Assault on Serbian Corruption Official 'a Warning'

A senior member of the Serbian government's Anti-Corruption Council who was violently assaulted in front of her home on Saturday has claimed the attack is directly connected to her work.

Miroslava Milenovic described the attack as a "warning" following the publication last month of a highly critical report on corruption within the state-owned Diplomatic Housing Company, DIPOS, which rents luxury properties to diplomatic missions.

 "I must say that it shows the power that political structures have at the moment, but also that the report about DIPOS is correct," Milenovic told the Serbian website Pescanik on Sunday.

Milenovic was hit in the face by two attackers in the foyer of her Belgrade apartment building. The assailants fled the scene immediately afterwards.

The Anti-Corruption Council report on DIPOS, published on November 5, revealed that luxury properties had been rented out at reduced rates without abiding by legal procedures.

"Only privileged individuals are informed of the available real estate and leasing possibilities and the rental rates are not always in line with market prices," the report alleges.

The Anti-corruption Council has also asked the government to abolish DIPOS.

Djoko Krivokapic, director of DIPOS, denied the allegations contained in the report and insisted his agency operates lawfully, according to an article published by the daily newspaper Vecernje Novosti on November 7.

Milenovic says she did not report the attack to the police because she "does not have confidence" in the authorities.

She also told Pescanik she had informed both the Special Organised Crime Prosecutor and the Service for Combating Organised Crime several months ago that she believed she was being followed. Milenovic...