Kovac: Incapable of attending trial

Court medical experts Marija Kaucic-Komsic and Radojka Golijan examined Ante Kovac, who is charged with crimes committed in Vitez, and reported that he is “incapable of following the trial”.

The former commander of the Military Police Squad with the Vitez Brigade of the Croatian Defence Council, HVO, Kovac, who has failed to appear in court, is charged by the State Prosecution with the capture and detention of Bosniaks in various buildings in Vitez Municipality, as well as with the rape of two women.

At previous hearings the indictee complained about his poor state of health. The Trial Chamber issued a warrant ordering his examination by a team of court experts in order to determine whether he is capable of following the trial.

“The indictee has a history of neck spine spondylosis. We determined that he suffers from Horner’s syndrome, which means that his eyebrow is lowered and his pupil is compressed. His eye is affected by this. He keeps saying that he is not feeling well and is not interested in the course of the trial,” psychiatrist Kaucic-Komsic said.

She recommended that Kovac undergo “additional medical checks”, including examination of the neck and brain blood vessels, a neurological examination and an ophthalmic checkup.

“Horner’s syndrome may appear in people suffering from lung cancer. We have therefore proposed that he undergo a lung examination. Due to all this he will not be capable of coming to the court for at least 15 days, until all the checkups have been conducted. After that, we will be able to give our final findings,” Kaucic-Komsic said.

Radojka Golijan, a physician specialising in internal medicine, said the indictee “does not suffer from one big problem in terms of internal organs”, adding that he had low blood pressure but did not complain about aches.

The Trial Chamber has decided that the trial will continue on April 23, due to the examinations that the indictee has to undergo.