SPLIT COUNTY COURT ADJOURNS "LORA" WAR CRIMES TRIAL

SPLIT, June 20 (Hina) - The Split County Court panel of judges on Thursday adjourned the main hearing in the "Lora" war crimes trial and submitted the case to the Supreme Court to decide where the trial is to be relocated following a request by the State Prosecutor's Office. #L# Chief State Prosecutor Mladen Bajic on Wednesday approved a request by the Split County State Prosecutor's Office to the Supreme Court to relocate the trial because, as prosecutors claimed, the proceedings had been followed with incidents since the very beginning of the trial and were not proceeding in a regular manner. Following the decision by the panel of judges to adjourn the main hearing until the Supreme Court makes its decision, the defence for all the accused requested that they be released, seeing they had already spent nine months in jail. The panel of judges rejected this request. The defence believes that the testimonies given until now had not produced any concrete evidence against the accused and that it is not certain when the trial could recommence. The defence further believes that the request by the prosecution to relocate the trial is unfounded because the Split court has been autonomous until now, despite the obvious pressure surrounding the trial. The defence attorneys maintain that the prosecution made its request following a comment by Prime Minister Ivica Racan that he was not satisfied with the proceedings, which the defence says he should never have stated. Defence attorney Ankica Luetic claimed "Serb intelligence services" through non-government organisations were behind the entire matter. The aim is to discredit Croatia's judiciary and not allow the trial to proceed so that Croatia is once again placed under someone else's protectorate, which is inadmissible, defence attorneys believe. They added that the aim is to disqualify Judge Lozina and not the court in Split. (hina) sp sb