Milos Simovic: Legija showed me Curuvija’s assassin in discotheque

Source: Blic

Belgrade - ‘Milorad Ulemek was talking to a man in a discotheque and then he told me: ‘This man killed Curuvija’. Later I saw Miki Kurak, member of the State Security in photographs and recognized him as the man from the discotheque’, Zemun gang member Milos Simovic said.

Miroslav Miki Kurak named by Milos Simovic as a man who killed journalist
Slavko Curuvija has been living in Tanzania for several years ‘Blic’ learns. His main occupation is safari hunting.




Milos Simovic, member of the Zemun gang arrested in June last year said in pre-
criminal proceedings for assassination of Curuvija that he did not have direct
knowledge over the crime committed on the Easter Day in 1999.



‘A month after Curuvija’s murder, I was in a discotheque with Milorad Ulemek
Legija. He was then approached by a man whom I saw for the first time. I did not
know who he was. They talked for several minutes, had a glass of drink and the man left. Legija turned to me and said: He killed Curuvija’’, Simovic testified.



He further said that Legija had not told him the man’s name. ‘Later I saw Miki
Kurak’s photographs in newspapers and recognized him’, Simovic testified.

However, Simovic’s testifying has not led to crucial progress in the investigation
revealing who ordered, who organized and who committed assassination of Slavko Curuvija. Simovic’s knowledge over the murder is indirect and can be of use only if some other witness would confirm or substantiate it by evidence.



Serbian Attorney General Zagorka Dolovac said for ‘Blic’ yesterday that Milos
Simovic had been questioned, that certain progress had been made, that a huge
number of proofs had been provided and that more than a hundred witnesses
had been heard. Among those witnesses there are also former members of the 9th Administration of the State Security. According to Dolovac’s words ‘there are
indications that the secret service has been responsible for the crime’ and that ‘in spite of omissions made at the crime scene, Curuvija’s murder shall not remain unsolved’.



Miroslav Kurak was arrested over Curuvija’s murder in the ‘Sward’ police action but was released two months later without a single account of charge which would bring him in connection with the crime.



It was Vojislav Seselj, the SRS leader who first brought Kurak in connection with
Curuvija’s murder. During investigation some witnesses claimed to have seen Kurak and his colleague from the State Security Ratko Romic in the vicinity of the crime scene shortly before the assassination. Later analyses proved those claims to be true. Earlier investigation failed.



According to then plan by the Special Prosecution Kurak and Romic should have been suspected as accomplices in Curuvija’s murder. As those who ordered and helped his murder be carried out, the investigation should have included Mirjana Markovic, Radomir Markovic (former chief of the State Security) and Milan Radonjic (former chief of Belgrade State Security). However, launching of investigation was given up. In the meantime Mirjana Markovic got asylum in Russia, Radomir Markovic is servicing 40-year prison sentence while Radonjic, Kurak and Romic are free citizens.