Deputy prosecutor on ex-KLA, Šešelj’s case

War Crimes Deputy Prosecutor Bruno Vekaric expects witnesses in the case against former Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) member Mark Kasneti to be questioned today. He said there were Serb witnesses and that they were being questioned in the Special Court and other locations. Deputy prosecutor on ex-KLA, Seselj’s case “This is a very clear case for us,” Vekaric added and announced that results of the questioning would be released later on Friday. Kasneti, who was arrested on Saturday, was remanded in custody for 30 days. He is suspected of war crimes against Serb civilians in Prizren in 1999. When asked about evidence against former KLA member and Kosovo Transport and Telecommunications Minster and current MP Fatmir Limaj, who has been released, the deputy war crimes prosecutor said: “We are investigating whether there was a crime, i.e. a criminal act of war crime or not,” he told Belgrade-based Pink TV. Commenting on arrest warrants from the 90s, he stressed that there were significant violations of procedure in some cases and added that they needed to be re-examined and that “it is important to get a precise list of the people who have blood on their hands”. Vekaric expressed readiness to cooperate with EULEX and other counties “if someone thinks they would not have a fair trial here”. According to him, the state is ready to back Serb Radical Party (SRS) leader Vojislav Seselj’s return from the Hague Tribunal to Serbia. “Seselj’s health is really jeopardized and they are taking care of him just like other prisoners and he is getting medical help but he only wants his doctors who are making a political case out of it and this is a problem,” he explained. The deputy prosecutor noted that the Serbian Prosecution had nothing against Seselj coming home to Serbia in order to get the adequate medical care and then returning to The Hague so he could continue to take part in the trial. When asked whether Seselj was going to return to Serbia before the elections, Vekaric said that he did not believe that the SRS leader could return by May 6 even if he filed a request today, adding that the major problem was the fact that he was standing trial for contempt of court. He stressed he was sure that the proceedings against Radovan Karadzic, Ratko Mladic and Seselj would be finished by the end of 2014 when the Hague Tribunal would be closed. Bruno Vekaric (FoNet, file) Tanjug

Deputy prosecutor on ex-KLA, Šešelj’s case

“This is a very clear case for us,” Vekarić added and announced that results of the questioning would be released later on Friday.

Kasneti, who was arrested on Saturday, was remanded in custody for 30 days. He is suspected of war crimes against Serb civilians in Prizren in 1999.

When asked about evidence against former KLA member and Kosovo Transport and Telecommunications Minster and current MP Fatmir Limaj, who has been released, the deputy war crimes prosecutor said:

“We are investigating whether there was a crime, i.e. a criminal act of war crime or not,” he told Belgrade-based Pink TV.

Commenting on arrest warrants from the 90s, he stressed that there were significant violations of procedure in some cases and added that they needed to be re-examined and that “it is important to get a precise list of the people who have blood on their hands”.

Vekarić expressed readiness to cooperate with EULEX and other counties “if someone thinks they would not have a fair trial here”.

According to him, the state is ready to back Serb Radical Party (SRS) leader Vojislav Šešelj’s return from the Hague Tribunal to Serbia.

“Šešelj’s health is really jeopardized and they are taking care of him just like other prisoners and he is getting medical help but he only wants his doctors who are making a political case out of it and this is a problem,” he explained.

The deputy prosecutor noted that the Serbian Prosecution had nothing against Šešelj coming home to Serbia in order to get the adequate medical care and then returning to The Hague so he could continue to take part in the trial.

When asked whether Šešelj was going to return to Serbia before the elections, Vekarić said that he did not believe that the SRS leader could return by May 6 even if he filed a request today, adding that the major problem was the fact that he was standing trial for contempt of court.

He stressed he was sure that the proceedings against Radovan Karadžić, Ratko Mladić and Šešelj would be finished by the end of 2014 when the Hague Tribunal would be closed.