National Bank of Serbia (NBS) Governor Mladjan Dinkic has accused Security Adviser to the Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Janjusevic and former chief of the Prime Minister's office Nemanja Kolesar of money laundering, using a Hungarian police official memo to back up his allegations.

Hungarian police sent a request to the Serbian Interior Ministry's department for fighting white collar crime in June, asking for information on Janjusevic, Kolesar, and several other persons suspected of money laundering. According to Hungarian police, Cyprus-based off-shore company Lennay Control Ltd. transferred 860k euros to the account of Myron Sales Ltd. off-shore firm in the Seychelles in August 2002, whose account is managed by Janjusevic.

In the period between February 28, 2002 and January 13, 2003, Myron Sales's fattened its bank account with a further 1.22m euros, police said. The company transferred over E1m to Janjusevic's and Kolesar's accounts with Belgrade Zepter Banka, as well as to Nebojsa Mihic's account with Delta Banka and Zoran Puletic's account with Brussels-based Fortis Bank.

Police said that Janjusevic received 400k euros, Kolesar 289k euros, Mihic 250k euros, and Puletic 300k euros, adding that Myron Sales also transferred 350k euros to the account of Belgrade-based Centro Eksport and E20k to the account of a Dutch company.

Both Janjusevic and Kolesar denied the allegations.

(NewsBase 21.vii.03)