The Slovak Interior Ministry has said that the Slovak Republic has not awarded citizenship to Zoran Kostic, wanted by Interpol, the SITA newswire wrote. However, Kostic is featured on the Interpol website as a citizen of Montenegro, Serbia and Slovakia, which means he could possess passports from all three countries. However, ministry spokeswoman Alena Koišová told SITA that Kostic is neither among applicants for Slovak citizenship nor has a Slovak passport.
The Sme daily reported on February 22 that Zoran Kostic, who allegedly is one of the bosses of the international gang of thieves nicknamed the Pink Panthers, has Slovak citizenship. The crime group has over 200 members and since 1990 has reportedly committed 90 thefts resulting in damages of €100 million.
Sme wrote that at least 30 members of the gang come from Montenegro where Kostic was born. The gang has allegedly committed robberies in Tokyo, Dubai and Monaco. The group was nicknamed the Pink Panthers after it stole diamonds worth $32 million in Paris and hid them in a jar of face cream, as did Peter Sellers in one of the scenes of the legendary film from 1963.
The Slovak Interior Ministry is currently checking under what circumstances another criminal from Montenegro, Darko Saric, was granted Slovak citizenship. The alleged boss of the Balkan mafia who is in hiding somewhere in Europe is suspected of having smuggled 2.7 tons of cocaine. SITA
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
