Vlahovic: Unproved Accusations
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At the hearing today Defence attorney Radivoje Lazarevic focused on 11, out of 66 counts contained in the indictment. One of them refers to the taking of Zlatko Salcin in May 1992. Salcin was allegedly murdered at an unknown location. His murder is charged upon the indictee.
Witness Esad Coho said that members of Beli orlovi took Salcin from his apartment, while witness S-37 said that he was taken by Vlahovic, Miro Glavonjic and Krompir, Lazarevic said.
He said that the Defence proposed that Jasna Salcin, wife of the killed man, be examined as witness, but the Court rejected it as an unnecessary piece of evidence.
In her statement given to SIPA his wife said that it was true that Zlatko was taken away in May 1992, but the indictee had nothing to do with it, the Defence attorney explained.
He said that the Prosecutor based four counts on statements by protected witnesses, which were not supported by other pieces of evidence, adding that a verdict of conviction could not be based on that.
The Defence attorney said that protected witness S-28, who spoke about the murder of Tahir Jahic, was one of those witnesses.
Lazarevic said that S-28 said that he saw three men, including the indictee, taking Jahic away, that he heard a gunshot and saw Jahic dead. This allegedly happened in July, not in August 1992, as specified in the indictment.
When asked whether the indictee killed Jahic, this witness said that one of the three men did it, Lazarevic said.
The Defence attorney said that the Prosecution based the count, charging Vlahovic with the murder of Husnija Cerimagic and Goran Cengic, on hearsay information.
All witnesses said that they heard about this event from their neighbours, Lazarevic said.
When it comes to the rape of witness S-4, Lazarevic said that S-4 said that she was raped by Vlahovic and that she told Mirjana Music, whom the Defence considers a good quality witness, about it.
When Mirjana Music appeared in court, she said that she knew that witness S-4 was raped and that she did not tell her that the indictee did it, Lazarevic said.
The Defence is due to continue presenting its closing statement next week.
