journalists demanded his immediate removal. The furor triggered his eventual removal from his post.

Several media outlets reported on Monday that Gasic will be confirmed as the new head of the BIA as soon as Tuesday.

The tabloid Alo reported that Gasic had retained Vucic's confidence by demonstrating loyalty and by his dedicated work for the party.

Citing unnamed sources close to government, the tabloid said Gasic's task would be to "tighten up" the security services and work on better coordination with the military and the Defence Ministry.

The agency was founded in 2002 after the democratic changes that toppled Slobodan Milosevic, emerging out of the State Security Service, known as the DB, several of whose members have since gone on trial for political murders....