Dafina, Insulted And Deserted

At first sight, neither the public nor the Inquiry Committee has learned anything apart from what could have been expected. The main piece of news is that her lawyers will seek to shift the blame on the Yugoslav and Serbian Treasury Depts. who ``did not attempt to stop the introduction of high interest rates that stood between 10 and 18 per cent.'' Serbian Banking Mother said seriously she would have complied with the decision of some institution that such interest rates are unacceptable.

Another sin the Serbian National Bank committed, according to Dafina, is that it refused to accept repayments of the credit it granted to the Dafiment Bank for which it received 251 kilograms of gold on mortgage. Dafina stressed several times during the hearing that her bank never received even a single dinar from the primary issue, although she indirectly admitted that she had bought up hard currency effectives for the Serbian National Bank. When asked to explain her connections with black market street dealers, she replied that that question should be put to all banks.

Dafina made a most delicate charge against the governors when she described the days right after her colleague Jezdimir Vasiljevic fled the country and the Jugoskandik Bank collapsed. She said she had begged the authorities for an approval that the state vault accepts the ``half-full vault of the Dafiment Bank,'' but they allegedly refused. It was then when many people took up the habit of coming to withdraw their deposits with hand grenades, guns and knives. When asked to say some names she said she replied that she has already lost her two children (killed last year in a car accident in Hungary) and that she had only one left.

She was also asked to give out the names of politicians who withdrew their deposits and allegedly made about 70 million DM on interest rates after the bank crashed. Dafina Milanovic replied bitterly that she would be more than willing to disclose the names of the people from ``all parties'' when the court orders her to do so. When asked about Milic od Macve, she could not resist saying that ``many people who didn't know her wanted to be in the picture next to her, where as now everybody was running away from her.''

Dafina's claim that she always had all necessary permissions, that her transactions were constantly controlled, that she was never accused of dirty business but only of formal mismanagement concludes the list of new details.

Dramatic suspense which enveloped the hearing before the Federal Parliament's Committee thus giving ``some sense'' to this show is much more interesting. (Although this association may be somewhat inappropriate since everything resembled the famous congressional hearings of Al Capone and other mobsters from Chicago.)

Even before the session in the Federal Parliament began several hundred savings account owners who lost their money blocked the street leading to the Parliament building. The police must have expected this to happen and redirected the traffic to nearby streets. The people shouted slogans and demanded their money. One member of the Inquiry Committee complained he had been shouted at and called a thief. The crowd soon dispersed. The last to stay were those most obstinate (according to latest assessments, the Dafiment Bank owes about 620 million DM to 450,000 savings account owners, while its assets and investments are believed to stand at about 220,000 million DM).

Dafina appeared before the Inquiry Committee modestly dressed in a mauve silk outfit. She left her gold jewelry at home, but did keep her silver jewelry embedded with precious stones. Her performance was ``hard,'' but with some tears whenever she mentioned the people and children. Strahinja Kastratovic, the MP, was reminded that she had not been brought there by the Inquiry Board, but came on her own will to ``justify her oath'' and because she is aware that the people are hungry. Whenever asked a delicate question, her answer was ``I'll answer that in writing.''

The impression is that the members of the Inquiry Committee were more afraid than Dafina. Such fine manners as displayed by the members were rarely seen in the Parliament building. Whoever was to asked the question would make sure to warn all those present that Dafina was not obliged to answer it since it had to do with ``delicate'' things. The journalists were astonished that no one ever used the words lie, theft and robbery.