Custody Measures Requested for Lipovac

Lipovac was arrested in the Netherlands in May 2014. Prosecutor Milorad Barasin said Lipovac reported Slavonski Brod in Croatia as his place of residence. He said Lipovac had been living in the Netherlands since 1994.

The prosecution filed the indictment against Lipovac in 2008. Barasin said the defendant had received an invitation to report to the state prosecution, but had failed to do so. The Bosnian state court then confirmed the indictment and ordered the issuance of an arrest warrant.

Lipovac is a former member of the 103rd Brigade of the Croatian Defense Council in Derventa and a former commander of a detention camp located in a school building in Poljari. He has been charged with the murder of a Serb prisoner and the abuse of other detained Serb civilians.

Davor Silic, Lipovac’s defense attorney, said he couldn’t comment on the indictment because he didn’t know what the witnesses had said during the investigation. He said he was a new defense attorney in the case and still hadn’t received the evidence accompanying the indictment. Judge Minka Kreho told Silic that he would receive the evidence and have an opportunity to file objections against the indictment.

Silic said he objected to the prosecution’s reasons for filing a custody order motion against Lipovac. He said payment would probably be offered to release Lipovac on bail in the upcoming period.

“I’m not running away from anyone,” Lipovac said.

The state court will render a decision concerning the custody order motion at a later stage.