State Prosecution Says New Indictment Against Gligor Begovic Likely

At a status conference held before the Bosnian state court, Janjic said a number of witnesses who had followed the Begovic indictment in July 2014 had contacted the state prosecution with new information.
 
“The witnesses hadn’t been previously examined and we didn’t know them. They saw the trial in the media and they wanted it to be processed,” Janjic said.
 
Begovic, a former member of the Bosnian Serb Army, is currently on trial for war crimes committed in the Batkovic detention facility. According to the prosecution, Begovic participated in the abuse and injury of civilians and prisoners detained in inhumane and unsanitary conditions at the facility.

The status conference was held after witnesses invited by the prosecution failed to appear in court to testify.

In addition to the possibility of a new indictment, Janjic said he gave up on examining four witnesses. He said he would leave the testimony of those four witnesses until the completion of the evidence proceedings.
 
“We also intend to change this indictment, by giving up one count, and we will specify another, in order to correspond with the evidence presented,” Janjic said, without specifying the charges.

The trial chamber ordered the state prosecution and the defense to prepare their evidence presentation plans by Friday, July 3, before the holidays.
 
The trial continues on July 7. The trial began in November of last year.