Darko S. trial postponed until mid-May

The trial of a Serbian drug lord, Darko S., and 17 other suspects for laundering EUR 22 mln in Serbia was postponed until May 14, 15 and 16, according to Serbian news portal Tanjug April 1.

“The hearing in the proceedings against Darko S. charging him with money laundering is postponed.  This trial is much more complicated than the one charging him with drug trafficking as it requires much more documentation,” said Petrovic, as cited by the news portal.

Sinisa Petrovic, the president of the Trial Chamber, declared that it was the correct course of action to halt the proceedings and postpone the main hearing.

Darko S. in his first appearance before the court announced he would present data about his associates and the ways in which cocaine trafficking and money laundering procedures were rigged. He pleaded not guilty on all counts.

Darko S. was arrested March 18 in Latin America after being a fugitive for the last four years. The case against him is the largest and the most-complex that the Serbian Office of the Prosecutor for Organized Crime has undertaken to date.