SUPREME COURT RULES RE-TRIAL FOR 'MERCEP GROUP'

ZAGREB, Feb 6 (Hina) - The Croatian Supreme Court has annulled the acquitting segment of a verdict of a court of first instance in the so-called 'Pakracka poljana' case and ruled a re-trial. This means that five of six indictees, known as members of 'the Mercep group', will stand trial again before the Zagreb County Court. The president of the County Court's penal department, Drazen Tripalo, confirmed today the Supreme Court decision was forwarded to the concerned parties but he could not say when the trial would start. The verdict of the court of first instance, adopted in May last year, was appealed against by prosecutor Ivan Plevko, who demanded more severe punishment for the indictees. The six members of the 'Mercep group' were charged with ten criminal acts, including the murder of Aleksandar Antic, attempted murder, illegal arrests, and acts of abuse and extortion in the area of Pakrac (western Slavonia) during 1991. The public became acquainted with the 'Pakracka poljana' case in 1992, after the police, which investigated the murder of Zagreb's Zec family, came across information about the alleged crimes of 'the Mercep group', a unit of reserve police forces, which at the beginning of the Homeland War was commanded by Tomislav Mercep. However, the case was in the back of the drawer until December 1997 when an indictment was issued. (hina) rml