RIJEKA; UN MISSION TO BOSNIA STILL EXPECTS HIS HAND-OVER RIJEKA, Feb 12 (Hina) - The trial of retired Croatian Defence Council (HVO) general Ivan Andabak and British citizen Paul Dexter Farrow, who are suspected of drug abuse, started
at the Rijeka County Court on Monday. Drago Marincel, State Prosecutor for Rijeka County, charges Andabak and Farrow with smuggling 660 kilograms of cocaine from South America via Europe to Africa. After his indictment was read out, Andabak said he understood it but pleaded not guilty. Andabak, who is defended by attorney Kresimir Krsnik, said he would use silence as defence. The second indictee, Farrow, who is tried in absentia, will be defended by court-appointed attorney Ljubo Kostic. Two witnesses, employed with the firms which were involved in business deals which were connected to the container in which the drugs were discovered in the Rijeka port in late 1999, testified today. The United Nations' M
RIJEKA, Feb 12 (Hina) - The trial of retired Croatian Defence
Council (HVO) general Ivan Andabak and British citizen Paul Dexter
Farrow, who are suspected of drug abuse, started at the Rijeka
County Court on Monday.
Drago Marincel, State Prosecutor for Rijeka County, charges
Andabak and Farrow with smuggling 660 kilograms of cocaine from
South America via Europe to Africa.
After his indictment was read out, Andabak said he understood it but
pleaded not guilty. Andabak, who is defended by attorney Kresimir
Krsnik, said he would use silence as defence.
The second indictee, Farrow, who is tried in absentia, will be
defended by court-appointed attorney Ljubo Kostic.
Two witnesses, employed with the firms which were involved in
business deals which were connected to the container in which the
drugs were discovered in the Rijeka port in late 1999, testified
today.
The United Nations' Mission to Bosnia-Herzegovina still expects
that Andabak will be handed over to the judicial authorities of the
Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina, where he will be tried for the
assassination of a Federation deputy interior minister, Jozo
Leutar, spokesman Douglas Coffman told Hina in Sarajevo today.
Commenting on the beginning of the Rijeka trial, Coffman said the UN
Mission obtained the information about it practically from the
media. Andabak must be tried for the murder of Jozo Leutar because
it is the gravest crime committed in the Federation in the last five
years, he said.
We do not expect Andabak will be handed over soon but we hope for an
agreement to be reached on that matter, Coffman said. He explained
that the UN Mission was not directly involved in talks on a request
that Andabak be tried in Bosnia-Herzegovina but added it fully
supported the Federation authorities in their efforts to see
Andabak handed over.
Ivan Andabak has both Croatian and Bosnia-Herzegovina citizenship.
The federation interior ministry bases the request on his hand-over
on the fact that he is suspected of being the main organiser of the
Leutar assassination and the fact that he was born in Bosnia-
Herzegovina is of great importance.
(hina) rml