Basic and Sijak: Asked for Money
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She began accusing Muhidin Basic in relation to her brother. She said that some money was asked for. As she was speaking, she presented more and more accusations. I was shocked when she said that he co-operated with Serbs, as I did not know how we could have missed something like that. I could not believe that he asked for money in order to release her brother from prison, said witness Sabit Burgijasevic, former member of the State Security Service.
According to Burgijasevic, he let the witness speak and asked her if she had anything else to say, but she said no.
Also, he said that her mother entered the room, where the two of them were talking, several times and that she told her not to interrupt her and that he was someone who can be trusted.
The indictment filed by the Prosecution of Bosnia and Herzegovina alleges that Muhidin Basic and Mirsad Sijak, who were accompanied by two unidentified members of the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina, ABiH, forced protected witness A, who was visiting a prison in Vares, to have sexual intercourse with them on January 25, 1994.
Basic was Chief of the wartime Section of the State Security Service in Olovo and Sijak was military policeman with the 122nd Light Brigade of ABiH.
Witness Burgijasevic said that, after having taken the statement, he spoke to his chief, who told him that there was no evidence to prove her statement and that no disciplinary procedure had been conducted against Basic.
Gulumser Zuban and Miso Kerleta, indictees colleagues from the Intelligence and Security Agency, OSA, testified in defence of Basic at this hearing. They spoke about indictee Basics contacts with Bakira Hasecic, President of the Women Victims of War Association.
Zuban said that Hasecic called Basic over the phone twice, while Kerleta said that he was present in Basics office, when he spoke to her on October 14, 2009.
He addressed her as madam. Later on he said that it was Hasecic from the Association. He was visibly surprised when he received her call. When she called him the first time, she inquired about his function, Kerleta said.
Testifying at the trial of Basic and Sijak on April 2 this year, Hasecic said that she called Basic at work after having found out that witness A had mentioned his name.
The trial is due to continue on August 13.
A.S.
