Tobacco.org

• Kertes enters plea in Tobacco Mafia trial 

The trial of an organized cigarette smuggling group continued today at the Special Organized Crime Court in Belgrade.

The members of the network, allegedly led by Stanko Subotić, are charged for having illegally imported cigarettes to Serbia during the 1990s.

There has been no official explanation yet regarding the Russian authorities’ recent rejection of a request to extradite Subotić, held in Moscow since April and released last week, the Ministry of Justice said today. . . .

The trial continued this morning with former Milošević-era Federal Customs chief Mihalj Kertes entering his plea.

Kertes rejected all charges against him and said that "the only correct thing in the entire indictment" was his name.

"The indictment says that I let trucks [loaded with cigarettes] through for three gangs, but it doesn’t say that I took my share. That’s impossible. Why would I allow the trucks to enter the country and not take my share? The prosecutor is trying to make me look like an imbecile . . .

Kertes was indicted for his alleged membership in a criminal gang led by Mirjana Marković, and Marko Milošević – the wife and son of Slobodan Milošević. . . .

The former customs chief also repeated the defense he used at his other trials, saying that "his end began" after he was appointed to the job, and after he managed to suppress smuggling and increase the customs revenues mulitfold in 1994.

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Tobacco Mafia defendant pleads not guilty 

BELGRADE -- Sinisˇa Stojcˇic´, charged with illegally importing and selling cigarettes in the 1990s, yesterday pled not guilty.

He told the Special Organized Crime Department of the Belgrade District Court that it is impossible that his brother, former deputy interior minister Radovan Stojcˇic´, a.k.a. Badzˇa, "who fought against crime, could have organized a criminal group", the so-called Tobacco Mafia.

Sojcˇic´ said that the charges are a "product of hate against his brother and his business success".

He added his brother, a high-ranking MUP commander during the Milosˇevic´ regime, could not have smuggled and sold cigarettes illegally in 1997, because he was killed in April 1997. . . .

A group of nine people is being charged for illegally importing and selling cigarettes on the territory of Serbia in 1997, costing the state about USD 2mn.

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Prosecution probes tobacco smuggling 

-- The Special Organized Crime Prosecution launched an investigation into a tobacco smuggling ring led by Anton Stanaj.

Stanaj was arrested at Belgrade Airport on September 13, while waiting to board a flight to Podgorica.

Interior Minister Dragan Jo�i� confirmed at the time that five more persons suspected of belonging to the same group had been apprehended, including Pajo Juri�, Stevan Stevanovi�, Erik Karadzon, Slavisa Jurisi� i Sre�ko Miranovi� . . .

Joćić explained that cigarettes had been smuggled from China, Croatia and Dubai, transferred via the ports of Bar in Montenegro, Bari in Italy and Rijeka in Croatia to reach Serbia and Hungary.

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JTI invests US$ 45mn in tobacco plant 

Japan Tobacco International (JTI) has invested US$ 45mn ito Senta-based tobacco plant.

The plant is expected to become operational by April 25.

JTI Senta Director Tamer Tetsirlioglu said the construction of a new production hall and the installment of production apparatus were completed, with new storage houses left to be finished by the end of 2007.

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Tribunal: Milosevic Defied Docs' Orders 

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands - Slobodan Milosevic defied doctors' orders to quit smoking and took unauthorized medication smuggled to him in prison, a U.N. war crimes tribunal report into his death said Wednesday.

In the most complete survey of events leading to the former Yugoslav president's death in March, the report cleared U.N. authorities of giving inadequate medical care, and said the fatal heart attack probably could not have been prevented.

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• Courts turn attention to smuggling case 

The Special ProsecutorÂ's Office for Organised Crime will begin its case regarding cigarette smuggling activity in which members of the Milosevic family are mentioned.

Prosecutor Tomo Zoric said that this case, regarding the organised group involved in smuggling cigarettes from 1995 to 2001, will be taken over by the Special ProsecutorÂ's Office from the Belgrade and Novi Sad Prosecutors who were initially on the case.

The report given to the prosecution from the Belgrade office mentions the names of both Slobodan MilosevicÂ's widow Mirjana Markovic and son Marko Milosevic.

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Some Doctors Say Milosevic Did Not Get Adequate Care 

Frustrated and filled with skepticism about Slobodan Milosevic's litany of medical complaints, the tribunal at The Hague at times failed to investigate them adequately, several doctors who had recently examined Mr. Milosevic, the former Serbian leader, said this week.

