"Ganić considering suing Serbia"

Legal counsel of former Member of Bosnia-Herzegovina's Presidency Ejup Ganic's has stated that his client is thinking suing Serbia. Ganic's lawyer Damir Arnaut has assessed that his client spent five months in London "as a hostage of abuse of the British legal system for political purposes“. "Ganic considering suing Serbia" “Ganic is entitled to a refund of a small part of trial costs by the British government and it’s being worked on that Serbia pays the rest,” Arnaut was quoted as saying. The former member of Bosnian Presidency was arrested in London on March 1 on a war crimes warrant issued by Serbia, requesting the suspect's extradition. Ganic was charged with responsibility for crimes committed against a retreating convoy of Yugoslav People’s Army (JNA) soldiers in Dobrovoljacka Street in Sarajevo in early May 1992. The London court denied the extradition request. Arnaut also stated that Bosnia-Herzegovina Presidency Chairman Haris Silajdzic had sent a letter to Serbian President Boris Tadic on August 10, requesting release of Bosnian citizen Ilija Jurisic. Juris was convicted in Belgrade for war crimes and to 12 years in prison for his role in another May 1992 massacre of a JNA convoy, this time in the eastern town of Tuzla. Silajdzic claims in the letter that “an agreement between Bosnia-Herzegovina and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia on peaceful retreat of the JNA was never reached”, and that “the Belgrade District Court's War Crimes Chamber pronounced Ilija Jurisic guilty of ‘violating’ the alleged agreement and therefore sentenced him to a 12-year prison sentence”. He added that it was Jurisic’s right to seek satisfaction before the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg if the appeals chamber in Belgrade confirmed the verdict, “which is based on a non-existent agreement, which Prosecutor Milan Petrovic admitted during the cross-examination in London”. Ganic’s lawyer has announced that Silajdzic’s cabinet will continue to "intensively provide Jurisic with all legal and logistical help", and added: “And in the Ganic case we have proved our efficiency when we do it before independent courts”. Cheap political points Serbian Deputy War Crimes Prosecutor Bruno Vekaric reacted to this in Thursday in Belgrade by saying that Silajdzic and Ganic were politicians attempting to interfere with the work of the Serbian judicial authorities. He said that they “are marching over Serbia’s judiciary”, that it was "not the path toward reconciliation", and that judicial authorities should be left to do their job. Vekaric added that the former war-time member of the Bosnian presidency had a chance to sue Serbia before, but chose not to. “Has anyone ever heard of (Serbian) President Boris Tadic interfering or prejudging a decision of any judicial authority in Bosnia-Herzegovina,” Vekaric wondered, commenting on Silajzic’s letter to the Serbian president, in which he requested the release of Jurisic. According to Vekaric, the statements coming from Bosnia speak in favor of the fact that such topics are suitable for “scoring cheap political points” ahead of the elections there.

"Ganić considering suing Serbia"

“Ganić is entitled to a refund of a small part of trial costs by the British government and it’s being worked on that Serbia pays the rest,” Arnaut was quoted as saying.

The former member of Bosnian Presidency was arrested in London on March 1 on a war crimes warrant issued by Serbia, requesting the suspect's extradition. Ganić was charged with responsibility for crimes committed against a retreating convoy of Yugoslav People’s Army (JNA) soldiers in Dobrovoljačka Street in Sarajevo in early May 1992.

The London court denied the extradition request.

Arnaut also stated that Bosnia-Herzegovina Presidency Chairman Haris Silajdžić had sent a letter to Serbian President Boris Tadić on August 10, requesting release of Bosnian citizen Ilija Jurišić.

Juriš was convicted in Belgrade for war crimes and to 12 years in prison for his role in another May 1992 massacre of a JNA convoy, this time in the eastern town of Tuzla.

Silajdžić claims in the letter that “an agreement between Bosnia-Herzegovina and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia on peaceful retreat of the JNA was never reached”, and that “the Belgrade District Court's War Crimes Chamber pronounced Ilija Jurišić guilty of ‘violating’ the alleged agreement and therefore sentenced him to a 12-year prison sentence”.

He added that it was Jurišić’s right to seek satisfaction before the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg if the appeals chamber in Belgrade confirmed the verdict, “which is based on a non-existent agreement, which Prosecutor Milan Petrović admitted during the cross-examination in London”.

Ganić’s lawyer has announced that Silajdžić’s cabinet will continue to "intensively provide Jurišić with all legal and logistical help", and added: “And in the Ganić case we have proved our efficiency when we do it before independent courts”.

Cheap political points

Serbian Deputy War Crimes Prosecutor Bruno Vekarić reacted to this in Thursday in Belgrade by saying that Silajdžić and Ganić were politicians attempting to interfere with the work of the Serbian judicial authorities.

He said that they “are marching over Serbia’s judiciary”, that it was "not the path toward reconciliation", and that judicial authorities should be left to do their job.

Vekarić added that the former war-time member of the Bosnian presidency had a chance to sue Serbia before, but chose not to.

“Has anyone ever heard of (Serbian) President Boris Tadić interfering or prejudging a decision of any judicial authority in Bosnia-Herzegovina,” Vekarić wondered, commenting on Silajžić’s letter to the Serbian president, in which he requested the release of Jurišić.

According to Vekarić, the statements coming from Bosnia speak in favor of the fact that such topics are suitable for “scoring cheap political points” ahead of the elections there.