ZAGREB, Aug 4 (Hina) - The Croatian Supreme Court on Wednesday quashed the verdict reached by the Zagreb County Court in the trial of Vinko Martinovic Stela and Dragan Raspudic Guja due to significant violations of the criminal
procedure. The case will be returned to the County Court, which is to conduct new proceedings, Martinovic's attorney Branko Seric said Wednesday.
ZAGREB, Aug 4 (Hina) - The Croatian Supreme Court on Wednesday
quashed the verdict reached by the Zagreb County Court in the trial
of Vinko Martinovic Stela and Dragan Raspudic Guja due to
significant violations of the criminal procedure. The case will be
returned to the County Court, which is to conduct new proceedings,
Martinovic's attorney Branko Seric said Wednesday. #L#
The Zagreb County Court had found Martinovic and Raspudic guilty of
the murder of Jasmina Djukic in Mostar and sentenced them to eight
and seven years in prison respectively.
Attorney Seric, who was only informed about the annulment of the
verdict after today's session of the Supreme Court, could not say
which significant violations of the criminal procedure the Supreme
Court was referring to. Seric said he would know it after he
received the Supreme Court decision in writing.
Martinovic's attorney did not want to comment on the procedure
regarding the turn-over of his client to the International Criminal
Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), saying the decision
approving Martinovic's extradition to The Hague existed. That
question should be put to Justice Minister Zvonimir Separovic, he
added.
The ICTY has demanded from Croatia to turn over Martinovic, who has
been charged with crimes against humanity, serious violations of
the Geneva Conventions and violations of the law or customs of war.
(hina) rml
.