Court gives prison sentences to 20 "traffic mafia" members

BELGRADE - The Special Court in Belgrade Wednesday sentenced 20 members of a "traffic mafia" to between five months and seven and a half years in prison for causing huge losses to insurance providers by defrauding them with false insurance claims.

Slobodan Knezic, organizer of the criminal group, was given a concurrent sentence of seven years and six months in prison.

The accused are also to pay the money back to insurance companies with interest.

The Prosecutor's Office for Organized Crime issued an indictment against a total of 24 people, a group whose dealings were exposed thanks to an infiltrated police agent, in December 2006.

The accused were charged with paying police officers bribes of EUR 500 to 1,000 to prepare falsified traffic accident reports and using these to claim money from insurance companies, causing them losses of several hundred thousand euros eventually.

Photo Tanjug Video (illustration)