"His medical condition was not good, so we asked for additional tests to evaluate his cardiac situation," said Dr. Florence Leclercq, a French cardiologist who examined Mr. Milosevic for about three hours in November. "But these investigations were never performed, and now that's a problem." . . .

Mr. Milosevic, who had a history of smoking and high blood pressure, may well also have had undetected heart disease, doctors said.

"Refractory hypertension exists, and some patients are hard to treat," Dr. Delanghe said. He added that for Mr. Milosevic, the mental stress of being imprisoned must have been "a major cardiovascular risk factor in itself."

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WESLEY K. CLARK : 'A Petty Hitler' ($$) 

During the Dayton peace talks, all of Milosevic's "qualities" were at display: his stubborn cunning and blustering outbursts, his often grandiose dreams of Serbia as one of the seven gateways of Europe, his patent disloyalty to his fellow Serbs and transparent lies about everything from Srebrenica to his attitudes toward other nations. He smoked and drank excessively, even as he complained about his blood pressure and his health. . . .

Predictably, his cause of death is being disputed by some of his Serb countrymen who blame the U.N. He will surely be lionized and glorified by the radical nationalists he so nurtured. . . .

Now there will be no conviction and Serbia's weak leaders will have to cope with yet another obstacle in re-educating and reorienting their people. His death is as much a tragedy as his life. Both in life and in death, Milosevic has deprived millions of people of justice, hope and a better future.

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Milosevic Died of Heart Attack, Autopsy Shows 

An autopsy showed that a heart attack killed Slobodan Milosevic, the United Nations war crimes tribunal said here on Sunday evening in a terse announcement. The statement served only to deepen the mystery over the circumstances surrounding Mr. Milosevic's abrupt death just as his prolonged trial was finally nearing an end.

The autopsy result was disclosed as new evidence emerged that Mr. Milosevic, the former Yugoslav president found dead in his prison cell bed on Saturday, had been taking medicine not prescribed by his physicians, including an antibiotic known to diminish or blunt the effect of the medicines he had been taking for heart and blood-pressure problems.

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Milosevic died in cell many critics termed luxury 

Slobodan Milosevic died in an en suite cell many critics said was too much like a luxury hotel room for someone charged with war crimes.

Milosevic spent the last five years of his life in the cell, which resembled a college dormitory room where he listened to Frank Sinatra CDs, watched television and mingled with other war crimes suspects.

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Milosevic carried his defiance to the end 

When Croatian President Stipe Mesic warned Milosevic in 1991 that he could be lynched by his own people, Mesic said: "He just sat back, puffed his cigar and said 'We'll see who'll be hanged'".

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'Natural causes' death of Milosevic 

Slobodan Milosevic, the former Yugoslav president who orchestrated the Balkan wars of the 1990s and was on trial for war crimes, has been found dead in his prison cell.

He was being held at the UN detention centre near The Hague.

Milosevic, who suffered chronic heart ailments and high blood pressure, apparently died in his bed of natural causes, the tribunal said, without giving an exact time of death.

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AP Reporter Recalls Milosevic Interview 

First, he offered a feeble handshake. Then he led two AP reporters to a low round tea table - "So I can tell you all you want to know" - and lit a Cuban cigar.

A large photo of his wife and high school love, Mirjana Markovic, stood on the wall next to his desk at his downtown Belgrade headquarters. "If Mira knew I was smoking, she would kill me," Milosevic said, trying to create an informal atmosphere. . . .

"All this is a creation of your Western media," Milosevic said, lighting another cigar and telling an AP photographer not to take pictures as he was puffing - "So Mira won't get mad," referring to his wife.

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Milosevic to Open Defense Armed With Piles of Documents 

One overriding question is whether Mr. Milosevic's health will allow him to continue the task of defending himself. Doctors have already said he can only appear in court three days per week, but he will still require many hours of preparation time. The court has often called off proceedings because of Mr. Milosevic's high blood pressure.

He has ignored doctors' advice to stop smoking and does little exercise in the prison gym. "He's not a man of sports," Mr. Tomanovic said. "But he takes his walks." [This graph only]

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SCG signs WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control 

Serbia and Montenegro has signed the World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and is soon to start preparations for the ratification of the document, Serbian Health Minister Tomica Milosavljevic said on Thursday.

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