The arrest of Serbia's Belgrade police chief on suspicion of helping cover up a murder has crystallized growing frustration with impunity among the country's political elite, particularly following months of protests over the Novi Sad railway station collapse.
Veselin Milić, who served from 2018 to 2020 as advisor to President Aleksandar Vučić for fighting corruption and crime, was detained on May 15 after questioning regarding the disappearance and death of Aleksandar Nešović. Prosecutors proposed detention to prevent witness tampering.
The dramatic irony of Serbia's former anti-corruption advisor being arrested for allegedly assisting in a cover-up has not been lost on critics of President Vučić's government, who view the case as emblematic of broader accountability failures within state institutions.
According to reporting by 021.rs, Milić is accused of aiding two suspects in the disappearance of Nešović, whose body was discovered near the highway at Šimanovci. The Higher Public Prosecutor's Office indicated that Milić allegedly assisted suspects identified as S.V. and M.S., with a third individual, D.S., accused of driving them to a location called Jakov.
Milić had a long career in Serbia's police force, beginning in Užice in 1998. He was appointed Belgrade police chief in 2013, before taking on the advisory role to Vučić on anti-corruption matters. He returned to lead Belgrade's police in 2020, a position he held until his arrest.
