Closing arguments in Dijana Hrkalović retrial set for October 29

The retrial of former Serbian Interior Ministry state secretary Dijana Hrkalović and former head of the Service for Special Investigative Methods Dejan Milenković is approaching its closing stage, but the latest hearing ended almost as soon as it began.

The judge told the courtroom that the panel had rejected defense requests to question additional witnesses. Those proposed witnesses included former Interior Minister Nebojša Stefanović, former police director Vladimir Rebić and former senior public prosecutor Nataša Krivokapić. The court also refused a request by Hrkalović to obtain a report on her crossing of the state border in August 2018.

The judge then scheduled closing arguments for October 29. After they are heard, the High Court in Belgrade will issue a second first-instance judgment against Hrkalović and Milenković.

The retrial follows an appellate decision that overturned the first judgment. Hrkalović had received a 16-month prison sentence for influence peddling, while Milenković had been acquitted of abuse of office. The appellate court ordered a new trial for both. The same case also involved Milorad Šušnjić, formerly the head of the Novi Sad police. His one-year sentence was changed on appeal to four years, twice the sentence sought by prosecutors.

Prosecutors had requested the maximum five-year sentence for Hrkalović, one year for Milenković and two years for Šušnjić. The proceedings lasted two years and eight months and included testimony from numerous witnesses, written evidence and several video recordings. Hrkalović was first arrested in October 2021 and spent a total of eight months in custody. The charges concern three alleged instances of influence peddling, including claims that she directed Milenković to delay a forensic report on Veljko Belivuk’s phone, ordered part of a recording involving lawyer Dragoslav Miša Ognjanović to be deleted, and instructed Šušnjić to falsely place criminal figure Darko Elez under surveillance.