Croatia

Croatia: Premier sacks two ministers after suspected Mafia murder

Zagreb, 7 Oct. (AKI) - Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader has sacked two ministers and a police chief after suspected Mafia hitmen murdered prominent Zagreb lawyer Zvonimir Hodak's daughter on Monday.

Ivana Hodak, 26, a law intern, was shot twice in the head outside her apartment in central Zagreb by an unidentified killer.

The murder has shocked the Croatian public and made front page headlines in Zagreb newspapers on Tuesday.

Sanader announced late on Monday he would sack Interior Minister Berislav Roncevic, Justice Minister Ana Lovreta, chief of police, Marijan Benko, and immediately named their replacements.

Sanader said he will table in the Croatian Parliament an anti-Mafia bill based on laws in existing western countries.

“We will do everything we can to ensure something like this never happens again,” he said.

“We must get to grips with the crime and send a message to criminals that things like this will no longer pass unpunished."

President Stipe Mesic condemned the Hodak murder saying it was a “heinous crime”. He called for the perpetrators to be rapidly brought to justice.

Croatian media has speculated that the murder may be linked to Zvonimir Hodak’s professional activities.

He is a defence lawyer for former general and Deputy Defence Minister Vladimir Zagorec, who has been accused of stealing five million dollars worth of diamonds from the ministry after he was sacked in 1996.

The diamonds were allegedly used to purchase arms during Croatia’s 1991-1995 war of secession from the former Yugoslavia.

Zagorec had fled to Austria but was extradited last week and will stand trial in Zagreb. He was trying to sell the diamonds through an underworld figure, Hrvoje Petrac, who tipped off the police.

Petrac later abducted Zagorec’s son and fled to Australia, but was repatriated and is currently serving a jail sentence in Zagreb.

Zagreb has been hit by a wave of mob-style violence in recent months. Victims have included a prominent crime reporter, a city administration official and a construction firm boss.

Police said that Petrac's lawyer Ljubo Pavasovic Viskovic was being investigated over Ivana's murder, along with several of her former boyfriends.

in a further twist, Ivana's mother Ljerka Mintas Hodak, who was vice-premier in 1990s, was romantically linked to Petrac’s lawyer, according to Croatian media reports.

Croatia murder prompts crackdown

By Nick Thorpe
BBC News

Twenty-six-year-old Ivana Hodak, the daughter of a prominent Croat lawyer, was shot twice in the head in broad daylight by an assassin who ambushed her in the stairwell of her apartment block in central Zagreb on Monday.

Ms Hodak's brutal killing sparked protests in the capital among a population sick of spiralling crime rates and sent a chill through the country's ruling elite.

As night fell thousands of people gathered at Cvjetni Trg square in central Zagreb to light candles and lay flowers in a silent protest against the mafia.

The Croatian Prime Minister, Ivo Sanader, responded by sacking his interior and justice ministers, as well as the head of the national police, within hours of the killing, amid fears that rising violence could threaten his country's hoped for European Union membership.

Croatia hopes to complete negotiations for entry next year, and to become the 28th EU member in 2011, but increasing mafia-style attacks could jeopardise those plans. A crucial European Commission progress report is due to be released in November.


All murders committed in Croatia in the last 10 years bear the same signature
Zvonimir Hodak, lawyer


Bulgaria, which joined the EU in 2007, has faced sharp criticism from Brussels for failing to tackle mafia-style killings. Judicial reforms demanded by the EU as a precondition for Bulgaria's entry are being implemented in Croatia.
Last month, the head of Zagreb police was also replaced, reportedly for failing to tackle the rising crime.

Despite the sackings, opposition Social Democrats have called on the government to resign, and for new elections to be held.

Widespread concern

The dead woman's father is a prominent lawyer, Zvonimir Hodak, and her mother a former deputy prime minister, Ljerka Mintas Hodak.

Local media reports have linked the murder to Mr Hodak's defence of retired General Vladimir Zagorec, who is accused of embezzling diamonds worth $5m from the Croatian state during his time as chief of arms procurement in the 1990s. Mr Zagorec was extradited from Austria last Friday and faces trial.


"All murders committed in Croatia in the last 10 years bear the same signature," Mr Hodak told Croatian TV, in his first public comments after the murder of his daughter. He blamed the killing on those he said felt threatened by information that might come out during the Zagorec case.
The European Commission in Brussels also expressed concern. Krisztina Nagy, an EU spokeswoman, called on the Croatian government to take "all the necessary steps to secure a comprehensive and adequate fight against crime".

'Balkan gangsters'

This was just the latest in a series of beatings and killings, blamed on Croatian underworld groups born out of the 1991-95 war when Croatia broke away from Yugoslavia.

Across the Balkans violent crime fell in the early years of the new millennium and in May a UN report said that Balkan countries, including Croatia, were safer than many western European states. The report claimed the notorious image of "Balkan gangsters" was no longer valid.

