Bubalo

The Higher Court in Belgrade told BIRN on Wednesday that it has terminated proceedings against Nenad Bubalo, the former deputy commander of the military police of the Bosnian Serb Army's 15th Bihac Brigade, because he has died.

The Bosnian state prosecution filed an indictment charging Bubalo in September 2017. It was announced at the time that he was a Serbian citizen.

The Higher Court in Belgrade will hand down a new verdict in the retrial of a former Serbian economy minister, Predrag Bubalo, on Friday. The retrial was ordered after his earlier acquittal of charges of abuse of office was reversed.

BELGRADE - The Special Department for Organised Crime of the Higher Court in Belgrade on Tuesday acquitted former Serbian minister of economy and privatisation Predrag Bubalo and several others of fraud in the 2005 sale of state-owned shares in the Port of Belgrade to the Luxembourg-based company Worldfin, owned by Serbian businessman Milan Beko.

This is what Serbian President and leader of the ruling SNS party Aleksandar Vucic said on Thursday.

Vucevic is an SNS official who currently serves as the mayor of Novi Sad. His reaction to the acquittal of Bubalo - who stood trial on corruption charges - is seen in some circles as pressure on the judiciary's independence.

B92 learned this on Tuesday.

The group was charged with abuses committed during the 2005 sale of state-owned shares in the Port of Belgrade (Luka Beograd) company to Luxembourg-based Worldfin, whose owner is businessman Milan Beko.

Beko, who also followed the closing arguments of the prosecution and of the defense, was in the courtroom today for the reading of the verdict.