The Ibar highway assassination attempt refers to the events of October 3, 1999 when active members of the Yugoslav state security's Special Operations Unit (JSO) attempted to murder Vuk Drašković on the Ibar highway by slamming a truck full of sand into his two-car motorcade. Their intention was to make it appear as though it were a traffic accident.
Instead of eliminating Drašković, who managed to survive the horrific crash, they ended up killing four of his associates: high-ranking SPO member Veselin Bošković (who was also Drašković's brother-in-law), along with three bodyguards - Zvonko Osmajlić, Vušur "Vučko" Rakočević, and Dragan Vušurević.
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On Sunday, October 3, 1999, in the early afternoon hours, Drašković and his entourage were traveling in three cars southbound on Ibar Highway. The trip began in front of Drašković's house in Belgrade and the destination was Ravna Gora.
The original plan was to travel in two cars with Drašković, his wife Danica, SPO federal MP Gordana Aničić, and Drašković's personal driver Bane in the jeep followed by the three bodyguards in the black BMW 520 right behind. However, immediately before setting off, Veselin Bošković, Drašković's brother-in-law, showed up in his Audi 8 in front of the house and joined the group. He also requested that Vuk Drašković come over to his car, so they can ride together, which Drašković did.
Thus, the modified driving arrangement was: jeep with Danica, Gordana, and driver Bane first, followed by Audi with Bošković and Drašković, and finally three bodyguards Osmajlić, Rakočević, and Vušurević in the BMW just behind. Bošković was driving cautiously, and quickly gave up trying to keep up with the jeep driven by Bane that pulled way ahead and out of sight. The bodyguards in the BMW were right behind Bošković and Drašković, throughout.
Around fifteen minutes past noon, as the two cars were driving down Ibar Highway through the municipal territory of Petka village near Lazarevac, a huge crash occurred. A green-coloured truck traveling in the opposite direction, toward Belgrade, abruptly swerved left into oncoming traffic five meters before the two cars, plowing into and over them. It hit the first car (Audi) on the driver's side, bouncing it into the corn field, and then slammed into the second car (BMW) with full force. The BMW went underneath the truck and exploded, incinerating the three people inside it.
Initially reported in Sunday bulletins as a traffic accident with four casualties,[1] it soon became clear that there was much more to the crash.
The very next day, on Monday, Drašković himself called it a "clear attempt on my life".[2]
Other political factors in Serbia at the time, also reacted on the same day. Opposition coalition Alliance for Changes (SZP) called on the Serbian police authorities to "investigate every single detail of the crash". Speaking as a SZP representative, Democratic Party president Zoran Đinđić said that the traffic accident near Lazarevac looks suspicious. He also relayed his expectation about the authorities "providing an immediate and convincing explanation of the event because if that doesn't happen, there will be suspicions that something abnormal occurred".[3] Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) vice president Milorad Jovanović said that "it's too early to discuss the reasons for this tragedy since the police didn't yet provide all the information".[4] The release by the New Democracy political party was the strongest: it clearly referred to the event as an "assassination attempt on Drašković" and strongly condemned it.[5]
On Tuesday, October 5, Veselin Bošković was buried at Topčider cemetery in Belgrade. Many opposition leaders came to the funeral, however no one from the ruling coalition showed up. Eulogizing his brother-in-law, Drašković gave an impassioned speech:
| “ | May those evil people be damned, those lucifers who've been building their own happiness for the last 10 years on the misery and sorrow of others. They've killed so much humanity, they've taken so much blood, they've destroyed countries, they've been producing only hatred - for how much longer? And, God, to you I pose a question: why do you let the worst kill our best. If it's because the foundation of new Serbia needs to have the best laid into it - then I say to you - you've already taken too many of the good ones, don't let the evil ones kill the good ones any longer, enough of the good ones have already been laid into the foundation.[6] | ” |
The following day, Wednesday, October 6, Zvonko Osmajlić, Vučko Rakočević, and Dragan Vušurović were being laid to rest at the same cemetery, and Drašković delivered another impassioned eulogy:
| “ | All of those who killed these individuals will pay with their heads. That will not be revenge, but justice. The majority of citizens, not just SPO, have had it with the empire of evil that has torn down everything that we built up since Karađorđe, onwards. That empire will be torn down.[7] | ” |
The trial started with four individuals on the indictment list: Nenad Bujošević, Nenad Ilić, Radomir Marković, and Milan Radonjić.
The verdict in what turned out to be only the first trial (presided by judge Miroslav Cvetković) was delivered on January 30, 2003. The immediate assassins Nenad Bujošević and Nenad Ilić got 15 years each, State Security chief Radomir Marković received 7 years, while State Security Belgrade branch chief Milan Radonjić was found not guilty of the charges.[8][1]
Above verdict was subsequently annulled before the Supreme Court, and re-trial was ordered.
The re-trial with expanded indictment list that now also included 8 more individuals (Milorad Ulemek, Mihalj Kertes, Branko Djurić, Dragiša Dinić, Vidan Mijailović, and 3 more JSO members) wrapped up on June 29, 2005 in Belgrade District Court. It resulted in first degree sentences for the following individuals:
The remaining two individuals on the indictment list were absolved of any responsibility: Milan Radonjić (former State Security's Belgrade branch chief) and Branko Djurić (former Police chief in Belgrade).
The sentence was made official on November 23, 2005, almost 5 months after it was delivered, because presiding judge Bojan Mišić took an unusually long amount of time to write it up.[9] This led to veiled public accusations of time wasting with intent of sabotaging the appeals process which has a 1-year window from the date of verdict being delivered, but can only start once the verdict is official. By taking almost 5 months to make the verdict official judge Mišić effectively made that time period unavailable for appeals, leaving only 7 months for the appeals instead of a full year.
Everyone involved with the case (public prosecutor, lawyers, and the accused) appealed the verdict, and the case went before the Supreme Court again between March 27 and March 31, 2006. The Supreme Court's 5-judge council had three options in regards to the district court verdict: upholding the verdict, modifying the verdict, or ordering a partial/full re-trial by partially/fully annulling the verdict.
On May 16, 2006, the supreme Court made its decision public - it fully annulled the verdict and ordered a full re-trial for the second time.[10][11]
The prison detentions for all of the accused were extended.
The third trial, again under the presiding judge Bojan Mišić wrapped up on February 14, 2007.
The verdict was delivered on February 16, 2007. It resulted in the following sentences:
The remaining two individuals on the indictment list were again absolved of responsibility: Milan Radonjić (former State Security's Belgrade branch chief) and Branko Djurić (former Police chief in Belgrade).
On appeal, the Supreme Court made a decision that the case should be tried (fourth trial) in front of the Supreme Court rather than sending it back to the District Court.
On March 3, 2008, the fourth trial in Ibarska magistrala case opened - this time in front of the Serbian Supreme Court's five-person council presided over by judge Dragomir Milojević. According to the presiding judge the case was to be heard again from beginning to end with old evidence as well as new evidence that surfaced in the meantime.[12]
On June 19, 2008, the Supreme Court delivered a verdict sentencing:
to 40 years for the murder of 4 men and the attempted murder of Vuk Drašković.
Nenad Bujošević got 35 years for the same crime, while Duško Maričić and Leonid Milivojević got 30 years.[13]
Furthermore, the Supreme Court gave out sentences for hiding the evidence:
Branko Đurić and Milan Radonjić were once again absolved of responsibility due to lack of any evidence against them.
This sentence was final for Kertes, Mijailović, and Dinić while all others had a right to appeal it and did so.
The supreme court met in late October 2009 to discuss their appeals.[14] On December 21, 2009, the appeal verdict was announced and it confirmed all of the sentences for all accused, meaning that their sentences now became final.[15]