Sipic: Trial Date Set

The Court of BiH has decided that the trial of former 5th Corps Army BiH member Idhan Sipic will start on February 8, 2008.

The Prosecution holds Sipic responsible for the murder of one person during the month of September 1995 in the Korjenovo Brdo area. According to the indictment, Sipic murdered one person and then cut the body into pieces and threw it ”piece by piece” into a well.

Prosecutor Milorad Barašin, during the status conference session held on Friday, said that he will summon six witnesses and a neuropsychiatric court expert. He expects that the evidence presentation process will take two days.

“The Defence would like to summon the same six witnesses and to examine the indictee, as well as a neuropsychiatric court expert who will testify on Sipic’s mental condition. We are still gathering evidence so I can’t precisely tell how much time will be necessary,” said Sipic’s attorney, Binasa Abaspahic.

During the investigation, Sipic admitted his guilt and, on November 23, 2007, reached an agreement with the prosecution concerning a guilty plea.

However, the court dismissed this agreement, as the indictee stated that ”he had signed [it] before reading the indictment”. It was expected that this plea agreement would have led to a prison sentence of six to ten years, had it been accepted by the court.