Serbian police minister says crime boss making political defense

Belivuk, aka Velja Nevolja, was arrested earlier this year on charges of murder, drug trafficking and other crimes. A transcript of his interrogation by prosecutors published by the KRIK investigative portal showed that he claimed to have met with President Aleksandar Vucic and other high-ranking ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) officials who demanded that he take control of the Partizan FC supporter groups who were opposed to Vucic.

Vulin denied claims that Belivuk had helped the authorities in any way saying that “KRIK is trying to make Belivuk out to be a saint”.
“He tried to blackmail President Vucic and a few more of us to avoid getting life sentences,” Vulin told the Serbian state TV (RTS). Vulin showed pictures of mutilated corpses on live TV last week, saying that they were Belivuk’s victims. He told the RTS that the publication of those pictures was necessary because “the battle is in the media”. “If we hadn’t published them, Belivuk would be a hero today. He is being made out to be a hero even now with pictures shown of him slaughtering a man. What would happen if there weren’t any pictures,” Vulin said.