The indictment charges them with corruption, i.e. favouring the Lijanovici meat industry and evading customs duties on meat imports, which caused damage to the state budget.
The new trial, believed to be the biggest since Bosnia's international recognition, was launched after the former chairman of the trial chamber, Judge Paul Garlick of Great Britain, resigned from the post and was succeeded by Judge Richard Gabelein of the United States.
The trial chamber today scheduled the main hearing for October 11.
The trial chamber also requested the State Prosecutor's Office to urgently amend the indictment if it considered it necessary. The request was made after international prosecutor Jonathan Rattel admitted that there were some omissions in the initial indictment against Covic and the others because some parts of the indictment were repeated.
The trial chamber also requested the prosecution to submit to the defence in the next ten days the findings of expert witnesses, so that they could prepare for the start of the trial.