Kovacevic: Replacement of Defence Attorney Requested
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At a status conference held before the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kovacevic said that he had seen his Defence attorney Edin Sabanovic only three times during the course of his eight-month detention in the Penal and Correctional Facility in Zenica.
I received the evidence a few days ago. The pile of documents is kept in my prison cell. During his visits he looked at his watch all the time, as if he had to go, the indictee said.
Defence attorney Sabanovic said that he was surprised by the indictee’s stand, adding that he had performed his job in a scrupulous manner.
This is completely new to me. I have performed my job in a scrupulous manner. I paid visits to my client as often as I could, considering my other business engagements. As far as the evidence is concerned, I received them on a CD. I have printed nearly all of the documents, thousands and thousands of documents in order to submit them to my client, Sabanovic said.
Trial Chamber Chairman Davorin Jukic ordered the indictee and Defence attorney to submit a written note concerning the request, adding that the Court would then render its decision.
The Prosecution of Bosnia and Herzegovina charges Kovacevic with having participated, along with unidentified members of the Croatian Defence Forces, HOS and Croatian Army, HV, in the murder, torture, unlawful detention, forcing people to perform labour, pillaging and unjustified destruction of property owned by Serb civilians in the spring and summer of 1992.
The indictment alleges that the indictee was member of the Interventions Squad of the First Bosanski Brod Brigade in the mentioned period of time.
Kovacevic was arrested in Sweden in late December 2010 on the basis of a warrant issued by the District Court in Doboj.
He was extradited to Bosnia and Herzegovina in late October 2011. The Prosecution of Bosnia and Herzegovina took the investigation over and filed the indictment.
