Court postpones verdicts to Mladić helpers

Court has delayed delivering verdicts to Ratko Mladic's helpers. Prosecution has called for dismissal of trial chamber president, court president and a juror. The Higher Court in Belgrade Spokeswoman Dusica Ristic told B92 that she did not expect the court to decide on this motion today. Court postpones verdicts to Mladic helpers The War Crimes Prosecution announced in the meantime that it would take over all future proceedings against fugitives' helpers. The prosecution today requested dismissal of Trial Chamber President Dragan Garic, juror Milos Mitrovic and President of the First Municipal Court in Belgrade Tanja Sobat. The judge did not explain the prosecution's request but he did say that the motion was filed by Prosecutor Radmila Jovanovic this morning around 9:00 CET and that the trial chamber had already reached the verdict by then. The War Crimes Prosecution will continue the investigation against Mladic's helpers. It will also take over the case from 2006 when the Second Municipal Prosecution requested an investigation, among others against former chief of the Military Security Agency Aca Tomic. The First Municipal Court in Belgrade was supposed to deliver the verdict to a group of ten people accused of helping Mladic hide today at 10:00 CET. The prosecution said in its closing argument on Monday that the defendants’ guilt had been proved and asked the court to punish them in accordance with the law while the defense called for acquittal since it had not been determined that Mladic had committed any criminal act and therefore there was no criminal act of helping the perpetrator after the crime that the suspects had been accused of. The defense also stressed that during the search of apartments in New Belgrade DNA samples that could have confirmed that the Hague fugitive actually lived there had not been taken. The suspects have been on trial since 2006 but the trial was adjourned several times since the Second Municipal Court in Belgrade declared itself incompetent two times and prime suspect Jovan Djogo died in the meantime. Former officers of the Republic of Srpska (RS) Army Marko Lugonja and Ratko Vucetic, Tatjana Vaskovic, her mother and brother Ljiljana and Bojan Vaskovic, Stanko Ristic, Blagoje Govedarica, Sasa Badnjar, Predrag Ristic and Borisav Ivanovic are standing trial for helping the Hague indictee hide. Ratko Mladic

Court postpones verdicts to Mladić helpers

The War Crimes Prosecution announced in the meantime that it would take over all future proceedings against fugitives' helpers.

The prosecution today requested dismissal of Trial Chamber President Dragan Garić, juror Miloš Mitrović and President of the First Municipal Court in Belgrade Tanja Šobat.

The judge did not explain the prosecution's request but he did say that the motion was filed by Prosecutor Radmila Jovanović this morning around 9:00 CET and that the trial chamber had already reached the verdict by then.

The War Crimes Prosecution will continue the investigation against Mladić's helpers. It will also take over the case from 2006 when the Second Municipal Prosecution requested an investigation, among others against former chief of the Military Security Agency Aca Tomić.

The First Municipal Court in Belgrade was supposed to deliver the verdict to a group of ten people accused of helping Mladić hide today at 10:00 CET.

The prosecution said in its closing argument on Monday that the defendants’ guilt had been proved and asked the court to punish them in accordance with the law while the defense called for acquittal since it had not been determined that Mladić had committed any criminal act and therefore there was no criminal act of helping the perpetrator after the crime that the suspects had been accused of.

The defense also stressed that during the search of apartments in New Belgrade DNA samples that could have confirmed that the Hague fugitive actually lived there had not been taken.

The suspects have been on trial since 2006 but the trial was adjourned several times since the Second Municipal Court in Belgrade declared itself incompetent two times and prime suspect Jovan Đogo died in the meantime.

Former officers of the Republic of Srpska (RS) Army Marko Lugonja and Ratko Vučetić, Tatjana Vasković, her mother and brother Ljiljana and Bojan Vasković, Stanko Ristić, Blagoje Govedarica, Saša Badnjar, Predrag Ristić and Borisav Ivanović are standing trial for helping the Hague indictee hide.