Bundalo et al.: Privileged Policeman

On the second day of presentation of his findings and opinion at the trial for crimes committed in Kalinovik, Mile Matijevic, testifying as an expert witness in defence of Nedjo Zeljaja, was not able to confirm which tasks the second indictee performed in the Public Safety Station, PSS, in Kalinovik.

“The tasks performed by him could have been performed by some other policeman, designated by the Chief. I think that the Chief took over the function of commander, because most documents I reviewed were signed by him and had the PSS Kalinovik heading on them,” Matijevic said.

Matijevic told the Court that, de jure and de facto, Zeljaja was not the commander, but he did perform some tasks pertaining to that particular function, “as per the Chief’s authorization”. 

Zeljaja, Ratko Bundalo and Djordjislav Askraba are charged with having participated in the forcible detention, torture, rape, murder and disappearance of Bosniaks from the Kalinovik area from April 1992 to March 1993.

The indictment alleges that Zeljaja was Commander of the PSS in Kalinovik during this period of time.

Matijevic was not able to say which tasks not falling under the regular duties of the Police Station Commander Zeljaja performed. He was not able to explain why the payrolls of the PSS in Kalinovik for 1992 had been signed by the second indictee. A small number of payrolls from 1992 that were presented as evidence by the Prosecution of Bosnia and Herzegovina indicate that Zeljaja was Commander of the Kalinovik PSS.

“He may have been granted some privileges thanks to the Chief, but I do not know that. On the basis of all the documents I have reviewed, I am confident that he was member of the PSS in Kalinovik and he performed some tasks as per orders issued by the Chief,” the witness said.

Prosecutor Munib Halilovic said that many documents pertaining to the work of the PSS in Kalinovik and the Police Station Commander no longer existed.

Zeljaja’s Defence continued presenting material evidence, including a note from the PSS Kalinovik as of March 1993 concerning taking away some prisoners from Kalinovik to Foca, as well as a number of documents on exchanges of civilians conducted in the course of 1992.

The Prosecution objected to many of the documents introduced by the second indictee’s Defence, arguing that they were irrelevant. The Trial Chamber admitted them to the case file, but will render a decision on their relevance at a later stage.

The trial is due to continue on Thursday, June 18.