Freedom and Justice Party VP: Radoicic Case a Travesty of Justice

Marinika Tepic

Vice president and MP of the oppositional Freedom and Justice Party Marinika Tepic said on Oct. 5 that through its treatment of the case of Milan Radoicic – accused of illegally producing, possessing, carrying and trafficking weapons and explosive devices and of grievously endangering public safety – the Serbian justice system made a mockery of itself and proved its operation is a travesty of justice.

While media throughout the country reported that the court released Radoicic from police detention following his hearing, Tepic insists that the option of jail was never truly raised despite the gravity of the charges he is facing.

“An inspection of Radoicic’s statement shows that the prosecutor didn’t even request that Radoicic be jailed based on those counts for which the court would be obligated to order his detention,” Tepic said in her statement.

The prosecution also failed to raise the issue of Radoicic potentially repeating said crimes – despite their severity – or of the danger he poses to public order, although in such and similar cases the law always recommends detention, Tepic added.

“In both [of the above mentioned] instances, the court would have had no choice but to order [Radoicic] be detained. Instead, the prosecutor ‘chose’ to request detention only on grounds that the defendant is a flight risk, which, in this case, is ridiculous, especially since [the entire case rests on] the confession given by Radoicic, who, being the defendant, can always be lying,” Tepic concluded.