But a spate of criminal and murderous incidents in Croatia show a trend more reminiscent of the chaotic post-war years of the late 1990s. An investigative reporter and two businessmen were badly beaten in recent months.

Mr Zagorec's trial is expected to go ahead. The missing jewels were allegedly used as collateral in an arms deal at a time when Croatia had difficulty raising international loans. Reports in the Croatian media suggest they were donated by wealthy Croats, and even the Catholic church, as a contribution to the war effort.


Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/worl...ope/7658583.stm

Zagreb car bomb kills journalist

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The car bomb exploded outside the newspaper's offices

A car bomb in the Croatian capital Zagreb has killed Ivo Pukanic, the owner of a leading weekly newspaper, and his colleague.

Mr Pukanic, 47, was killed with Nacional weekly newspaper's marketing executive, Niko Franic, in the blast outside the newspaper's premises.

There is no indication who was behind the attack, which occurred in central Zagreb at about 1820 (1620 GMT).

The city has been gripped by a wave of violence this year.

President Stipe Mesic said the bomb, which was reportedly planted underneath Mr Pukanic's Lexus, meant "terrorism has become a fact on the streets of our capital".

"The state is faced with an unprecedented challenge from the criminal circles," he said. "Now it is them or us... rule of law and safety of citizens against criminals, terrorists and mafia."

Nacional is an investigative paper that often exposes corruption and human rights abuses. Mr Pukanic, who was also the paper's editor-in-chief, had spoken out about a plot to assassinate him earlier this year.

Spiralling crime rates

Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader vehemently and resolutely condemned the attack, and told a news conference that he would not allow "Croatia to become Beirut".

"This is no longer merely a fight against organised crime," he said. "This is something all of us in Croatia will rise up against."


Thursday's car bomb followed a string of attacks in Zagreb that have been linked to organised crime, says the BBC's Balkans correspondent Helen Fawkes.

Earlier this month the daughter of a prominent Croatian lawyer was shot dead, sparking public outrage.

Shortly after that killing, Mr Sanader sacked his interior and justice ministers, as well as the head of the national police, in response to the spiralling crime rates.

The move came amid fears that rising violence could threaten Croatia's success during EU accession talks next year, correspondents say.

Croatia hopes to complete negotiations for entry in 2009 and to become the 28th EU member in 2011.

A crucial European Commission progress report is due to be released next month.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/europe/7687532.stm

Published: 2008/10/23 20:30:36 GMT

Murder of top journalist exposes Croatia's mafia surge
Published: Friday 24 October 2008

Croatian President Stipe Mesic yesterday (23 October) called an emergency meeting of the nation's security council following the murder of a top journalist in central Zagreb. Meanwhile, the Croatian journalists' association issued a statement warning that the mafia had massively expanded in the EU candidate country.

The murder of journalist Ivo Pukanic - considered one of the country's most prominent and controversial journalists – was carried out by means of a car bomb in central Zagreb. Pukanic was the holder of several journalism prizes, one of which he obtained for his interview in 2003 with runaway war criminal General Ante Gotovina, who was captured two years later in Tenerife and sent to the Hague court. The explosion also killed the marketing director of Pukanic's media organisation, Niko Franjic. Two passers-by were also injured.

Pukanic was known for his insight into mafia affairs and his personal connections to the underground as well as the country's leaders. Police said they were not ruling out any motives for the attack at this stage.

Croatia's journalists' association issued a statement recalling that Croatian journalists had frequently been the target of physical attacks. Earlier this year, Pukanic was shot at with a handgun, while journalist Dusana Miljusa from the daily Jutarni List survived a murder attempt.

EU candidate country Croatia is well on track for membership in the Union in the next few years, but the mafia surge could complicate its record. A Commission progress report is due in November.

Page last updated at 15:07 GMT, Wednesday, 29 October 2008

Croatia launches anti-mafia drive
BBC NEWS

Croatia's new justice minister has announced a package of measures to tackle organised crime, following a spate of mafia-style killings.

Ivan Simonovic told the Croatian parliament that courts would fast-track such cases and witness protection would be improved.

He said the problem needed "a scalpel", because it threatened people's security and Croatia's bid to join the EU.

New legislation would allow criminals' property to be confiscated, he said.

"That way we will hit the mob where it hurts most - their wallets!" he said.

On 23 October a car bomb blast in the capital Zagreb killed Ivo Pukanic, editor of the weekly newspaper Nacional, along with the paper's chief marketing executive, Niko Franic.

Earlier this month, a prominent lawyer's daughter, Ivana Hodak, was shot dead in Zagreb. Her killing prompted Prime Minister Ivo Sanader to replace his ministers of justice and the interior.

"Croatia doesn't need a sabre, but nor does it need an aspirin. It needs a scalpel that cuts deep and with precision," Mr Simonovic said on Wednesday.

