Serbia: Police chief arrested after election for abuse of office
Marko Kricak, an Aleksandar Vucic loyalist, is accused of suppressing and manipulating an investigation into a gangland murder. Prosecutors say the arrest is not linked to Vucic's recent election defeat.
Marko Kricak, the head of Serbia's criminal police, has been arrested and charged with abuse of office, according to state media. The 42-year-old was accused of suppressing and manipulating an investigation into the murder of a suspected criminal underworld figure in a Belgrade restaurant in May. Kricak, who supported defeated Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, has also been accused of brutality in the police response to peaceful anti-Vucic demonstrations.
However, Belgrade's chief prosecutor, Nenad Stefanovic, denied that the arrest was connected to the recent elections. Kricak's arrest is seen as a sign that the strongholds of the Vucic system are slowly eroding. Kricak had a long history with Vucic's Serbian Progressive Party, working as a car salesman before joining the domestic intelligence agency BIA and becoming a loyal supporter of the party.
In July 2023, he was appointed commander of the Serbian police's personal protection unit, where he is alleged to have led the abduction and assault of university students in a government building.
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