Crucial or Fabricated Statements by Eye-witnesses

The Cantonal Court in Zenica scheduled the pronouncement of the verdict for June 17.

In its closing statement the Prosecution said that it had been proved that, on June 10, 1993 Hadrovic caused severe injuries to civilian Sekula Poletan by hitting him on his head with a rifle butt, while Dajic killed him from an automatic rifle.

Prosecutor Amra Ahmetlic pointed out that those allegations were confirmed by witnesses, former policemen and Hadrovic’s colleagues Jasmin Mehinagic and Seval Alickovic, who were eyewitnesses to this event. 

“The Prosecution considers the differences in statements given by other witnesses logical, considering the fact that they were at various locations and that the situation was so shocking and stressful that they saw and perceived it differently,” Ahmetlic said. 

She reminded the Court that family members of the killed man heard, immediately after the event, that the murder had been committed by Hadrovic and Dajic.

Mensur Hasagic, Defence attorney of indictee Fadil Dajic, said that they had not been able to obtain evidence, which would deny the Prosecution’s evidence, during the course of the trial, but he pointed to contradictions between witnesses’ statements.

Based on the principle that, in case a suspicion exists, a court should render a verdict in favour of the indictee, Hasagic proposed to the Court to pronounce a verdict of release.

The Defence of Hadrovic called for a verdict of release, because it considers that the Prosecution has not proved the allegations from the indictment beyond reasonable doubt. 

Anto Grgic, Hadrovic’s Defence attorney, said that testimonies by witnesses Jasmin Mehinagic and Seval Alickovic were unfounded and fabricated. He said that, in their testimonies they accused Hadrovic “due to reasons related to police job and disrupted mutual relations”. 

“In fact, the two men are associated with the victim, because third Prosecution witness Jozo Jozanovic, who was an eyewitness to this event, said that Mehinagic and Alickovic took Poletan out of his house and that Fadil Dajic then killed him by shooting him from a rifle,” Grgic said. 

He pointed out that the allegations by other witnesses brought the authenticity of statements given by witnesses, whom the Prosecution considers crucial, under suspicion.