The new Interior Minister, Tomislav Karamarko, pledged police reforms, saying: "I'm sure the Croatian police will very soon regain lost trust from citizens."

Special departments will be established at municipal courts in Zagreb, Split, Rijeka and Osijek to deal with organised crime and corruption cases.

Mr Simonovic also said there would be closer monitoring of communications between prisoners jailed for organised crime and their outside contacts.

Effective action to combat organised crime and corruption is a key condition in Croatia's bid to join the European Union. The European Commission will deliver a progress report on its bid next month. Croatia hopes to join as early as 2010.

Croatian Mobster with Ties to Bulgaria Arrested in Zagreb for Pukanic Murder

Novinite
30 October 2008, Thursday

The brothers Robert and Luka Matanic have been arrested in Croatia over their alleged involvement in the murder of the owner of the local weekly "Nacional" - Ivo Pukanic, according to publications in Croatian media on Thursday.

The brothers, along with three other individuals have been detained in downtown Zagreb - Croatia's capital, near the spot where Pukanic's car was blown up.

Pukanic and his marketing director were killed on October 23, 2008 by a bomb, placed underneath Pukanic's car. The assault happened in the "Nacional" yard in downtown Zagreb.

""Nacional" is an investigative weekly publication, known to revel cases of corruption in the country. Pukanic, who owned the paper, was also his editor-in-chief. Earlier in the year, he stated that he was afraid for his life.

Pukanic was a controversial figure in Croatia's public life - often criticized over his ties with politicians, magistrates and foreign diplomats and considered by many an organized crime boss.

The name of Robert Matanic, one of the alleged assailants, is known in Bulgaria as the leader of the assassination group that executed Dimitar Hristov, Kaloyan Savov and Zhivko Mitev and injured two other people in a shootout on June 4, 2004.

The incident happened in the "Art Decor" bar in Sofia's suburbs. After the incident, the assailants, dressed like priests, escaped unhurt from the crime scene.

Matanic is also suspected to be involved in the murder of one of the leading Bulgarian mobsters in the past years Milcho "Baj Mile" Bonev in 2004.

The Croatian citizen has been extradited to Bulgaria from Serbia on August 31 of 2007. He has been in prison there since 2005, when he was arrested on suspicions of smuggling weapons and possession of firearms.

Matanic spent eight months in Bulgarian jail to be later released due to lack of evidence.

Robert Matanic Linked to Joca Amsterdam!
http://www.javno.com/en/croatia/clanak.php?id=197875

Joca Asterdam Is Too Powerful To Deal With Pukanic

Milos Vasic, Serbian reporter and author of the book `Assassination on Zoran` believes that Joca Amsterdam would not risk murdering Pukanic.

PHOTO: Arrested Taken to Crime Police Headquarters
Sreten Jocic aka Joca Amsterdam

After the Croatian police arrested 10 persons suspected of being involved with the assassination of Nacional weekly co-owner Ivo Pukanic, including Slobodan Djurovic Cardinal, who is rumoured to be a close associate of the so-called cocaine king of Europe Sreten Jocic, aka Joca Amsterdam, we spoke with Milos Vasic, reporter of the Serbian Vreme weekly and author of the book `Assassination on Zoran`, in which he describes the murder of Serbian prime minister Zoran Djindjic and the Serbian underground of the past decade.

Vasic, who is otherwise an expert on the Serbian crime scene, believes there are still no indications for the murder of Ivo Pukanic to have the signature of Sreten Jocic.

- Sreten Jocic is a too powerful a man to, in my opinion, deal with the murder of Ivo Pukanic in Croatia. Boban Djurovic is his associate, but we cannot exclude him working on his own, without Jocic. I also believe the Jocic would not allow himself such a risk, seeing how he is facing a repeated trial in Serbia for the murder of a local gangster. He is currently on conditional discharge, for which he has paid 300,000 euros of bail and is constantly monitored by the police, therefore I doubt he would risk so much and also, his motive is not clear so far. However, it remains to be seen in which direction the investigation of the Croatian police will head – Vasic told us over the telephone, pointing out the odd custom of the Croatian media to always seek connections “East of Bajakovo” for every mafia showdown in Croatia.

Jocic was reported by Djindjic`s killers

Furthermore, Vasic pointed out that the Serbian press, much like the Croatian, has the habit of reporting the same people after the every murder. Croatia has Hrvoje Petrac as the scapegoat, while Serbia has Sretko Kalinic.

- The Serbian media accuse Sretko Kalinic for every murder that happens on the planet. After recent similar writings on Kalinic, I spoke with a high police official in Belgrade and he told me it was pure nonsense. Kalinic, who is at large, it should be pointed out, is an exceptionally careful man and at the moment, it is most important for him to stay below police radar – Vasic stressed.

