By Stevan Dojčinovic and Bojana Jovanović

The chiefs of five police departments, including Rodoljub Milović, the chief of the criminal police, were fired on Friday.

Prime Minister Aleksandar Vučić said the chiefs were sacked for interfering in politics and media and that some of them have been in contact with a person he would only identify as "Kosmajac, the biggest drug dealer."

It is likely he is referring to Dragoslav Kosmajac, a low profile man who police suspected of being a major regional drug dealer.

For the past month, a series of media reports have indiscriminately repeated criticism of Milović , the head of the criminal police, made by Darko Šarić, the accused drug lord currently on trial. Šarić has called Milović the “Papaya” of corruption.

Although Šarić has provided no evidence of corruption, his accusations have run on the front pages of Serbian newspapers for days. In the courtroom, Šarić said he is taking revenge against Milović for a media campaign he says Milović led against him previously.

Šarić claims Milović is close to a character called “Mango”. Šarić’s description of Mango ("protected witness, bought the company for roads construction") indicates that he was referring to Ljubisa Buha Čume, the former leader of a group in the Surčin organized crime family, who later became a protected witness in the trial against the rival Zemun clan. Šarić said that he is accused of laundering €7.4 million which belonged to Čume.

The use of fruit terms might be a reference to the police’s use of the term “Banana” for Šarić colleague and drug dealer Radoljub Radulovic.  Radulović imported bananas from South America.

In response to the negative allegations, Milović voluntarily took a polygraph test, in which he denied Šarić’s accusations. Police said Milović passed the test.  One day after the polygraph, the prime minister held a press conference and said he had decided to dismiss the five police chiefs, although Police Director Milorad Veljović would keep his job.

Vučić did not fully explain why the men were fired, other than to say the chiefs interfered in politics and media. Vučić also said he is sure that Milović is an honest cop who didn’t take any money from Šarić, without further explaining his dismissal.

The Prime Minister said that there is a conflict between Šarić and Čume, but that neither will "reign over Serbia".

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