The fact that ties between Croatia and Serbian criminals were tight is evident from the fact that Serbian underground boss Sreten Jocic aka. Joca Amsterdam will be asked where the diamonds are taken from the Croatian Defence Ministry safe by retired general Vladimir Zagorec upon leaving his duty. His answer will depend on him being awarded the protected witness status, Serbian Blic paper reports.

The 5-million dollar scandal for which the Croatian general was sentenced has still not fully ended.

Vladimir Zagorec was sentenced to 7 years in prison at the end on February for abuse of power and authority and illegal gain of property. He was sentenced for stealing jewels with the value of five million dollars from the Croatian Defence Ministry safe. Apart from the prison sentence, it was determined that property in the amount of 39.4 million kuna would be taken away from Zagorec, which is the value of the stolen precious stones.

The story of the diamonds first appeared in the public in 2006 at the trial to Hrvoje Petrac for the kidnapping of general Zagorec`s son Tomislav. Petrac was sentenced for the abduction and kept accusing Zagorec of stealing the phantom diamonds during the trial. Croatian Prosecution started an investigation against Zagorec, who took shelter in Austria.

He was arrested in March 2007 and sentenced to seven years in prison in March 2009.

Jocic and Zagorec purchased weapons together?

The diamonds have never been located and there is no material evidence of them ever existing. Supposedly German jeweller Josef Rothaichner handed over the jewels to the general in 1993 and it is now assumed that this is when Jocic and Zagorec started contacting each other, primarily because of joint business interests which included arm trade for the Croatian and Serbian army.

According to the Blic website, Croatian police believe that Zagorec managed to hide the diamonds thanks to the able. Thus, the Serbian criminal will be examined regarding the unresolved murder of Vjeko Slisko in March 2001, as well as about the persons who ordered the murder of Nacional weekly co-founder Ivo Pukanic in October 2008.

Jocic told a Belgrade court in April that he did business in arms trade.

- I returned to Serbia in 1992, because sanctions were introduced. They called me to return from the position I had with the Yugoslav security-diplomatic organs. I helped the Serbian government attain technical means, energy generating products and humanitarian aid and I did some lobbying in Bulgaria, Romania and Macedonia. I moved to Bulgaria because of a conflict with Radovan Stojcic Badzo. I was safe there, protected by their intelligence. Bojko Borisov, who later became the Mayor of Sofia, and Nikolai Gigov, owner of the Lokomotiva Football Club, with whom I had business relations, was a legal arms trader. A bit odd, but what could we have done, this is what the collaboration was like – Jocic said prior to his arrest.

Joca wanted to purchase Zagorec`s real estate?

According to some sources, the Croatian police has information about the entrepreneurs` co-operation and their contacts continues after the Croatian Homeland War of Independence. Thus, Sreten was involved in Zagorec`s affairs even after he was sentenced to seven years in prison.

Zagorec`s attorney Zvonimir Hodak met with Jocic, because Joca Amsterdam wanted to purchase Zagorec`s real estate. This is when the murder of Hodak`s daughter took place, 26-year-old law intern Ivana Hodak in downtown Zagreb. Supposedly, homeless man Mladen Slogar confessed to the murder as he had a grudge against Zvonimir Hodak, but at the same time, a person who was involved in the murder plot contacted the police, identifying Jocic as the person who ordered the murder.

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