When Sreten Jocic was extradited to Serbia from the Netherlands, he was reported by, Vasic claims, Dusan Spasojevic and Milorad Ulemek Legija, a duo which killed Serbian prime minister Zoran Djindjic. Allegedly, they “snitched” on him to perform business independently with a non-governmental organisation in Columbia, while Jocic was calling the shots with the organisation.

- Joca is awaiting a retrial and is spotted in the streets of Belgrade. And as the trial approaches, the witnesses, as it is usual, slowly start loosing their memory – Vasic concluded.

http://www.javno.com/en/croatia/clanak.php?id=198337

Murder spree in Croatia continues
31 October 2008 | 09:53 | Source: B92, FoNet, Blic
BELGRADE, ZAGREB -- Zagreb was hit by yet another murder yesterday, hot on the heels of the double murder of Ivo Pukanic and Niko Franjic earlier in the week.

The murder comes a day after the arrest of suspects in the murder of the weekly’s co-owner and marketing director, and a meeting of Serbian and Croatian police chiefs.

The Zagreb police department confirmed that a man had been found dead in a car in the Zagreb neighborhood of Savica, and that he had been killed by two gunshots to the head.

Zagreb police spokeswoman Aleksandra Ljuba confirmed that suicide had been ruled out, adding that the identity of the victim had still to be confirmed.

Ljuba did not get into details regarding the investigation.

Croatian media, however, are releasing unofficial information that the victim is 34 year-old Adrian Cupic, a professional soldier, who was released from the Croatian military in 2000 after being convicted of rape.

Croatian website Indeks stated unofficially that Cupic had been a member of the First Guards Brigade, known as the Tigers, which former Croatian President Franjo Tudjman had had a monument dedicated to.

Police could not confirm whether the murder was linked to the murders of Pukanic and Franjic.

Minister: Mafia More Organized Than Police
Karamarko says there is a lot of evidence that Zeljko Milovanovic is guilty of murdering Ivo Pukanic. He hopes for an arrest soon.

Published: November 29, 2008 15:50h
ZAGREB, CROATIA - Tomislav Karamarko, the Croatian Minister of Internal Affairs of Croatia, said in a conversation for “Dnevni Avaz” that the security situation in the region is satisfactory. However, he stressed that the murder of Ivo Pukanic and Niko Franjic confirm the issue of organized crime and mafia organizations that endanger that security.

“However, as you saw, the Croatian police is recording successes in recent months” said Karamarko leading up to a Ministry of Internal Affairs meeting scheduled for Sunday.

He stressed that mafia groups in the region are compatible and that they act together in most cases.

“The mafia in the Balkans is one joint organism. The only way to face up to it is for the police forces, all security structures, start to act and be compatible with each other, to be in agreement, to exchange information, and sometimes act together” said Karamarko for “Dnevni Avaz”.

Besides that, Karamarko said that there is an impression that the mafia is more organized than the police.

“However, at the moment when the state decides to show its teeth, if this is done by a number of state with their security structures, then I am definitely optimistic that the mafia is losing, conditionally said, the war” says Karamarko.

He said that this does not mean that the police is not organized, which is proven by the meeting in Sarajevo.

When asked for the location of Zeljko Milovanovic, who is suspected for the murder of Pukanic and Franjic, Karamarko did not know the answer.

“It is hard to say where he is. I assume that he is somewhere in Bosnia Herzegovina. We believe in the professionalism of our colleagues in Bosnia Herzegovina, and we know they are capable of locating him and finding him. We expect that Milovanovic will soon be on trial in Bosnia Herzegovina” said Karamarko.

However, he stressed that there are only assumptions that Milovanovic is inside the borders of Bosnia Herzegovina.

Karamarko, amongst other things, denied the claims of Milovanovic that he wrote in a letter he sent to “Press”, saying that he is not responsible for the murder of Pukanic and Franjic.

“There are many arguments and much evidence that remove this doubt totally” says Karamarko.

http://www.interpol.int/public/data/wanted.../1997_22355.asp

http://reportingproject.net/new/index.php?...d=169&Itemid=43

Joca Gives 1.5 Million Euros for Pukanic Murder

Published: May 06, 2009 10:38h

Sreten Jocic, also called Joca Amsterdam, paid 1.5 million euros for the murder of Ivo Pukanic, and the details of the assassination were arranged in Bar, Montenegro, reports Blic.

Before the operation itself, Slobodan Djurovic came to Croatia four times in order to meet with Robert Matanic.

Sreten Jocic was arrested on Monday, April 27 in his villa in Dedinje, and since then he has been in police custody. The Serbian police arrested him on the basis of an order from the special attorney’s office, for the suspicion that he was involved in the murder of Ivo Pukanic and Niko Franjic.Blic states that the realisation of the planned assassination on Pukanic started in mid October last year, when Zeljko Milovanovic and Bojan Guduric, the perpetrators of the crime, arrived in Zagreb.

Before that, the brothers Robert and Luka Matanic, and Amir Mafalani monitored Pukanic’s movements and prepared the crime.

