Local Justice Ceco: Eight Defence Witnesses
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The Defence proposed that eight witnesses and indictee Ibrahim Ceco be examined before the Cantonal Court in Sarajevo.
As far as material evidence is concerned, the Defence proposes only one piece of evidence for the time being. However, we would like to inform the Court that we have obtained evidence related to the indictees financial situation, as requested by the Trial Chamber, said Sadik Hota, Defence attorney of indictee Ceco.
Aida Catovic, Prosecutor with the Sarajevo Cantonal Prosecution, pointed out that she objected to the examination of two of the witnesses, because she did not understand why they were important for the indictees defence.
Following a break, the Trial Chamber announced that it accepted the proposal for examination of all of the Defence witnesses.
The Sarajevo Cantonal Prosecutions indictment alleges that Ibrahim Ceco, former member of the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina, ABiH, physically abused Serb civilians, while they were digging trenches at Dobrinja 5 locality on September 18, 1992.
The Prosecution alleges that indictee Ceco slapped two civilians and hit them with his fist on their heads and bodies and took them, in collaboration with soldiers nicknamed Seki and Zoka, to the basement of a building in Dobrinja, where they ordered the civilians to lie down and continued abusing them.
The indictment alleges that Ceco hit injured party S.V. several times on his chest area, causing him severe bodily injuries. The injured party then lost conscience.
The Trial Chamber of the Cantonal Court in Sarajevo said that the trial of indictee Ceco had to begin anew, because more than 30 days had passed since the last hearing, adding that this was the legal deadline for starting a trial anew.
The Sarajevo Cantonal Prosecution and Defence of Ceco agreed not to present the pieces of evidence, which had been presented before, again, so the trial would not have to begin anew.
The trial is due to continue on May 25 this year, when first Defence witnesses will be examined.
S.U.
