THE HAGUE/ZAGREB, June 13 (Hina) - A police expert from Belgrade, Budimir Babovic, on Friday took the witness stand in the trial of former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic at the international war crimes tribunal in The Hague,
labelling Milosevic as the key figure in police actions in and outside Serbia from 1986 until the end of his rule.
THE HAGUE/ZAGREB, June 13 (Hina) - A police expert from Belgrade,
Budimir Babovic, on Friday took the witness stand in the trial of
former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic at the international
war crimes tribunal in The Hague, labelling Milosevic as the key
figure in police actions in and outside Serbia from 1986 until the
end of his rule. #L#
In an expert analysis of the police in the time of Milosevic's
reign, which the prosecution entered as evidence, Babovic
concluded that the accused "de jure" and "de facto" had complete
control and key influence over police.
During the war in the former Yugoslavia, Serbian police were active
outside Serbia "either directly or through para-state formations"
which were controlled by the State Security Service (SDB), which
Milosevic knew about, the expert testified.
Babovic backed claims about the illegitimate expansion of police
jurisdiction, mentioning Milosevic's secret decision of April 27,
1997 that the SDB should answer directly to him.
His analysis concludes "it is impossible not to raise the issue of
Milosevic's command responsibility, either for what he did or
didn't do". He added he meant command responsibility in the police
and not the legal sense.
Cross-examining the witness, Milosevic contested Babovic's
expertise, claiming he was posing as a "policeologist", a science
which was non-existent, but was in fact a professor of French.
Babovic responded that as head of Yugoslav's Interpol Office from
1983 through 1991, he had gathered knowledge about police work and
was a prominent expert in the field.
Milosevic negated that, as president of Yugoslavia, he had had
legal jurisdiction over the Serbian interior ministry. Babovic,
however, stuck to his testimony.
The indictee also tried to prove the witness's lack of expertise
with claims that the Serbian ministry of police never had more than
34,000 employees, and not 150,000 as Babovic said. The expert
refuted this with data from the Serbian budget from 1997 which
indicate that funds had been set aside for 150,000 men.
Milosevic will continue his cross-examination of the witness
Monday.
(hina) lml