Djukic: Indictee offers guarantees

11 September 2008  The Defence has asked for the detention of the indictee to be lifted and instead replaced with a series of guarantees.

Novak Djukic, the indictee, brought the proposal to the Court Council asking for his detention to be replaced by ''a measure of safeguards in the sense of guarantees''. As a guarantee that he will not escape, Djukic offered the apartment in which his family are living at as well as a friend's apartment.

The Court will make a decision subsequently.

The Prosecution charges Djukic that he as commander of the Ozren Tactical group in the Army of Republica Srpska (VRS) ordered the shelling of Tuzla on 25 May 1995. During this, 71 people were killed and more than 200 wounded. He was arrested at the beginning of November 2007 and has been in detention since.

''I think that my request is justified. My defendant is serious and a family man and surely he will not put his family into the position of losing the roof over their heads. He would not jeopardise the property and family of his close friend,'' stated lawyer Nebojsa Pantic, adding that the indictee is ready to accept other prohibitory measures.

Djukic also emphasised that he is committed that he will respect all the legal measures if the Court council allowed him to defend himself out in freedom.

''The stand of the Prosecution is clear. We object to this proposal. It is a fact that the indictee has Serbian citizenship and the circumstances point to a danger of escape in this phase of the process itself.“

''The Prosecution is in last stages of presenting evidence and we believe that we are proving our argument that the indictee acted in a way as was stated in the indictment,'' said Mirsad Strika, the prosecutor.