Prosecutor's Office: There is no evidence of sexual exploitation of women in Jagodina
Higher Prosecutor's Office in Kraljevo determined there are no grounds for initiating criminal proceedings due to the alleged exploitation of women in Jagodina.
Source: Tanjug
In April, the leaders of that city were publicly accused of pimping by the president of the Party of Freedom and Justice, Marinika Tepic.
The statement of Public Prosecutor's Office which was submitted to Tanjug, specifies that in the case formed on the occasion of Tepic's allegations at the press conference on April 19 - that in the previous period several women were victims of sexual exploitation by officials of the City Administration of Jagodina and that some politicians from Jagodina and Belgrade used sexual services of these women, after checks were made through the Ministry of the Interior, for now there is no grounds to initiate criminal proceedings regarding these events, i.e. that for now there is no evidence on which to initiate proceedings.
In that sense, an appropriate public prosecutor's decision was made, it is noted in the announcement.
The Prosecutor's Office reminds that during the verification, information was collected from 30 citizens that Tepic pointed out in her statements given in the Prosecutor's Office and before the prosecuting authorities, and who were considered to have direct knowledge of the crime and perpetrators or used sexual services of female persons, i.e. that they participated in pimping activities.
Those citizens denied that they had any knowledge and any connection with that event, the prosecution notes.
"In view of the above, this prosecution did not establish the existence of grounds for suspicion and evidence for initiating criminal proceedings against any person, for any criminal offense, for which prosecution is undertaken ex officio or on the basis of which it would take other evidentiary actions", it is noted in the announcement.
It is also pointed out that this decision does not have the status of adjudicated matter and that every citizen, including persons who may be victims of sexual exploitation in Jagodina, may file a criminal complaint with the public prosecutor's office against certain persons for a specific crime, citing evidence known to them.
The Higher Public Prosecutor's Office in Kraljevo took over the Tepic-Markovic case from the Higher Public Prosecutor's Office in Jagodina, according to the decision of the Appellate Public Prosecutor's Office in Kragujevac.
The Appellate Prosecutor's Office made this decision, deciding on the proposal for the substitution of the Higher Public Prosecutor's Office in Jagodina, which formed this case on the basis of media reports and then ordered the police to collect all necessary information to make a public prosecutor's decision.
