Damjanovic brothers: Prosecutor questions witnesses’ honesty

Prosecutor Philip Alcock has cast doubt on the truthfulness of testimony given by defence witnesses in the trial of Goran and Zoran Damjanovic.

When they testified in December of last year, Zdravko Jovic, Bosko Tesanovic and Ljubinka Cvijanovic offered an alibi to Goran Damjanovic who is, jointly with his brother Zoran, charged with beating a group of Bosniaks in the Sarajevo suburb Bojnik.

According to the indictment, the crime took place on June 2, 1992. However, the three defence witnesses said that on that day Goran Damjanovic was in Pale visiting his wounded father Luka.

As Justice Report has discovered, the court released Goran Damjanovic on bail after he submitted valid documentation. His brother Zoran has been on bail since the beginning of the trial.

In December, the prosecutor asked the trial chamber to postpone the cross-examination of the three defence witnesses, arguing that he needed more time “check and additionally investigate” these witnesses’ statements.

Both in December and during cross-examination, witness Zdravko Jovic said that on June 2, 1992 he and indictee Goran Damjanovic left for Pale around 8am to visit the indictee’s father Luka Damjanovic who was, allegedly, wounded and in the hospital.

Jovic said that on June 2 he donated the blood necessary for Luka Damjanovic’s operation, which was completed on June 1.

“Blood transfusion is done on the day of the patients arrival, not the next day,” the Prosecutor commented.

Jovic responded that he donated blood as he was told in the hospital, but that he does not know for sure that the blood was given to Luka.

Jovic also said that after visiting Luka Damjanovic, he and Goran visited the Damjanovic family in Pale, where they spent the night.

“We returned to Bojnik in the afternoon of the next day,” the witness said.

Jovic claimed that “about ten days later” he and Goran Damjanovic went to pick up Luka from the hospital.  Prosecutor Alcock submitted a document according to which Luka was released from the hospital on June 7, 1992.

Witness Bosko Tesanovic was cross-examined in regards to the second count of the indictment, which holds Goran Damjanovic responsible for illegal possession of a significant amount of weapons and explosives, which were found during his arrest in April of last year.

In his testimony, Tesanovic claimed that the weapons and explosives belong to Luka Damjanovic.

As he said, Tesanovic worked with Luka on a construction site close to the Damjanovic family house, when they found the explosives.

“I don’t know the reason why Luka took that home,” the witness said.

During cross-examination, the prosecutor said that this witness’s testimony is not in accordance with that of the indictee, who said during the investigation that he was given the explosives in 1996 or 1997 and that he used it for fishing, but that he gave part of it over during the “Harvest” operation of collecting illegal arms.

“Luka Damjanovic is a good excuse for the indictee because he is now dead.  I believe that you made up the story about the explosives,” Prosecutor Alcock concluded.

The trial will be continued on February 15, 2007.