KP: Marko Rošić is on the run, arrest warrant issued

KP: Marko Rošić is on the run, arrest warrant issued…

Marko Rošić, one of the four individuals convicted for involvement in the murder of Kosovo Serb politician Oliver Ivanović, is on the run, and the Kosovo police are searching for him, KoSSev confirmed.

Rošić was sentenced to ten years in prison and fined 10,000 euros for assisting in the murder of Oliver Ivanović in mid-January 2018. This sentence was handed down on Vidovdan, June 28.

On the same day he was sentenced in the Basic Court in Pristina, but in the afternoon, the Kosovo Police received a notification to take him into custody.

„The verdict against Marko Rošić came in the morning of June 28. We learned about it first through the media. In the afternoon, around 3 p.m., we received a notification or a court decision from the Special Department in Pristina to take him into custody,“ Veton Elshani, deputy commander of the KP for the northern region, told KoSSev.

According to Elshani, the police went to his house and other places where they believed he might be hiding on the same day.

„We did not find him anywhere and officially, as far as the police are concerned, we are looking for him.“

After the KP informed the Prosecutor’s Office that they failed to locate him, a warrant for his arrest was issued exactly one week ago.

“On July 2nd, we received an arrest warrant from the court for this person who is on the run.“

Elshani confirmed that Rošić had not been spotted at the border crossings.

Who is Marko Rošić

Marko Rošić is one of the six accused of involvement in the murder of Oliver Ivanović. He received the highest sentence among them.

According to the indictment, he was accused of closely cooperating with the accused N.S., R.B., M.R., Z.V., and Ž.B., and of intentionally and knowingly assisting in the commission of the crime of „felony murder“ by following Oliver Ivanović before the murder.

After the murder, a piece of paper with the license plate „KM-014 – Jeep FZ, black Jeep Santa FE“ was found in the pocket of the slain Ivanović, who had testified about being followed on numerous occasions. The same vehicle was used to follow Oliver Ivanović’s brother, Miroslav Ivanović, after the murder.

Rošić was arrested on November 23, 2023, along with the rest of the group, who were then tried under an indictment that was amended three times.

His detention, which had been ongoing since 2018, was changed to house arrest in June 2022. Subsequently, the measure of house arrest was abolished in November 2022, and Rošić was supposed to report to the Kosovo Police once a week.

Lawyer: Before the verdict, Rošić was practically a free man; I don’t know where he is now

Although he could not recall the exact date, the lawyer confirmed that Rošić had been practically a free man, without the obligation to report to the police, for several months prior to the sentencing.

Halimi was not present at the sentencing, he said today, because he was prevented from attending due to a serious murder case in Mitrovica. He reminded that he had the right not to attend.

Halimi underlined that he does not know where his client, Marko Rošić, is now, emphasizing that he does not like to deal with such matters, nor is he obliged to. He claims that he has not been in contact with Rošić since the day or morning of the sentencing.

Moreover, he said today that he rarely communicated with him. Rošić did not like to have conversations over the phone, and all communication was handled through one of his parents. Therefore, he had not spoken to hum until the sentencing.

When asked if he saw any oversight in allowing a severe sentence to be handed down to a person who had become completely free, Halimi replied that „it would be terrible if it were otherwise, that is, if the court had prejudged its decision and issued a detention order before the verdict was announced, as that would be contrary to all human rights conventions.“