RIJEKA, Nov 30 (Hina) - Eight crew members of the Boka Star ship left Croatia for Montenegro on Friday, the crew's attorney Milorad Macesic told reporters last night.
RIJEKA, Nov 30 (Hina) - Eight crew members of the Boka Star ship left
Croatia for Montenegro on Friday, the crew's attorney Milorad
Macesic told reporters last night. #L#
The ship has been moored in the Rijeka port since the end of October,
when 14 containers with 208 tonnes of military explosive was
discovered aboard.
Two members of the crew have remained aboard the ship, while captain
Josip Nikolic and first officer Damir Balabusic, suspected of
smuggling explosive, are in custody at the Rijeka County Court
investigation centre. The court yesterday decided that they should
remain in custody for another 30 days.
All crew members are Yugoslav citizens.
Attorneys for the suspects have pressed charges against unknown
perpetrators "for arresting the crew", because they believe that
there was no reason for detaining them aboard the ship for 37 days,
Macesic said.
The Boka Star is sailing under Tonga's flag and the containers with
explosives had been loaded on the ship at the Montenegrin port of
Bar. A police investigation revealed that none of the goods
declarations found in the containers matched the contents, nor did
technical information on the ship match the actual situation.
All crew members have been interrogated during the investigation,
which should resume next week with the questioning of other persons
connected to the crew and the ship's cargo.
The investigation is conducted by the Office for the Prevention of
Organised Crime.
(hina) rml