VSS to consider Đinđić murder trial

The Supreme Court (VSS) will hold a public hearing into the appeals in the Zoran Djindjic murder trial. The hearing will take place from September 8 until September 23. VSS to consider Djindjic murder trial The Special Department of the Belgrade District Court sentenced twelve people to a total of 378 years in prison. The Supreme Court is due to decide on the appeals after the public hearing ends. The Special Department of the District Court sentenced the former commander of the Special Operations Unit (JSO), Milorad Ulemek, and his deputy, Zvezdan Jovanovic, to 40 years in prison each on May 23, 2007. Aleksandar Simovic, Ninoslav Konstantinovic, Vladimir Milisavljevic and Sretko Kalinic were sentenced to 35 years; Zeljko Tojaga, Branislav Bezarevic, Milos Simovic, Milan Jurisic and Dusan Krsmanovic got 30 years; and Sasa Pejakovic was sentenced to eight years. The trial for the murder of the late prime minister started on December 23, 2003, and lasted three-and-a-half years, during which time more than 150 witnesses appeared before the court, copious written evidence was submitted, and four protected witnesses also gave testimony. Several ballistics and medical experts also testified during the trial, including the Wiesbaden Forensic Institute, one of whose experts, Bernd Salziger, testified via video link Maja Kovacevic Tomic, a spokeswoman for the Special Department, said that the trial had taken so long because the presiding judge was changed in mid-trial. Marko Kljajevic withdrew from the trial in the summer of 2006, to be replaced by Nata Mesarevic, who had also been a member of the Trial Chamber, on September 7, 2006. Following that change, the trial, which had been in its latter phases, virtually had to start from scratch in September 2006. The trial began with obstructions from lawyers, who demanded that the presiding judge and the members of the Trial Chamber be replaced. The aim of this was to prevent the reading out of both the indictment and the confession of Zvezdan Jovanovic, the trigger-man. One of the factors that also prolonged the trial was the surrender of Milorad Ulemek on May 2, 2004. The trial was postponed for several months to allow Ulemek to prepare his defense, and still further when Dejan Milenkovic, who later became a protected witness, was arrested in Thessaloniki, Greece on July 16, 2004, and extradited to Serbia on February 2, 2006. Additional time was also required to allow him to prepare his defense, and later to conduct negotiations on his status as a protected witness. The trial was delayed once more with the departure of special prosecutor deputies Milan Radovanovic and Nebojsa Maras at the end of 2005. The special prosecutor for organized crime filed charges against Radovanovic for revealing state secrets, while Maras left the Prosecutor’s Office. After their departure, Jovan Prijic, the first anti-organized crime prosecutor, took over the case. This trial was also notable for the murders of eyewitness Kuja Krijestorac, and of protected witness Zoran Vukojevic in June 2006.

VSS to consider Đinđić murder trial

The Special Department of the Belgrade District Court sentenced twelve people to a total of 378 years in prison. The Supreme Court is due to decide on the appeals after the public hearing ends.

The Special Department of the District Court sentenced the former commander of the Special Operations Unit (JSO), Milorad Ulemek, and his deputy, Zvezdan Jovanović, to 40 years in prison each on May 23, 2007.

Aleksandar Simović, Ninoslav Konstantinović, Vladimir Milisavljević and Sretko Kalinić were sentenced to 35 years; Željko Tojaga, Branislav Bezarević, Miloš Simović, Milan Jurišić and Dušan Krsmanović got 30 years; and Saša Pejaković was sentenced to eight years.

The trial for the murder of the late prime minister started on December 23, 2003, and lasted three-and-a-half years, during which time more than 150 witnesses appeared before the court, copious written evidence was submitted, and four protected witnesses also gave testimony.

Several ballistics and medical experts also testified during the trial, including the Wiesbaden Forensic Institute, one of whose experts, Bernd Salziger, testified via video link

Maja Kovačević Tomić, a spokeswoman for the Special Department, said that the trial had taken so long because the presiding judge was changed in mid-trial. Marko Kljajević withdrew from the trial in the summer of 2006, to be replaced by Nata Mesarević, who had also been a member of the Trial Chamber, on September 7, 2006.

Following that change, the trial, which had been in its latter phases, virtually had to start from scratch in September 2006.

The trial began with obstructions from lawyers, who demanded that the presiding judge and the members of the Trial Chamber be replaced. The aim of this was to prevent the reading out of both the indictment and the confession of Zvezdan Jovanović, the trigger-man.

One of the factors that also prolonged the trial was the surrender of Milorad Ulemek on May 2, 2004. The trial was postponed for several months to allow Ulemek to prepare his defense, and still further when Dejan Milenković, who later became a protected witness, was arrested in Thessaloniki, Greece on July 16, 2004, and extradited to Serbia on February 2, 2006. Additional time was also required to allow him to prepare his defense, and later to conduct negotiations on his status as a protected witness.

The trial was delayed once more with the departure of special prosecutor deputies Milan Radovanović and Nebojša Maraš at the end of 2005.

The special prosecutor for organized crime filed charges against Radovanović for revealing state secrets, while Maraš left the Prosecutor’s Office.

After their departure, Jovan Prijić, the first anti-organized crime prosecutor, took over the case.

This trial was also notable for the murders of eyewitness Kuja Kriještorac, and of protected witness Zoran Vukojević in June 2006.