The county court passed the ruling on February 18, accepting the request of two indictees that the trial start regardless of the fact that four indictees are on the run.
Explaining its decision, the Supreme Court said that the lower court's decision was justified and that the indictees, who have been in police custody, have the right to a speedy trial.
The county court judged the request of indictees Davor Banic and Ante Gudic as completely justified, stating that the four detained former police officers cannot wait indefinitely for the runaway indictees to surrender or be arrested.
The county prosecutor's office appealed this ruling, but the Supreme Court refused the appeal.
Vinko Ljubicic, attorney for Banic, believes that the trial could start in late May or early June at the latest.
Principal indictee Tomislav Duic, and Miljenko Bajic, Josip Bikic and Emilijo Bungur have been on the run since November, when the police made the first arrests.
Duic, Bikic and Bajic were on the run also during the first trial, when they were acquitted pending appeal. This ruling was later quashed by the Supreme Court.
The eight former police officers are charged with war crimes against civilians committed between March and September 1992 in Split's military prison Lora. Tonci Vrkic, Davor Banic, Ante Gudic and Andjelko Botic have been in custody, while the other four indictees are wanted by the police.
Duic, Vrkic, Bungur, Gudic and Botic are also under investigation in separate proceedings on suspicion of committing war crimes against prisoners of war in Lora in the same period.