The prosecution asked that the defendants be found guilty, while the defence team asked that they be acquitted.
Marijacic and Rebic were indicted on 10 February 2005 for revealing a protected witness"s identity and statement in the case against former Croatian General Tihomir Blaskic. If convicted, the accused could face a sentence of up to seven years' imprisonment or a fine of up to 100,000 euros, or both.
The indictment states that on 18 November 2004, Hrvatski List published an article in which it revealed the protected witness"s identity, the statement and the fact that the witness had testified in non-public proceedings before the Tribunal. The article"s author was identified as Marijacic and it included an interview with Rebic.
The attorneys for Marijacic and Rebic, Marin Ivanovic and Kresimir Krsnik, decided not to call witnesses so the hearing resumed with the closing arguments. The accused waved their right to address the court themselves.
Judge Bonomy said it was evident from the article itself that Marijacic had known that he was in violation of the court order, adding that his argument that he had not published the transcript of the testimony but the content of the testimony through a statement, was very cunning.
Presiding judge O-Gon Kwan said the verdict would be delivered in the foreseeable future.