The awaited Milovanovic and Guduric, and with them monitored Pukanic, states the report filed with the special attorney’s office.

The police claim that they have evidence for the claims in the report, and they hope that the arrest of Jocic will enlighten the many mafia liquidations that have occurred during the last ten years, with which they controlled the distribution of cocaine from South America into Europe. Most of those killed are Bulgarian underground bosses.

Remember, on Tuesday Blic announced that Sreten Jocic offered 10,000 euros for information on Slobodan Djurovic’s testimony. He wanted to find out if Djorovic was the one that linked him to the murder of Ivo Pukanic.

Sreten Jocic rejected all the suspicions that he is involved in Pukanic’s murder, and claims that there is no evidence against him. He stressed that he has been pulled into the police-political games in Croatia.

Pukanic Murder Investigation Traces to Bulgaria
Crime | June 2, 2009, Tuesday


Zeljko Milovanovic-Gavra was arrested Sunday. Photo by BGNES Zeljko Milovanovic-Gavra, the alleged killer of Croatian reporter, Ivo Pukanic, was visited in prison by a woman driving a luxury car with Bulgarian registration plates.

Serbian authorities have not yet established the woman's identity, Darik Radio reported.

"By all means, this is a fact of a great importance for the investigation, because all the others involved in the Pukanic murder are connected with the Bulgarian criminal world", Serbian police officials explained.

Zeljko Milovanovic-Gavra was arrested Sunday. He personally installed the bomb under Pukanic's car, which exploded in front of the journalist's office October 23, 2008.

Alleged Balkan drug lord, Sreten Josic, is suspected of masterminding the assassination.

Miladinovic is thought to be one of the biggest criminals on the Balkan Peninsula. He was wanted by the Serbian, Bosnian, and Croatian police. There was a detention order for him issued by Interpol.

He was born in Croatia. For seven years, Milovanovic was a member of the special forces of Milorad Ulemek-Legiya, who is now in prison for the murder of Serbia's ex-PM, Zoran Djindjic.

Croatia capital Zagreb crime bosses




The new president Stipe Mesic in Croatia

Croatia
Vinko Zuljevic Klica, former commander of special forces of HVO (Croat army in Bosnia)

Croatia general Mljienco Filipovic (former french foreign legionair)
general Mljienco Filipovic, boss of Croat special forces (Zdrug).

Croatia general Ante Gotovina (former french foreign legionair)
general Ante Gotovina, former inspector general of HV and an ex Legionnaire

Croatia general Zvinomir Skender (former french foreign legionair)
general Zvinomir Skender, number two in the Presidential Guard (Zbor) and also a former Legionnaire (he was a lieutenant colonel in the 13th DBLE at Djibouti).

Croatia colonel Bruno Zorica “Zulu” (former french foreign legionair)
colonel Bruno Zorica “Zulu” who headed the Obuka, a special forces unit in the Croat army (HV) during the war in former Yugoslavia.

Croatia general Ante Roso (former french foreign legionair)
Ante Roso came to Croatia from the Foreign Legion (where he probably met the young belgium James Marty Cappiau) and became a croatian army general.

James Marty Cappiau (former french foreign legionair)
croatian army general Ante Roso brought Marty Cappiau (21) to zagreb in mid 1991, shortly before the war broke out in Croatia.

23 november 1990 was Zadar police officer Goran Alavanja shot and killed.

Belgian arms dealer Jacques Monsieur
Belgian arms dealer Jacques Monsieur was contacted in 1991 in Brussels by the CIA and (with the blessing of the french DST) sent tens of millions of dollars of weapons to Croatia. From 1991 to 1995 his best markets were Croatia and Bosnia, even though the 2 countries were under a United Nations embargo. (Monsieur told this to a french judge in september 2000). A certain company from Bratislava, Joy Slovakia, was Cappiau's main long time connection, and it also served as a cover for the belgian arms dealer Jacques Monsieur. News media claim that Monsieur smuggled over 650 tons of various weapons at the height of the war in the former Yugoslavia. Monsieur had numerous contacts with the belgian, French, american and israeli intelligence services, also was his name linked to many illegal arms deals with Iran, Congo Brazzaville and Croatia.


Croatia
2 August 1992 was president Franjo Tudjman rechosen.

In December 1992 was Milan Krivokuca (head of the Machine workers union) stabbed and killed

Croatia, Krajina district
29 january 1993 start the croats a counterattack against the serbs in the krajina district.


Cappiau, die een professionele militaire achtergrond had, een Kroatische burger was en sinds 1991 lid was van een elite-legereenheid tijdens de burgeroorlog. Hij verliet het leger in 1995 als kapitein. Hij was vermoedelijk ook betrokken bij internationale wapensmokkel. In Frankrijk werd een onderzoek naar hem gevoerd omdat hij samen met Bernard Courcelle, een lid van de uiterst-rechtse DPS, een militie van het Front National, wapens wou smokkelen naar Tsjetsjenië. Cappiau had voor zijn smokkelactiviteiten een bedrijfje opgericht dat luisterde naar de naam Joy Slovakia.

