ZAGREB, Nov 2 (Hina) - The retrial in the Pakracka Poljana case is to begin at the Zagreb County Court on Nov. 22, the president of the panel of judges, Rajka Tomerlin Almer, told Hina on Friday. The case first came to public
attention in 1992, after an investigation into the murder of the Zagreb family Zec led police to alleged crimes committed by an Interior Ministry reserve unit which at the beginning of the Homeland War was commanded by Tomislav Mercep, who is not amongst the accused. An indictment was filed in 1997, after Miroslav Bajramovic, one of the accused, spoke in Feral Tribune weekly about witnessing alleged crimes the Mercep gang (Mercepovci) committed in the Pakrac area in western Slavonia. Six of the Mercepovci were put on trial in September of 1998. The trial ended on 27 May 1999, when four were acquitted due to insufficient evidence and the other two sentenced to short-duration imprisonment. The
ZAGREB, Nov 2 (Hina) - The retrial in the Pakracka Poljana case is to
begin at the Zagreb County Court on Nov. 22, the president of the
panel of judges, Rajka Tomerlin Almer, told Hina on Friday.
The case first came to public attention in 1992, after an
investigation into the murder of the Zagreb family Zec led police to
alleged crimes committed by an Interior Ministry reserve unit which
at the beginning of the Homeland War was commanded by Tomislav
Mercep, who is not amongst the accused.
An indictment was filed in 1997, after Miroslav Bajramovic, one of
the accused, spoke in Feral Tribune weekly about witnessing alleged
crimes the Mercep gang (Mercepovci) committed in the Pakrac area in
western Slavonia.
Six of the Mercepovci were put on trial in September of 1998. The
trial ended on 27 May 1999, when four were acquitted due to
insufficient evidence and the other two sentenced to short-
duration imprisonment.
The prosecution appealed the acquittals and the severity of the
sentence given the other two.
The Supreme Court quashed the acquittals on 20 December 2000 and
returned the case to trial.
(hina) ha sb