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Anto Mandic told the Court that, following the 1990 elections, he was elected President of Kotor-Varos Municipal Assembly as member of the Croatian Democratic Community, HDZ.
According to his testimony, indictee Savo Tepic became Chief of Police at the same time.
“At that time we began seeing requests for the establishment of an autonomous province of Krajina and the joining of Kotor-Varos to the autonomous province, using economic reasons as an excuse,” the witness said.
As he said, he was requested to include that question in the agenda, but he did not do it. He said that public discussions on “Independent autonomous province of Krajina – yes or no” were then organised in April 1992.
“I obtained a document that had no beginning or end, which indicated that Kotor-Varos was part of the independent province,” Mandic said.
The Prosecution of BiH charges Savo Tepic, Dragoslav Bojic, Dusko Vujicic, Dusko Maksimovic, Radojko Keverovic, Rade Skoric and Ilija Kurusic with having participated in a widespread and systematic attack against and prosecution of Bosniaks and Croats from their houses in the Kotor-Varos area, as well as the detention, torture and other inhumane acts, from May 1992 to the end of 1992.
Mandic said that he was arrested on June 11 and taken from his house in order to be examined on who possessed illegal weapons.
“I was first taken to the sawmill building. Somebody said via walkie-talkie: ‘The top cat has been caught’… I was examined by Zdravko Pejic, who asked me about weapons. I only knew who possessed legal weapons. I did not arm anybody,” the witness said.
When asked by judge Zoran Bozic if he knew why he was arrested and what he was suspected of, the witness said: “The disintegration of Yugoslavia and death of several persons”.
After having been detained in the sawmill, Mandic was taken to the Safety Services Centre in Banja Luka, “Maslovare” school building and “Tunjice” minor persons prison in Banja Luka, where he was detained and examined. He was exchanged on November 25, 1992.
The trial is due to continue on June 16.