Roso personally recommended at the beginning of 1995 James Marty Cappiau him to Miroslav Tudjman, then head of the chief Croatian intelligence service. When Roso was in the General Staff of the Croatian Defense Council in Bosnia and Herzegovina, he also intervened in favor of Cappiau, writing letters not only to Miroslav Tudjman, but to the defense minister of the time, Gojko Susak, and his assistant, Gen. Vladimir Zagorac, authorizing Cappiau to procure and transport various equipment both for Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.


Zagreb gambling boss Vjeko Slisko enemy Nikica Jelavic
Nikica Jelavic had in 1995 op Slisko geschoten, wat toen de derde aanslag op het leven van de maffiabaas was.


Croatia capital Zagreb
Croatian general Ante Roso personally recommended Marty Cappiau in 1995 to Miroslav Tudjman, then head of the chief croatian intelligence service. When Roso was in the General Staff of the Croatian efence Council in Bosnia and Herzegovina he also wrote letters in favor of Cappiau not only to Tudjman, but also to the defence minister of the time Gojko Susak and his assistant general Vladimir Zagorac, authorizing Cappiau to procure and transport various equipment both for Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Zepce
14 December 1995 Croats killed 5 foreign soldiers in a shootout outside the town Zepce, one of the killed held an identitycard from the Third World Relief Agency.


Vukovar para military leader Tomislav Mercep
Vukovar was run by Tomislav Mercep

Mercep men and killers Munib Suljic, Igor Mikola and Sinisa Rimac

Tomislav Mercep unit kidnapped and killed Milos Ivosevic (state customs director) who they suspected of the attack on the Krnjak police station in which 11 were killed. Yhet tortured and interrogated him

12 august 1991 was Zagreb customs officer Stevan Brajenovic arrested

In Gospic the troops of Mercep arrested 150 serbs 16 october 1991, the bodies of 24 of the arrested serbs were returned to their families in January 1994 while the other bodies still ain’t found.

Mercep’s men Kreso Steovic and Goran Skozit kidnapped 21 october 1991 Bozo Velebit and killed him

In November 1991 Igor Mikola and Munib Suljic executed Aleksandar Antic “Sasa”

7 december 1991 the Zec family was killed by Mercep’s men

The disappearance of Croatian woman Ina Zoricic Nuic

Tomislav Mercep unit killed Blagoje Zabrdac, Duro Brkanjac, Pero Rajcevic, Veljko Stojakovic, Ivan Drekovic, nada Radakovic, Milan Jerinic, Milos Ivosevic, Marko Grujic, Rade Pajic, Aleksandar Sasa Antic,

Osijek para military leader Branimir Glavas
Oseijak was run by Branimir Glavas. In 1991 was Osijek police chief Josep Reihl Kir shot and killed.

30 january 1992 Mercep dissolved his unit and it became part of the First National Guard Briagde and the leader became Mika Vcitanovic

Sisak was run by Ivan Bobetko

23 novmber 1991 was Damijan Zilic the production director in Sisak refinery killed


german journalist Egon Scotland of Suddeutsche Zeitung was 26 july 1991 shot and killed by Serbian militia and his murder was investigated by English journalist Paul Jenkins who was also killed??? In Russia or not??


Zagreb’s police chief Jakob Bukvic

In 1993 was Damir Kovacic Serif a bouncer at disco Sokol killed.

In September 1995 was Mladen Siskic (Slisko’s business partner) shot and killed by the Bagaric clan


James Marty Cappiau and Cepin (Croatia) murdercase Zrna
At the end of 1996 James Marty Cappiau killed Ratko Zrna (a member of Ante Paraga's Croatian Party of Rights 1861) in Cepin near Osijek but Cappiau stayed free. Cappiau's wife came from this town.

many letters written by Croatian generals, praising Cappiau, which can be understood in no other way but as pressurizing the court to acquit Cappiau. His defense counsel thus displayed two such letters written by Generals Filipovic and Skender, in whose unit, the First Croatian Guard (otherwise known as Tudjman's Pretorian Guard) Cappiau used to serve.


Maksimir gang boss Ivan Sakota killed
28 june 1997 was Maksimir gang boss Ivan Sakota (Sokota of Sakotina) (24) shot and killed by Davor Zecevic Zec. Sakota wore a bulletproof vest but was shot in the armpit where he was unprodted and was killed. His murder starts an underworld war

Sakota gang member Shpejtim Taqi killed
Sakotina’s murder was witnessed by Spehtim Taci (27) (Shpejtim Taqi) and he was shot and killed 4 july 1997 in his BMW while he was waiting at the traffics light to trun green. He was shot by a motorcyclist who stopped next to him

James Marty Cappiau in Republic of Congo
From mid july 1997 to the end of september 1997 James Marty Cappiau worked as an advisor in the ministry of Security of Congo which is confirmed in a letter by Yves Marcel Ibalala a Congo colonel.

