SUPREME COURT REFUSES RAJIC'S APPEAL, ALLOWS EXTRADITION TO ICTY

ZAGREB, June 9 (Hina) - The Croatian Supreme Court on Monday rejected an appeal by Ivica Rajic and confirmed the decision of a court of lower instance allowing his extradition to the U.N. war crimes tribunal in The Hague, which indicted him for the 1993 massacre of at least 16 Muslim civilians in the central Bosnian village of Stupni Do. #L# The Supreme Court Council, chaired by judge Katica Jelic, confirmed the decision of the Zagreb County Court which in late April accepted a request by the Hague tribunal to hand Rajic over, the Supreme Court stated. The Supreme Court's ruling is final and although the defence can file a constitutional appeal, there are no legal obstacles to Rajic's extradition. The extradition may only be prevented by the justice minister in the event of the defendant's illness or "some other particularly justified reason". Rajic's attorney Zeljko Olujic recently stated that his client was in good health. If the justice minister signs the extradition warrant, the only question that remains open is how and when Rajic will be extradited. The Supreme Court made the ruling after it heard Rajic's defence attorney last week, who opposed his extradition claiming the County Court had not established, to a sufficient extent, founded suspicion that Rajic committed the acts the Hague tribunal charges him with, as well as due to a number of procedural mistakes. Rajic, a former Croat Defence Council (HVO) commander from Kiseljak, is charged according to command and personal responsibility with the 1993 murder of at least 16 Bosnian civilians in Stupni Do. The Hague indictment was issued in 1995, but Rajic had been on the run until April this year, when he was arrested in Split. (hina) rml