Vrdoljak: Verdict Confirmed

Rejecting as being without merit an appeal filed by Ivica Vrdoljak’s Defence, the Appellate Chamber of the State Court confirmed the first-instance verdict, sentencing the former member of the Croatian Defence Council, HVO, to five years’ imprisonment for crimes against civilians committed in Derventa and Bosanski Brod in 1992.

“After having reviewed the first-instance verdict and the grounds for appeal, the Appellate Chamber determined that the first-instance Chamber did not substantially violate the Criminal Proceedings Code, so as to affect the lawfulness and correctness of the verdict, during the course of the main trial,” the second-instance verdict reads.

In July 2008 Vrdoljak, a former member of the 103rd Derventa HVO Brigade, was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment for having participated in the abuse of Serb detainees in the “Silos” building in Derventa Municipality, and the “Beograd” store warehouse in Bosanski Brod Municipality in June and July 1992.

In early 2009 the Defence filed an appeal, calling for an acquittal or a retrial due to “violations of criminal procedures, wrongly determined facts and incorrect application of the Criminal Code”.

“The first-instance Chamber correctly and fully determined the facts, correctly applying the Criminal Code of Bosnia and Herzegovina and sentencing the indictee to five years’ imprisonment. Therefore the Appellate Chamber has rejected the Defence attorney’s appeal as being without merit, confirming the first-instance verdict,” the Appellate Chamber’s decision states.