Slisko member Mijat Vrdoljak killed
Mijat Vrdoljak (35) first survives when a bomb was placed in his car but was shot and killed a month later in august 1997 from a fast driving car.

Several months later was Omer Zahirovic shot and killed. In 1991 had Omer Zahirovic threw a bomb to the casino of Bagaric


Zoran Miletic died


James Marty Cappiau and Cepin (Croatia) double murdercase
In april 1998 there was in Cepin a mysterious double murdercase in which James Marty Cappiau is a suspect, his wife came from the town, Two witnesses who testified to police were also killed shortly afterwards, one in Zagreb and the other in Frankfurt, germany.


Croatia
The Croatian Internal Affairs Ministry (MUP) gave gangster Ivan Anabak phony papers with the alias Ivan Brdanin in 1998, so that he could travel freely on BiH territory where SFOR was looking for him. Most of the information concerning Ivan Andabak can be found in the HIS (croatian Intelligence Service) archives following the 1998 intelligence investigation of the criminal group which evolved out of Tuta's Convict o's Brigade. The HIS reports describe how Andabak's group in 1998 was planning to murder a witness in the Zagreb proceedings against mladen Naletic Tuta, the founder of the convicts brigade who is now imprisoned in the Hague. The investigation was never completed, then HIS director Miroslav Tudjman was replaced by Miroslav Separovic because he got an other job. Miroslav Separovic protected Andabak in the same way as the criminals from Ahmici were protected.


Zagreb (Croatia) crimeboss Zlatko Bagaric killed
Zlatko Bagaric croatic boss and friend in Frankfurt of Ljubomir Magas. 15 July 1998 was Zagreb crimeboss Zlatko Bagaric shot and killed in a restaurant in Zagreb by the brothers Lazar Rodic and Vinko Rodic and wounded was Nikica Jelavic. Die oorlog speelde zich vooral af in het gokmilieu, dat Slisko sinds 1998 onder controle had (na moord Bagaric??).
Zagreb (Croatia) crimeboss Nikica Jelavic

Zagreb neighbourhood Spansko gang boss Zeljko Sobot killed
11 march 1999 was Zelko Sobot (Zeljko Sobota) shot and killed in his parked BMW in Zagreb while eating a burek. He was set up by his friend Manojlo Moro. Tvrtko Tomicic (he was the son of Croatian writer Zlatko Tomicic and noble prize candidate) was sentenced to 3 years prison for the murder and the attempted murder of Ivica Crtalic

3 months later Bagaric friend Miljenko Zaja Krojf had a bomb placed in his car but it failed to go off and Krojf survives

3 july 1999 was banker Ibrahim Dedic shot and killed.

In October 1999 was in the MIG nightclub in Sevesete killed Ivan Crnogorac

SZUP informant and bosnian killer Damir Dzeba (30) was shot and killed in a Zagreb café with an automatic rifle in october 1999

27 November 1999 there is an grenade launch attack at attack at he car of Zagreb's crimeboss Vjeko Slisko "king of the gaming machines" and his men Juraj Dodic and Ivica Bertic who escape but bystander Zoran Domini (36) was killed. For this was spoken free Nikica Jelavic.

Police arrest then Davor Zecevic, Nikica Jelavic, Miljenko Zaja Krojf, Rajko and Velibor Momcilovic, Djordje Vuletic, Tvrtko Tomicic, Radovan Stetic and Miroslav Vukovic

Croatia capital Zagreb crimeboss Zlatko Bagaric
In november 2000 stood 17 gangsters on trial, their killed leader is Zlatko Bagaric and witness is their member Tomislav Marin. The indictment mentions Vjeko Slisko "croatia's king of slotmachines" and leader of a rival clan. Slisko had survived 2 ambushes by the Bagaric clan in which one innocent bystander was killed.


Croatia
In november 2000 wrote the sarajevo based Slobodna Bosno magazine that croat general Ante Roso was behind a drugssmuggling network in Croatia. Since the network branched out towards Croatia as well, the paper said, the then chief of the main croatian intelligence service, Miroslav Tudjman, ordered an investigation. The investigation stopped once the name of Milan Susak (brother of croatian defence minister Gojko Susak an ally of late croatian president Franjo Tudjman) emerged. Ivan Andabak currently in detention in a Reijka prison on suspicion of having participated in smuggling large quantities of drugs, was also mentioned.


Croatia president Franjo Tudjman’s daughter Nevenka
In november 2000 stood on trial Nevenka Tudjman, the daughter of late croatian president Franjo Tudjman, for embezzling money.


