Death of a Race Car Driver

The prevailing feeling in the highly active Belgrade underground, following the spectacular murders of Rade Caldovic "Centa" and Vlada Kovacevic "Tref", is perhaps best summed up in the utterances of a local "businessman" of uncertain professional associations, and owner of a "BMW" of yet more uncertain origins: "You see, they're killing off capitalists: first Centa, now Tref... If even those guys are not safe, what's with the rest of us? I says to myself, a guy works his a— off, feeds a family, and as soon as he's onto something good, these scumbags jump on him. You know, I've got a wife and kid, I don't know a thing, this will lead to no good."

Our town is still "digesting" the news of the death of Rade Caldovic Centa, murdered on February 15 in Francuska St., as we receive the news of yet another crime which promises to remain the topic of discussion, or at the very least of speculation for some time: a successful hit was made on Thursday, February 20, on Vladan Kovacevic, called Vlada Tref, a star race car driver and successful businessman.

Kovacevic was gunned down just before 11:00 a.m. in front of Service Entrance A of Sava Centar. He suffered four shots, two of which were to the head. By contrast with most recent murders of this nature in the Capital of SR Yugoslavia, the shots this time were loud enough to be heard, and even a suspect was perceived, "a youth in a black jacket" running in the direction of the Hyatt Hotel. The murderer obviously knew of Kovacevic's habit of going directly from his parked car to his company's offices via Service Entrance A, after which Tref was known to enter the elevator. Fifteen minutes following the hit, President Milosevic's son, Marko Milosevic - close friend and business associate of the murdered - arrived on the scene, unable to suppress a flood of sobs.

Vladan Kovacevic began his career as sports car driver in 1980 at Grobnik, near Rijeka, and was considered among the foremost race car drivers in former Yugoslavia. Near the end of 1992 he founded the Auto Club "Tref" for which Marko Milosevic drove during two seasons.

In the meantime Kovacevic also founded a school for rally driving at Ada Ciganlija, "Tref" Inc. (Sava Centar), Auto Servis "Tref" on Banovo Brdo, and one of the reputedly busiest duty free shops, also called "Tref", at the Kelebija border crossing, near Subotica. Daily press also cites his financial involvement in the extraordinarily successful trading company "Interspid". Vlada Tref never refrained from stating how profitable his hiring of the young rally driver Marko Milosevic had proven, calling the youth "sponsor velcro" and "the magi of profit". There were, indeed, many sponsors: from national ones like "Jugopetrol" and "Karic Bank", to international ones like "Rothmans" and "Johnny Walker". Vladan Kovacevic and Marko Milosevic often appeared in public together, causing TV speakers, among others, to tremble with excitement. They were great friends and business partners, and Milosevic publicly stated that Vlada Tref played no small part in the opening of Milosevic's ritzy disco club "Madona", in Pozarevac. Wise choices of friends and partners in business played no insignificant part in Tref's extraordinary financial success: witness the frequent import tax discounts granted to him in the furnishing of vehicles for his rally drivers; also, his considerably accrued property holdings, for which reason his associates deemed him "loaded". Importing cars and trading in high-end items, Mr. Tref managed to build a sporting-financial empire that includes a car park of two dozen expensive sports cars, two tow trucks and several service vehicles. Married, father of two, active sports car driver, Kovacevic - in the company of Marko Milosevic- frequented the Belgrade and Pozarevac night club scenes. He lived life to the fullest, and then he was mowed down.

Despite his one-time connection with the later liquidated, Montenegrin hired-gun, Vasa Pavicevic, with whom he participated in the showdown at Ledine, Vladan Kovacevic was never explicitly mentioned in the light of "activities on the other side of the law" — in Serbia, it seems, success in any kind of venture, legal or otherwise, is guaranteed so long as one has the right connections; and knowing the President's son never hurt anyone. It is a finely-tuned system: the top echelons control the import monopolies of cigarettes, gasoline, and any other highly attractive, "flippable" product, where all kinds of businessmen vie for a bite at the cherry that forever remains in the solid grasp of those in power. The customs men and policemen, for their part, "grab" what they can...It is in the interest of the businessmen to give a cut to the men in power, instead of paying all applicable taxes. Besides that, added profits remain in the resale of stolen automobiles, among other alternatives. In this way everyone is happy, except that the state treasury remains empty.

Problems arise when, say, payments due are not delivered on time; when individuals have the gall to ask for more than a business partner is ready to pay; and when obligations are not met. Whether Vlada Tref was a victim of some such disagreement remains to be seen.

In the standby for results of the investigation into Vladan Tref's murder, the media speculates, and rumors about town are going balmy. The Office of State Security mentions an "Austrian connection", money laundering, sacrifice on account of Milosevic's discord with a third party... About the only person not under suspicion is Madeleine Albright!

The greatest attention was drawn, without question, by the publication two days prior to Tref's murder in "Nedeljni Telegraf" of a lengthy, confusing and contradictory confession of Bozidar Radovic Boba, "the Montenegrin cigarette don". In it we find statements like, "Marko Milosevic is today the most powerful cigarette dealer in Yugoslavia," made by Radovic in connection with Milosevic and the trading company "Interspid".

Two days later, Vlada Tref is gunned down, following which the latest "Nedeljni Telegraf" publishes a lengthy denial by the general manager of "Interspid", Miodrag Musteric Koca, in which we learn that this company has only two duty-free shops, both located on the border with Macedonia (there is also mention of signed suppliers contracts with all important duty-free shops in this country); we also learn that all questions of a monopoly are untrue, and that the extent of "Interspid's" associations with Marko Milosevic are limited to mere sport and recreation.

The director of "Interspid" should certainly be believed, as should the claims made by people from his organization that the now famous "Marko's villa" in Athens is in fact a rented building intended strictly for company use, and that the President's son is a mere boarder. It is evident, however, that all attempts to shield Marko Milosevic from overwhelming public attention following the murder of Vlada Tref are futile. In all probability there do not exist daily periodicals that have not released a photo of him in the company of Vladan Kovacevic, or have mentioned him in some way. As Slavoljub Djukic states in his book, "He, She and Us", President Milosevic is most easily unsettled by bad press that his family receives. Lately, however, Marko Milosevic can

hardly be said to be receiving bad press; but the fact that he is so often the daily topic of interest can hardly please his father.

The fascination with Marko Milosevic is quite natural, especially as a president of a nation is an institution within the system. The murder of a close friend of the President's son, therefore, is perceived as an attack on the system, especially if that murder is not quickly solved. After the crime committed in front of Sava Centar, many questions are raised about the security of the head of state and his family. Who are the people who provide security for Marija and Marko Milosevic, and how do they go about their task? At the funeral of Vladan Kovacevic, Marko Milosevic was surrounded by a crowd of "square faced types". Had they all been undercover policemen, it certainly stands in their stead the extent to which they managed to fit in with the crowd of newfangled and even those older types of Belgrade criminals.