Russia’s decision on extradition of Stanko Subotic may indirectly affect the outcome of forthcoming elections in Serbia.
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Russia Addressed re: Cigarette Case
Authorities of Serbia have filed to Russia the extradition request for businessman Stanko Subotic, who is charged with cigarette smuggling in time of the rule of Slobodan Milosevic. Although indirectly, Russia’s decision on this issue may affect the outcome of the parliamentary elections in Serbia slated for May 11.
Stanko Subotic was detained April 28, when he arrived at Sheremetyevo-1 Airport in Moscow. According to a source with Russia’s enforcement bodies, the border guards found he was on the Interpol wanted list when the businessman was passing the passport control. Subotic was arrested and convoyed to SIZO-4 detention facility, where he will wait for the Moscow decision on his extradition.
Serbian prosecutors charge Subotic with cigarette smuggling from 1995 to 1997; the government’s losses are estimated at roughly $60 million. Amid other figurants of the case are the son of the late president of Yugoslavia Slobodan Milosevic Marco and his widow Mirjana Markovic.
The case was politically-motivated, Subotic said, specifying it was revenge of the people close to former dictator of Yugoslavia.
Indeed, Stanko Subotic had to flee from Serbia in late 1990s due to the conflict with Milosevic Jr., who controlled the illegal business of cigarettes then. In the emigration, Subotic aggressively backed up the opponents of the Milosevic regime, the more so that he was on friendly terms with the future architect of Serbian velvet revolution Zoran Djindjic. It looks like the people in the ruling community of Serbia haven't forgotten those actions of businessman.
Of interest is that the new escalation of Subotic case has been timed to the final stage of parliamentary elections in Serbia, where the democratic bloc of President Boris Tadic opposes radicals and supporters of Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica, who will obviously benefit from the Moscow arrest of Zoran Djindjic’s mate.
www.kommersant.com
All the Article in Russian as of May 05, 2008
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