TRIAL OF ZAGREB MAFIA TO BE CONTINUED WITH NEW PROSECUTORS

ZAGREB, Oct 23 (Hina) - After prosecution attorneys in a case against Zagreb's mobsters left the courtroom, vice president of the Zagreb County Court Damir Kos said Monday that the law did not foresee a possibility that the prosecution would leave the courtroom. The only thing that could be done in order to ensure the the continuation of the trial is to demand that the authorised state prosecutor appoints other prosecution attorneys, Kos said. When asked what kind of sanctions could prosecution attorneys expect, Kos said the State Judicial Council, which appointed the prosecution, is to pass a decision on this issue. County State prosecutor's deputies, who represented the prosecution, left the courtroom to express dissatisfaction with a process decision of the Judicial Council, to which they had no right to appeal, and to prevent the continuation of the trial, Kos said. "We are leaving the hearing because we have realised that one can get away with it here," said Deputy County State Prosecutor Dunja Pavlicek-Patak alluding to last week's incident, when 13 defence attorneys left the courtroom. Kos added that after last week's move of the defence (defence attorneys also left the courtroom protesting against the fact that the trial was being held within the prison premises), the court enabled the continuation of the trial by appointing new defence attorneys. One of the defence attorney, Cedo Prodanovic, said the move of the prosecution confirms defence attorneys' claim that the process had been conducted in an unusual way from its beginnings. By this act, the prosecution is putting pressure on the court in order to get favourable decisions for themselves, Prodanovic said. (hina) it