Selakovic: Saric turned himself in unconditionally

BELGRADE - Drug lord Darko Saric turned himself in unconditionally a month and a half ago after his arrest had become a certainty, Serbian Minister of Justice Nikola Selakovic said on Tuesday.

Asked about the location of Saric's surrender, the minister said that the absolutely unconditional nature of the surrender is the most important thing, and that proceedings will be conducted against Saric unconditionally on charges of illegal drug trade and money laundering.

"He resided in several Latin American countries, but we cannot disclose more elaborate information at this moment," Selakovic said.

Asked whether Saric had aides assisting him during the years he was in hiding, Selakovic said that one can hardly evade justice for four years unassisted.

"The issues of who helped whom and what had been done were also raised during the proceedings, but the prosecutor will be able to say more on the subject," Selakovic said.

He explained that the unconditional surrender was offered to avoid any casualties and bloodshed that could have been a result of the arrest.

Simultaneously with efforts to locate Saric, a negotiation process was under way from the moment it became clear that the arrest is a certainty, the minister added.

"Our operatives located his movement in several Latin American countries, and once the arrest became a certainty, the Ministry of Justice received a contact request from Darko Saric's attorney," Selakovic said, adding that the efforts to locate and arrest Saric took nine months, and that his offer to turn himself in arrived a month and a half ago.

At the beginning of a press conference in the government building, the minister said that the prerequisite for the entire...