Corruption Office Request Inquest Of S. Djurovic

USKOK has submitted a request before the Zagreb County Court to expand the investigation against 54-year-old Slobodan Djurovic.

ZAGREB, CROATIA – The Office for the Prevention of Corruption and Organised Crime (USKOK) requested the expanded investigation based on previous inquest results, Croatian State Attorney`s Office announced on its web site, stating only initials and the suspect`s age.

After unidentified persons ordered Djurovic (a Montenegrin citizen) to kill Nacional weekly co-founder Ivo Pukanic, Djurovic organized accommodation and surveillance of Pukanic with the Matanic cousins and Amir Mafalani, the request for the expanded investigation reads.

Djurovic, Zeljko Milovanovic and Bojan Guduric (the later two are still at large and came to Croatia because of the murder) agreed on the way he should be murdered, the request includes.

USKOK suspects Djurovic of two severe cases of homicide (Ivo Pukanic and Nacional`s marketing director Niko Franjic), an offence against general security and accessory for committing a crime.

Slobodan Djurovic was so far suspected of assisting the murderers after the assassination with Milenko Kuzmanovic from Serbia.

Allegedly, they were supposed to transport the Matanic cousins, with fake documents, to Serbia, but all four were arrested near the border crossing with Serbia.

Ivo Pukanic was assassinated on October 23, 2008 at the parking area of the NCL Group offices in downtown Zagreb.

One of the suspects parked the scooter, with the explosive device inside, close to Pukanic`s car. Afterwards, one of several persons waited nearby and when they saw Pukanic leaving the Nacional building and approaching the car, they activated the device, killing Pukanic and his associate Niko Franjiic.