Milosevic accused of murdering mentor

Serbian police have filed charges against former President Slobodan Milosevic and several of his allies for abducting and killing a former president nearly three years ago.

The charges come weeks after the remains of former Serbian President Ivan Stambolic were found during an investigation into the March 12 assassination of Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic.

Stambolic once was Milosevic’s mentor, but the two politicians later became bitter rivals.

District prosecutor Nenad Ukropina said police filed charges against nine people – including Milosevic and his former state security chief, Radomir Markovic – for the abduction and murder of Stambolic in August 2000.

Police alleged that Stambolic was killed by members of a special paramilitary police unit formed by Milosevic and loyal to him. Milosevic and Markovic are accused of ”inciting” the Stambolic murder.

The police charges prepare for possible legal proceedings against Milosevic and the others. It is now up to Serbian courts to raise formal charges, but they usually accept the police evidence.

Milosevic is on trial at the UN war crimes tribunal in The Hague, Netherlands for his role in the wars in Bosnia, Croatia and Kosovo.

It was unclear whether police planned to also charge against Milosevic’s wife, Mirjana Markovic, who is also wanted for questioning in connection with the Stambolic case. She is believed to be hiding in Russia.

Police said the paramilitaries abducted Stambolic as he was jogging in a Belgrade park. They then took him to a forest in northern Serbia and shot him in the head. The killing occurred just weeks before a presidential election in which Stambolic was preparing to challenge Milosevic.