Marko Kricak, the head of the Serbian police’s criminal investigations department, was detained on Sunday, facing allegations of abuse of power, according to the Serbian Prosecutor’s Office as reported by AFP and DPA.
The prosecutor’s office has denied any connection between Kricak’s arrest and the recent elections, where Aleksandar Vucic and the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) faced defeat against the Student List, a movement emerging from protests that began in the country almost two years ago.
At 42, Kricak is known to be loyal to Vucic, and student groups have accused him of “brutality” regarding police actions during protests across the nation.
Last week, student leaders demanded Kricak’s resignation along with several other police and intelligence chiefs as part of their call for extensive reforms.
Belgrade’s chief prosecutor, Nenad Stefanovic, stated on Sunday that there is no link between the student movement’s demands and Kricak’s detention. “It has nothing to do with the outcome of the legislative elections,” he told reporters.
Commander of Organized Crime Unit Also Detained
According to the prosecutor, Kricak was detained alongside Bosko Sekulovic, the police commander responsible for combating organized crime.
Stefanovic noted that both are suspected of abuse of power and failure to perform their professional duties, resulting in serious harm to the former head of the Belgrade police, Veselin Milic.
The alleged abuse occurred during an investigation led by the two police chiefs concerning the murder of a person suspected of being linked to the underworld, which took place in May at a restaurant in Belgrade.
Milic was arrested three days after the murder on charges of failing to report a crime and aiding the perpetrator. After two months in detention, Milic initiated legal action against Kricak and Sekulovic, accusing them of providing prosecutors with incomplete and false evidence.
Kricak previously worked as a car salesman before joining the Serbian information service BIA. Since July 2023, he has commanded the Serbian police’s personal protection unit (JZO) and was appointed to lead the criminal investigations department at the end of 2025.
