Dilemmas about Interception of Halilovic’s Conversations

Edhem Godinjak, Bojadzic’s Defence witness, said that interception of conversations by members of the State Security Service, SDB, whose employee he was for years, was only lawful if done in line with a decision issued by the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Godinjak, who used to work with the SDB’s Sector in Sarajevo, said that he was member of a commission for reviewing the work of SDP employees during the war, adding that the Commission determined several hundreds of cases of unlawful interception.

As Godinjak said, on the basis of a decision issued on June 10, 1993, the Commission determined that the interception of conversations led by Halilovic, former Chief of Headquarters of the Supreme Command with the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina, ABiH, was lawful.

Godinjak said that the Commission rendered the decision on the basis of available documents.

“We had not received any other decisions, but that one. (…) If the interception had been conducted prior to that date, it would have been unlawful,” the witness said.

The State Prosecution previously included an intercepted conversation conducted prior to June 10, 1993 in the case file as evidence. During the conversation one could hear Halilovic, Bojadzic and indictee Zulfikar Alispago discussing Trusina village.

According to the charges, Alispago was Commander of the Special Purposes Squad with the Main Command Headquarters of ABiH, while Bojadzic was his Deputy.

Croat civilians and soldiers were killed during the attack on Trusina on April 16, 1993. Alispago and Bojadzic are on trial along with Mensur Memic, Dzevad Salcin, Nedzad Hodzic, former members of “Zulfikar” Squad, and Hakalovic, former member of “Neretvica” Brigade.

Responding to questions by Prosecutor Vesna Budimir, Godinjak said that he knew nothing about Halilovic’s conversations intercepted prior to June 10, 1993.

The trial is due to continue on January 20.