ZAGREB MOBSTERS TRIAL: 'REPENTANT' MARINAC TO TESTIFY NEXT WEEK

ZAGREB, Nov 8 (Hina) - The trial of 14 persons indicted for aligning into a criminal organisation, murder, racketeering and other crimes continued Wednesday with an agreement between the defence and prosecution on questioning six witnesses from the witness protection programme. The testimony of "repentant" Tomislav Marinac, who expressed remorse about his involvement in criminal activities and decided to cooperate with the prosecution, was scheduled for next week.#L# The decision on the questioning of the six witnesses was passed after the prosecution and defence reached an agreement at a closed part of today's main hearing. At the beginning of the main hearing, judge Ratko Scekic said the panel of judges had accepted the prosecution's evidence motion as stated in the indictment, adding the court would accept all submitted documentation, apart from police charges and special reports "which do not represent evidence in the formal and legal sense". The court will also call to the stand persons who gave statements in the investigative proceedings, even though the prosecution moved that their statements be read instead of their testifying in the courtroom. Apart from "repentant" Marinac, who is to take the stand next week, another five witnesses, including the parents of Rajko and Velibor Momcilovic, and the wife of Davorin Sobjeslavski, are scheduled to testify on November 20. Apart from association into a criminal organisation, the Zagreb mobsters, of whom most were arrested late last November, are also charged with five murders and four attempted murders, extortion, drug abuse, fraud etc. (hina) it jn