Sipic: Eight years’ imprisonment

The verdict was handed down on the basis of a guilt admission agreement, reached between Sipic and State Prosecutors. Sipic, known as Nuno, admitted he killed Andja Banjac. Neither party has the right to appeal.

“I am guilty and I am sorry for having done that,” Sipic said as the admission agreement was discussed. This is the first such agreement reached before the Court of Bosnia concerning war crime cases.

“Idhan Sipic is guilty, as a member of the Reconnaissance Unit with the Fifth Corps of BiH Army, for having violated the Geneva Convention provisions on the territory of Kljuc municipality during the war conducted in Bosnia,” Trial Chamber Chairwoman Minka Kreho announced, following the acceptance of the agreement.

According to the verdict, on an unknown date in September 1995, Sipic and Almir Harbasa came to Andja Banjac’s house in Korjenovo brdo outside the town of Sanica in Kljuc municipality, and attacked her “with an intention to kill her.”

After Andja started crying and had told him that her two sons were members of the Serbian Army, Sipic stuck his bayonet in her neck and killed her. He took the body out of the house, while Harbasa set her bed on fire. The flames eventually engulfed the whole house.

Sipic concluded the guilt admission agreement with the Prosecution on February 22, after Prosecutor Milorad Barasin removed one sentence from the indictment, which referred to accusations that the indictee “cut her body into pieces and threw it into a well a few meters from her house.”

It was due to this allegation that indictee Sipic originally refused to accept the previously agreed guilt admission deal with State Prosecutors. Therefore, the trial commenced and the first witnesses were examined. Barasin said at the previous hearing that he would erase the sentence with which the indictee did not agree. However the Defence did not accept the idea of reaching a guilt admission agreement at the time.

The Trial Chamber asked the Defence to explain why it did not agree to conclude an agreement, bearing in mind that the indictee had already admitted his guilt. After that, the Defence decided to agree with the proposal after all.

As per an agreement between State Prosecutors and the indictee’s Defence, the sentence was to be between six and ten years’ imprisonment.

Following the announcement of the verdict, Sipic’s custody was extended until the verdict comes into effect. The time he has spent in custody shall be credited in his prison sentence.

Sipic surrendered to the authorities on November 21, 2007. The Trial Chamber is due to render a decision referring Sipic to a prison where he shall already start serving his sentence, before the verdict comes into effect. This was also requested by the indictee.