Josip Perkovic handed over to German police at
Zagreb airport, Croatia 24 January 2014
Croatia’s former spy chief, suspected communist criminal, Josip Perkovic, has been extradited to Germany on Friday 24 January on suspicion of masterminding the murder of a Yugoslav dissident.
He was handed over to the German authorities at Zagreb airport and flown to Munich, reported Croatian TV.
A surprise development that will surely warm up the hearts of many a desolate and tortured World War II and post-WWII victim of communist crimes is now announced!
Josip Perkovic will not only be faced in Germany’s courts with the case of the murder in 1983 of Croatian émigré Stjepan Djurekovic but will also face questioning regarding all liquidations of Croatian émigrés on German territory, in which he was involved as a highly positioned communist Yugoslavia spy. That is, he will be confronted with tape recordings (from 1970’s) of his own conversations with his colleague Josef Müller, a German national who had lived in Osijek, Croatia.
Reportedly, Josip Perkovic had in 1977 asked Josef Müller to liquidate Stjepan Bilandzic and Franjo Goreta. The tape recording has reportedly been archived by the German secret service BND as at the time of the meeting BND wired Müller to tape his conversation with Perkovic, and it is to be expected that the tape contents will finally weigh heavily against Perkovic.
Reportedly it was in 1976 when Perkovic recruited Müller into the web of widespread communist crimes and assassinations of Croatian nationals living abroad. Perkovic “bought” Müller’s services by arranging to annul a part of Müller’s prison sentence in Srijemska Mitrovica (Serbia). However, code-named “Hamilton”, Müller kept informing the German secret police of all his meetings and dealings with Perkovicv; and the German secret police kept giving Müller instructions and provided him with logistic support in order to catch Perkovic in flagrante (in blazing offence).
Müller is deceased now but his tape recordings a alive and well, in BND’s hands. Stjepan Bilandzic is alive today, he lives in Zagreb, his life was saved by the intervention of the German secret police BND.
So, Perkovic will most likely need to answer for the attempted murder of Bilandzic, as well as involvement in Djurekovic’s murder. Indications are that his murder-in-mind spree, or the murderous spree of the Yugoslav communist regime will not stop at these two cases when Perkovic faces German courts. He will most likely be called upon to answer questions and allegations with regards to another nine liquidations and four kidnappings of Croatian émigrés in Germany while he was at the helm of UDBA (Yugoslav secret police).
There have been several attempts in Croatia over the past two decades to have Perkovic face prosecution for the liquidations of Croatian émigrés, and for some other criminal offences, but they all finished in enormous fiascoes. That is to say, he, a former UDBA agent had powerful protectors from the ex-communist networks that still exist, regretfully. His cases would get shoved under the carpet as “military secrets” and, thus, he managed to evade prosecution; never having to face either clearing his name or wearing punishment under a criminal conviction.
Perkovic is now in the hands of German courts and vessels justice. Indeed, these communist crimes are now in their hands, which provides a breath of fresh air, evidently away from communist interference, and hope for justice for victims has thus been injected with humanity.
As I write this I am very mindful that Zdravko Mustac, also a chief of Yugoslav communist secret police UDBA and liquidators of Croatian émigrés across Europe is still at large, enjoying his freedom in Zagreb, after the district court in Velika Gorica had ruled that he is not to be extradited to Germany. But, there is hope for this to be corrected as justice commands. If Croatia’s Supreme court allows the appeal filed by Giselle Djurekovic (the widow of murdered Stjepan Djurekovic) against the Velika Gorica court ruling in Mustac’s extradition case then we can “sit sweet”: the Supreme court is likely rule the same as it did in Perkovic case – for extradition to Germany. Ina Vukic, Prof. (Zgb); B.A., M.A.Ps. (Syd)