Croatia capital Zagreb gambling boss Vjeko Slisko killed
22 March 2001 was Zagreb's crimeboss Vjeko Slisko "king of the gaming machines" (40) shot and killed by the belgium assassin with a croatian passport James Marty Cappiau (Cappiu) the assassin Cappiau (32) was shot and killed by Ivica Bertic (28) the bodyguard of Slisko. Slisko had started as a gangster in Frankfurt, Germany. Cappiau was buried in Amsterdam where his wife lives and Ante Roso send flowers. Cappiau had ties with the generals Skender and Filipovic in whose unit (the First Croatian Guard also known as Tudjman's Pretorian Guard) Cappiau used to serve.


ex Legionnaires network
In may 2001 was colonel Bruno Zorica “Zulu”, who headed the Obuka, a special forces unit in the Croat army (HV) during the war in former Yugoslavia, arrested for trafficking in arms. The case of Zorica has shed light on the existence of criminal network within the army. Zorica took part in trafficking in both weapons and explosives in deals with a highly political connotation. His close associates and superiors in the military have been caught up in the investigation against him. Two of them, gen. Ante Roso, former head of special operations, and gen. Mljienco Filipovic, boss of Croat special forces (Zdrug), came to public notice following the recent murder of Vjekoslav Slisko in full daylight in the center of Zagreb. Also involved general Ante Gotovina, former inspector general of HV and an ex Legionnaire, as well as gen. Zvinomir Skender, number two in the Presidential Guard (Zbor) and also a former Legionnaire (he was a lieutenant colonel in the 13th DBLE at Djibouti). The arms involved in the traffic were seized in Slovenia. They came from two HV arms dumps, one at Karlovac, some 60 km south of Zagreb, and the other near Osijek in eastern Slavonia. Other equipment in the dumps has made its way secretly to Herzegovina at a moment when tension is increasing between Croats and Moslems following the desertion of several thousand soldiers from the Croat part of Bosnia´s army who went over to the ultra-nationalist HDZ movement. The region has fallen prey to latent instability, and specially since a demonstration by ultra-nationalist Croats at Mostar on May 1 that was staged to protest against SFOR´s move to take control of the Bank of Herzegovina. The establishment was accused of financing rebellious Croat militia. "There are legitimate fears the situation in Herzegovina will worsen," a senior Italian intelligence aide told Intelligence Newsletter. "The arrival of additional arms from Croatia is a bad sign, and specially because the Osijek dump contained a lot of special weapons, automatic rifles with silencers, sophisticated detonators and Russian Agram mini machine guns." As for the international aspect of the arms traffic in which Zorica and other ex-Legionnaires are involved, it concerns several countries, including Italy, Spain and France, and particularly Corsica where a lot of Croat ex-Legionnaires maintain good relations both with the underworld and with Corsican separatist movements.


Croatia capital Zagreb gambling boss Vjeko Slisko’s brother Marko killed
24 January 2003 was Marko Slisko killed, he is the brother of the killed Vjeko Slisko.


Croatia capital Zagreb based Albanian boss Lulzim Krasniqi killed
23 march 2006 was in Zagreb (Croatia) Lulzim Krasniqi, described by local media as "Albania's mafia chief" in Croatia, shot dead in Zagreb. The gunman waited for Krasniqi at the entrance to his apartment building. He was the alleged "head of the Albanian mafia" in Croatia.

In 2006 Tvrtko Tomicic (46 and he was the son of Croatian writer Zlatko Tomicic and noble prize candidate) in Zagreb’s café Blue Night argued with Goran Zoric who hit him with a bottle on the head and Tomicic shot 3 times at Zoric

Tvrtko Tomicic (46 and he was the son of Croatian writer Zlatko Tomicic and noble prize candidate)also beat up in Zadar’s club Papillon the owner Tihomir Knezevic (49) in October 2007


In November 2007 was Bagaric killer Vinko Rodic killed

Davor Zecevic Zec was shot in the head and killed 1 december 2007

Tvrtko Tomicic (46 and he was the son of Croatian writer Zlatko Tomicic and noble prize candidate) was once arrested with his landlord Milorad Cubrol and 2 young girls

Croatian writer Zlatko Tomicic and noble prize candidate died in june 2008. His son the criminal Tvrtko Tomicic went after the funeral to restaurant Cesarica which is run by killed Bagaric man Miljenko Zaja Krojf

Niko Mioc killed
Niko Mioc argued with Miljenko Zaja Krojf after which he was shot down by Krojf’s friend Zoran Petrovic Ivica (died in September 2008 of cancer) in front of café Cassandra in Zagreb


In july 2008 was in Croatia the criminal Tvrtko Tomicic (46 and he was the son of Croatian writer Zlatko Tomicic and noble prize candidate) shot and killed with a kalashnikov by Miroslav Jelic (born 1977)

Female lawyer Ivana Hodak (26) was shot and killed in october 2008

Davorin Sobjeslavski was killed

Zoran Pripuz and Blago Petrovic