Serbian Folk Star Ceca Indicted on Theft Charges

State Prosecutor Zagorka Dolovac confirmed on Monday that Raznatovic has been indicted for stealing some four million German marks and over $3 million from player transfers from FC Obilic to foreign clubs.

The Belgrade-based club in question was originally owned by Raznatovic's late husband, Zeljko Raznatovic, aka Arkan.

Eight years of investigation have led to multiple additions to her indictment, which ultimately included her sister Lidija Velickovic and former FC Obilic managers Dragisa Binic and Jovan Dimitrijevic.

Binic and Dimitrijevic are accused of one player's illegal transfer, Milan Obradovic, who was sold to Moscow's FC Lokomotiv for $3 million. According to the allegations, none of the money was deposited in the Obilic account.

The two are suspected of acting on Raznatovic's instructions when they signed the contract in Moscow July 2, 2001. A million was handed over to the singer, according to the prosecution. The rest was allegedly moved to several private accounts in Belgium, Latvia, Spain, Switzerland, and the United States.

The investigation into the case against Raznatovic has been ongoing since 2003.

The probe was launched after Ceca was arrested during a massive police operation, codenamed Sablja, which was carried out immediately after Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic was murdered on March 12, 2003.

Detained on suspicion of illegal weapons possession and the improper transfer of football players, she spent 121 days in prison and was then released.

She was widely seen in public as a victim of the operation, in which police arrested more than 1,000 people.

She has since enjoyed the support of some local officials in the country, and sang for then Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica and Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik at a celebration of the Serbian Orthodox new year in January 2007. She also sang at a pre-election rally for Dodik in October this year, which was attended by Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic.