Bundalo et al: Custody Extension Requested
28 November 2007 The Prosecution asks for extension of custody for Ratko Bundalo and Djordjislav Askraba, and for a custody order for Nedjo Zeljaja.
The state Prosecution has requested that Ratko Bundalo, Djordjislav Askraba and Nedjo Zeljaja - charged with having committed crimes in Kalinovik - be held in custody until the completion of the main trial. The Court will render its decision at a later stage.
Bundalo and Askraba have been held in custody since August 30 this year, while Zeljaja was released under certain prohibiting measures, including a ban on leaving his place of residence and obligatory reporting, on a daily basis, to the Public Safety Centre in Kalinovik.
Zarko Bulic, Bundalo's deffence lawyer, handed the Court a document containing the estimation of
Bundalo's property worth KM 302,000. He is ready to use this as a
guarantee fund for release from custody. Zeljaja's attorney Vesna
Tupajic-Skiljevic also mentioned the possibility of bail, but she did
not specify what the value of the indictee's property was.
The indictment against Bundalo, Zeljaja and Askrabe, which charges them with having committed crime against humanity in Kalinovik municipality, was confirmed on November 27, 2007. The Prosecutor claims that this is an additional reason for keeping the indictees in custody.
"The confirmation of the indictment made them aware of the crimes charged upon them and the evidence we have against them. Therefore, the fear that they may attempt to escape has increased. The danger of possible escape is even more certain in Bundalo's case, because he has Serbian citizenship," said Prosecutor Munib Halilovic. Another reason cited by the Prosecutor was a possibility that the indictees might influence the witnesses.
In addition to the arguments valid for the two other indictees, the Prosecutor also said that custody should be ordered for Zeljaja because the Prosecution is conducting an investigation into the current management team of the Public Safety Centre in Kalinovik, due to suspicions that they participated in the crimes charged upon the three indictees. This particular Public Safety Centre is in charge of implementing the prohibiting measures pronounced in Zeljaja's case.
"I think that it is absolutely not possible to implement any type of prohibiting measures in Kalinovik," claimed Halilovic.
The Defence attorneys of the three indictees objected the prosecution's motion, and asked the court to order prohibiting measures.
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