WASHINGTON, July 18 (Hina) - Chicago-based law firm Pedersen and Houpt on Thursday withdrew charges against the Republic of Croatia pressed over the collection of half a million U.S. dollars in fees and costs in the representation of
Bosnian Croat Ante Furundzija before the war crimes tribunal in The Hague. "We have come to an agreement with Mostar's Legal Aid Centre which is satisfactory for both sides," Luka Misetic, one of Pedersen and Houpt's attorneys, told Hina today. Pedersen and Houpt pressed charges against Croatia and the Mostar-based Centre to collect about US$300,000 in fees for two attorneys and about US$200,000 in costs run up since March 1999. Based on a contract signed with Mostar's Legal Aid Centre in 1998, attorneys Sheldon Davidson and Misetic are defending Furundzija whom the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia in The Hague has accused of breaching the
WASHINGTON, July 18 (Hina) - Chicago-based law firm Pedersen and
Houpt on Thursday withdrew charges against the Republic of Croatia
pressed over the collection of half a million U.S. dollars in fees
and costs in the representation of Bosnian Croat Ante Furundzija
before the war crimes tribunal in The Hague.
"We have come to an agreement with Mostar's Legal Aid Centre which
is satisfactory for both sides," Luka Misetic, one of Pedersen and
Houpt's attorneys, told Hina today.
Pedersen and Houpt pressed charges against Croatia and the Mostar-
based Centre to collect about US$300,000 in fees for two attorneys
and about US$200,000 in costs run up since March 1999.
Based on a contract signed with Mostar's Legal Aid Centre in 1998,
attorneys Sheldon Davidson and Misetic are defending Furundzija
whom the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia
in The Hague has accused of breaching the Geneva Conventions and the
law of war during the Croat-Muslim conflict in Lasva Valley,
central Bosnia-Herzegovina, in 1993.
Croatia was the principal defendant, while Mostar's Legal Aid
Centre was charged as an agent acting in the interest of the
Croatian government. In February this year, attorneys Davidson and
Misetic received a letter from the Centre informing them they were
to settle all future financial issues with Zagreb because the
Centre had been acting on behalf of Croatian authorities.
Misetic today did not want to elaborate on the Centre's agreement
with Pedersen and Houpt, only saying both sides were satisfied.
Asked if he and Sheldon would continue defending Furundzija,
Misetic said ICTY would rule on their appeal on Friday, thus ending
the trial, and that they would represent their client until the
end.
(hina) ha