Local Justice – Ponorac and Maric: Disputed Medical Report
This post is also available in: Bosnian
A graphologist testifies as a court expert before the District Court in Banja Luka and disputes the evidence presented by Dalibor Ponorac’s Defence in an attempt to provide an alibi for the indictee.
Muhidin Rasidovic, a graphologist who was invited by the Banja Luka District Court’s Chamber to testify at the trial, said the medical report written by Dr Franjo Matijasevic was not made on December 29, 1993, as alleged by Dalibor Ponorac’s Defence.
Ponorac and Marko Maric are on trial before the District Court in Banja Luka for crimes committed in Vrbanja in December 1993.
The indictment alleges that, on December 29, 1993, Ponorac and Maric drove to Ahmet Karat’s house in the Vrbanja district of Banja Luka, where they met Ahmet and his wife Senija. They allegedly had a brief quarrel with them, “pushed them into the house and killed them”.
In addition, Maris is charged with having killed Midhad Obralic from Vrbanja by shooting him with a revolver.
As stated in Dr Matijasevic’s report, which the Defence previously presented as evidence, indictee Ponorac visited his doctor on December 29, 1993, so he could not have been at the crime scene at the time of the killing.
“By comparing the disputed document written by Dr Matijasevic with a report he wrote earlier, it was determined there were many differences in the way the letters were written. These differences may have been caused by the passage of time, but it was determined that the report was not made on December 29, 1993,” court expert Rasidovic said.
Vladimir Radosavljevic, Defence attorney for indictee Ponorac, said he objected to the court expert’s findings, proposing to the Court to examine medical expert Milan Arbutin.
“Rasidovic is incompetent. His experience and level of education are insufficient. His testimony can therefore not be accepted,” attorney Raosavljevic said, but the Trial Chamber rejected his proposal, saying: “There is no need to examine the proposed witness.”
The trial is due to continue on October 21, when indictee Marko Maric will testify in his own defence. The parties will then present their closing arguments.
Ponorac and Maric were arrested at the beginning of December last year. They have been held in custody since then. Both of them have been convicted in the past for other crimes.
G.O.
