Dragan Veselinov
Encyclopedia
Dragan Veselinov is a Serbia
n politician. As the president of the Serbian Peasants Party in 1990, he was among the few Serbians to go openly against the Serb nationalist policies of Slobodan Milosevic
and his allies in the early 1990s.
He previously served as Minister of Agriculture in the Serbian Government
. He served under two Prime Ministers, Zoran Đinđić and Zoran Živković
, from 2001 until 2003, before resigning under public pressure when his chauffer-driven government-issued vehicle struck and killed a pedestrian on the sidewalk in Belgrade.
On Tuesday April 15, 2003 around 9:40am, government-issued Mitsubishi Pajero
SUV driven by Stevan Bakalov with Veselinov and his bodyguard on the back seat and rotation lights turned on was heading down Beogradska Street towards Slavija Square
in downtown Belgrade. At the intersection with Njegoševa Street, the SUV struck a white Mercedes 190 taxi, then lost control and ended up on the sidwalk where three pedestrians were waiting to cross the street. The SUV struck the three pedestrians before slamming into the traffic pole and stopping. Thirtytwo-year-old pedestrian Katarina Marić died instantly while the other pedestrian Srbislav Ćirić got heavily injured.
Veselinov initially didn't show the intention of resigning, until public pressure grew that he also experienced pressure from within the government to do so. He finally announced his resignation on May 29, 2003.
The court process in this case started when district public prosecutors office finally issued an indictment against Bakalov in late May 2004, more than a year after the accident. Eventually, on March 2, 2006 Veselinov's driver Bakalov received a 5-year prison sentence for "causing the traffic accident". The judicial council presided over by judge Branka Pejović found Bakalov guilty of driving at higher than allowed speed and running the red light. On appeal, the sentence was then reduced to four years in May 2007. As of April 2008, Bakalov is in jail serving the sentence.
On March 3, 2009, Veselinov was questioned on suspicion that he testified falsely during trial, lying about the car going through on green light.
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
n politician. As the president of the Serbian Peasants Party in 1990, he was among the few Serbians to go openly against the Serb nationalist policies of Slobodan Milosevic
Slobodan Milošević
Slobodan Milošević was President of Serbia and Yugoslavia. He served as the President of Socialist Republic of Serbia and Republic of Serbia from 1989 until 1997 in three terms and as President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from 1997 to 2000...
and his allies in the early 1990s.
He previously served as Minister of Agriculture in the Serbian Government
Government of Serbia (2001-2004)
In the first post-Milošević Serbian parliamentary elections held on December 20, 2000, the Democratic Opposition of Serbia coalition won 64.7% of the popular vote translating into 176 seats in the Serbian National Assembly ....
. He served under two Prime Ministers, Zoran Đinđić and Zoran Živković
Zoran Živkovic (politician)
Zoran Živković is a former Prime Minister of Serbia who replaced assassinated Prime Minister Zoran Đinđić in March 2003. He was born on December 22, 1960 in Niš where he finished high-school Bora Stanković. Živković received a community college diploma in Economics in Belgrade and worked as...
, from 2001 until 2003, before resigning under public pressure when his chauffer-driven government-issued vehicle struck and killed a pedestrian on the sidewalk in Belgrade.
On Tuesday April 15, 2003 around 9:40am, government-issued Mitsubishi Pajero
Mitsubishi Pajero
The Mitsubishi Pajero is a sport utility vehicle manufactured by Mitsubishi Motors. It was named after Leopardus pajeros, the Pampas Cat which is native to the Patagonia plateau region of southern Argentina. However, since pajero is an offensive term for "wanker" in Spanish, alternative names have...
SUV driven by Stevan Bakalov with Veselinov and his bodyguard on the back seat and rotation lights turned on was heading down Beogradska Street towards Slavija Square
Slavija (Belgrade)
Slavija Square , officially Dimitrije Tucović Square , is one of the central town squares and an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia...
in downtown Belgrade. At the intersection with Njegoševa Street, the SUV struck a white Mercedes 190 taxi, then lost control and ended up on the sidwalk where three pedestrians were waiting to cross the street. The SUV struck the three pedestrians before slamming into the traffic pole and stopping. Thirtytwo-year-old pedestrian Katarina Marić died instantly while the other pedestrian Srbislav Ćirić got heavily injured.
Veselinov initially didn't show the intention of resigning, until public pressure grew that he also experienced pressure from within the government to do so. He finally announced his resignation on May 29, 2003.
The court process in this case started when district public prosecutors office finally issued an indictment against Bakalov in late May 2004, more than a year after the accident. Eventually, on March 2, 2006 Veselinov's driver Bakalov received a 5-year prison sentence for "causing the traffic accident". The judicial council presided over by judge Branka Pejović found Bakalov guilty of driving at higher than allowed speed and running the red light. On appeal, the sentence was then reduced to four years in May 2007. As of April 2008, Bakalov is in jail serving the sentence.
On March 3, 2009, Veselinov was questioned on suspicion that he testified falsely during trial, lying about the car going through on green light.