The “Banana” affair: Dačić's meetings with Miša Banana

Category: Above the law

Period: Nov 2008 – 9 Oct 2019

Outcome: Acquittal (as of 9 Oct 2019)

While SPS leader Ivica Dačić was interior minister in 2008 and 2009, agents tailing Rodoljub Radulović, known as Miša Banana, of Darko Šarić's drug clan secretly recorded Dačić and members of his office meeting him. Because of leaks from the police, the group learned of the investigation and unloaded the cocaine in Spain. Of the people in Dačić's office, only his chief of staff Branko Lazarević was charged, with disclosing official secrets, and he was acquitted by a final ruling in 2019; Dačić and his adviser were never questioned, and Dačić remained at the top of government.

Recorded meetings

From November 2008 to April 2009, while SPS leader Ivica Dačić was interior minister, he and members of his office were secretly recorded by agents of the service that was monitoring Rodoljub Radulović, known as Miša Banana, a member of Darko Šarić's drug clan. According to KRIK, Radulović met nine times with Dačić, his adviser Ivica Tončev, chief of staff Branko Lazarević and deputy chief of staff Vanja Vukić.

Because of leaks from inside the police, the group learned of the investigation and unloaded the cocaine in Spain.

The affair breaks and Dačić responds

The affair broke in February 2013, when Dačić was prime minister in a government with the SNS. He admitted meeting Radulović but said he had not known he was a criminal, and said he had never committed a crime.

Only the chief of staff charged

Lazarević, then chargé d'affaires in Athens, was questioned in 2014 and charged with disclosing official secrets as a member of Šarić's group. Dačić, Tončev and Vukić were neither charged nor called to give statements; after the recordings were published in 2015, Prime Minister Aleksandar Vučić said there had been no evidence against Dačić.

Acquittals

In December 2018, the Special Court acquitted Lazarević, Radulović and two others charged in the case, and the Court of Appeal upheld the acquittal in October 2019. Radulović was convicted in absentia of cocaine smuggling and remains a fugitive.

After the affair, Dačić stayed at the top of government as foreign minister, Speaker of the National Assembly and, since 2024, interior minister once again.

Participants

Ivica Dačić: As police minister, he met drug cartel boss Radulović while the intelligence service was following him (responsible)
Branko Lazarević: As the minister's chief of staff, he received a secure communications phone from Radulović as a gift; he was acquitted of disclosing secrets by a final verdict (responsible)
Ivica Tončev: As Dačić's security adviser, he met drug cartel boss Radulović in 2009 (responsible)
Vanja Vukić: As deputy chief of staff to the police minister, he attended meetings with drug cartel boss Radulović (responsible)
Rodoljub Radulović: As one of the bosses of Šarić's cartel, he was convicted in absentia of cocaine smuggling; he gave the minister's chief of staff a phone (responsible)
Darko Šarić: Thanks to a leak from the police, his group learned of the investigation and unloaded the cocaine in Spain (responsible)
Socialist Party of Serbia: It allegedly rented Šarić space at its headquarters, where he set up the nightclub “Vanila” (responsible)
Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Serbia: Information about the investigation leaked from the police, so Šarić's group unloaded the cocaine in Spain instead of Greece (responsible)
Aleksandar Vučić: After the 2014 election he formed a government with Dačić and stated that there had been no evidence to indict him (commented on the case)
Public Prosecutor's Office for Organised Crime: It charged Lazarević with disclosing secrets but did not call Dačić, Tončev or Vukić to give statements (investigation and courts)
Danko Laušević: He said the prosecution had failed to prove the charges, and acquitted the defendants at first instance (investigation and courts)
Higher Court in Belgrade: It allowed Lazarević to await trial at liberty, and in December 2018 it acquitted those charged at first instance (investigation and courts)
Court of Appeal in Belgrade: In October 2019 it upheld the verdict acquitting those charged and rejected the prosecution's appeal (investigation and courts)
KRIK: It published recordings of meetings between the Interior Ministry leadership and Radulović; its editor says the court threw out key evidence (oversight and the public)