The accused mafia boss “Dexter” sits in the Vienna Regional Court, surrounded by judicial guards in full gear – in 333 cases he was involved in drug deals involving kilos of cocaine and heroin. For this he now receives the maximum penalty: life imprisonment!
“First of all, I would like to thank the jury for their patience,” prosecutor Jörg Santin begins his closing argument before the Vienna Regional Court. The lay judges have shown a lot of endurance: after the trial started at the end of September, all they had to do was read out chat messages for days.
Leading member of the Serbian-Montenegrin mafia
It is precisely these chat messages that are intended to prove that the accused Serbian alias “Dexter” – a leading member of a Serbian-Montenegrin gang – is allegedly involved in hundreds of cases of drug purchase and supply. This concerns approximately half a ton of cocaine and 100 kilos of heroin. The indictment lists a total of 333 facts.
It therefore took a long time before the questions that would be asked to the jury on the day of the verdict were read out. Although there are only two, each drug deal must be listed separately. For three and a half hours she reads to Judge Wolfgang Etl in the packed courtroom, until the prosecution and defense deliver their closing arguments.
Surveillance methods “as in the GDR”
For lawyer Werner Tomanek, the chat messages also play the most central role in the lengthy process. According to the lawyer, the acquisition and use of the data is extremely questionable. According to the Austrian Code of Criminal Procedure, a strong suspicion of a crime would be required to justify monitoring encrypted messages. That would not have been the case at the time of the crime. The evidence was obtained illegally. “This is an instrument of power. Just like in the GDR, this is the structural opening of the post office,” Tomanek compares.
“I was treated like a terrorist”
And the accused “Dexter” also seems indignant in his last words: “I am being tried here in an unconstitutional manner. “I was treated like a terrorist” – he also points to the four heavily armed judicial guards in the interrogation room and two in front of the door. The 35-year-old continues to deny his responsibility that he is only the manager of a small cafe in Belgrade, Serbia: “Where are these millions and real estate or cars? “You know how mafia bosses live,” he translates.
But the jury does not need to see them to find the man, who was also convicted of murder, guilty of large-scale drug trafficking – the reading of the verdict also takes hours. The two female jury members, who take turns to speak, even get a break. Because of this scope, the Senate of Judges has no other choice: life imprisonment. The judgment is not final.
At the end of last year, the Serb was sentenced to eleven years in prison for aggravated robbery in Vienna – already legally binding. He was already serving an eleven-year prison sentence for murder in his home country. There are still numerous investigations against “Dexter”, which he will pursue from prison…
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
