ZAGREB, Oct 31 (Hina) - The main hearing in the trial of the so called Criminal Organisation, which began on Tuesday after three delays, was adjourned for Nov. 6 after the defence requested a changed opinion to accompany the changed
text of the indictment.
ZAGREB, Oct 31 (Hina) - The main hearing in the trial of the so
called Criminal Organisation, which began on Tuesday after three
delays, was adjourned for Nov. 6 after the defence requested a
changed opinion to accompany the changed text of the
indictment.#L#
The original indictment, accusing 18 people, was changed after one
indictee expressed remorse and decided to cooperate and after the
prosecution decided to exempt from the original indictment crimes
charging another three indictees, who will be prosecuted
separately. The changed indictment now charges 14 people.
Defence attorney Marijan Svedrovic said the changed indictment was
not a valid paper due to formal and terminological reasons, and
requested that it be returned to the prosecution for correction.
Svedrovic also said the accused should not be read the changed text
for the first time during the main hearing but before, so as to be
well informed on what they were charged with.
Deputy prosecutor Petar Dragosavac explained the changed text was
only a technical tool intended to help the defendants better
understand the indictment, and that all the changes made after the
indictment became effective had been incorporated therein.
Another defence attorney, Veljko Miljevic, remarked that some
counts of the indictment had been changed and that the changed text
was actually a new indictment, which he said was unintelligible and
should be returned to the prosecution for correction.
Panel of judges president Ratko Scekic reminded the changes had
been agreed on at a session before the indictment became valid, and
that the defence had agreed to them, Svedrovic included.
The panel rejected as unfounded the suggestion that the changed
indictment should be corrected, thus making it effective.
Deputy prosecutor Dragosavac said the defence could not be provided
with a changed opinion because it was not possible to print in time
that many copies of the 200-page paper. The text of the changed
opinion will be distributed by Nov. 2.
Attorney Svedrovic said the defence needed one day to peruse the
changed opinion, so Judge Scekic adjourned the main hearing for
Nov. 6.
(hina) ha