Serbia: former government minister shot and wounded

(Vatican Radio) Police say one of Serbia's most prominent business tycoons, who was minister under late Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic, has been shot and wounded. An unidentified assailant shot Milan Beko twice in the stomach in front of his house in a residential area of Belgrade, the capital, investigators said. The shooter was believed to have been accompanied by another person to help with Friday's attack. Doctors said the 53-year-old Beko was rushed to the hospital where he underwent surgery and was still in serious condition. "He is in stable condition, but his wounds are life threatening," said Dusan Jovanovic, the deputy-head of Belgrade's Emergency Hospital, adding that his condition was monitored.

Click below to hear the report from correspondent Stefan Bos

ORGANIZED CRIME

Police could be seen setting up patrols and stopping vehicles throughout Belgrade, looking for suspects. "We are looking for what we believe were a shooter and his helper, all key roads in and around Belgrade are blocked," confirmed Dusan Milic, the head of Belgrade's police department. The motive was not immediately clear. Yet, the attack comes while Serbia is trying to shrug off its recent Balkan wars past and to tackle organized crime as it seeks European Union membership. 

In the 1990s, Beko was a privatisation minister under late Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic, who was prosecuted for war crimes but died while awaiting a verdict.       

BUSINESS INTERESTS

More recently, Beko was questioned last year by police amid a government investigation into a deal to privatize Belgrade's Danube commercial port. He denied any wrongdoing. The married father-of-four made his fortune in the 1990s as part of a group of Serbian tycoons who mixed business with politics during a decade of sanctions. He and other business people used political connections and financial clout to grow their fortunes before and after the fall of Milosevic in 2000. Beko had various business interests after starting in marketing and later setting up his own consultancy company and other activities. 

GOVERNMENT TIES

He has close ties with liberal parties and the current conservative government which tries to maintain close ties with both Russia and the EU. Police said Beko had not asked for protection or reported any threats to his security. The attack reminded residents to previous attacks against high profile people in Belgrade, including Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic who was shot and killed in 2003 near Serbian government headquarters. And in the 1990s business scores were often settled with a gun.