Andrija Drašković sentenced to nine years for Belgrade restaurant murder

An appeals court has issued a final verdict in the long-running case regarding the murder of Zvonko Plećić, also known as Pleća, which occurred on September 11, 2000, in Belgrade. Andrija Drašković has been sentenced to nine years in prison for the crime. His associate, Aleksandar Golubović, received an eight-year prison sentence.

The incident took place at the ‘Rojal knez’ restaurant in central Belgrade. According to the court, Plećić was shot from behind with five bullets during a confrontation. The final shot was fired into his head after he had already fallen to the floor. The altercation reportedly began after Plećić approached Drašković’s table and accused him of killing Zoran Šijan, a former leader of the Surčin group.

The court rejected defense claims of self-defense, ruling instead that the actions of Drašković and Golubović constituted an attack. This final ruling concludes a marathon legal process that spanned 11 years and included five separate trials, during which Drašković had previously been convicted three times and acquitted once.