Forensic experts accused of destroying evidence

Source: Tanjug
BELGRADE -- The Serbian Justice Ministry backs an investigation of forensic experts who worked on the 2004 case of two soldiers found dead in their barracks in Belgrade.

This is according to Justice Minister Snežana Malović, who spoke on the sixth anniversary of their deaths.

"The motion and all accompanying documentation and evidence will be brought before a commission, which will determine whether there had been any illegal activities. We are going to review it carefully and take any necessary steps," Malović told reporters in Belgrade.

The motion is in line with some other activities by the ministry, said Malović, explaining that the new law on forensic experts that was adopted in June required a new general appointment of experts.

The minister appealed to the authorities to do everything necessary to find out all there is to know about the case.

Soldiers Dragan Jakovljević and Dražen Milovanović were found dead inside the Karakaš base in Belgrade on October 5, 2004. The circumstances surrounding their deaths remain officially unknown even after three forensic investigations, two by Serbian and one by FBI experts.

Legal representative of the soldiers' families Predrag Savić says that Serbian investigators destroyed evidence during the investigation, and he wants the Justice Ministry to ban them from acting as forensic experts in the future. Savić also asked the prosecution to start an all-encompassing effort to find the killer or killers of the soldiers.