In its summary of the judgement, read out in court, the Trial Chamber stated that it, "… concludes that you, Mr. Bralo, committed a range of appalling crimes, which must be condemned unequivocally. There can be no excuse or justification for your actions, nor can your reasons for abusing so many people be fathomed," said a press release issued on the ICTY web site.
In passing sentence, the Trial Chamber stated that without the mitigating circumstances outlined in the judgement, the number of years" imprisonment would have been considerably higher than the 20 year sentence imposed. In its summary, the Trial Chamber noted that it was in particular Miroslav Bralo"s guilty plea prior to trial, his remorse and steps toward rehabilitation which led it to impose a lower sentence, the press release said.
The Trial Chamber also noted that Bralo had submitted evidence of his remorse, including his written and oral statements and it recognised "his attempts to assist in the location and exhumation of the bodies of those who were killed (….) in the course of the attack on Ahmići."
The time Bralo spent in detention since 12 November 2004 will be credited against his sentence. He will remain in the custody of the Tribunal until he is transferred to a state to serve his sentence
On 19 July 2005, the former member of the anti-terrorist platoon of the 4th Military Police Battalion of the Croatian Defence Council (HVO) known as the "Jokers", pleaded guilty to a broad range of war crimes committed in and around the central Bosnian villages of Ahmići and Nadioci.