Koricanske stijene: Jankovic not Seen in Convoy

“I neither saw him in Tukovi on that day nor during the travel of the convoy. Miroslav Paras commanded the Interventions Squad. Simo Drljaca was his superior officer. Jankovic could not have ordered the deployment of the Squad,” witness Marinko Ljepoja said.

Simo Drljaca, former Chief of the Prijedor police, was killed in 1997 during an arrest operation conducted as per a Hague Tribunal’s warrant. Miroslav Paras was killed during the war.Witness Ljepoja, former member of the Interventions Squad of Prijedor police, was sentenced, under a first instance verdict pronounced in another case, to 23 years in prison for crimes at Koricanske stijene on Mount Vlasic.

Ljepoja and second witness Milorad Radakovic, who testified in defence of Jankovic, confirmed that they saw a police vehicle in front of the convoy in Tukovi, Prijedor and that Paras, witness K-2 and a man named Sobot were in the vehicle.

“I saw those two men at the final destination in Smetovi, but Paras was not there,” said Radakovic, who was acquitted of the charges for this crime under a second instance verdict.

A first instance verdict was pronounced against Dusan Jankovic, former “Commander of the Police Station in Prijedor”, sentencing him to 27 years in prison for having participated in the murder of more than 150 men at Koricanske stijene.

The witnesses said that they knew Jankovic by sight, but they did not know what function he performed at the Public Safety Station in Prijedor.

Zoran Babic, Milorad Skrbic and Zeljko Stojnic, former members of the Interventions Squad of the Public Safety Station in Prijedor, are on trial for this crime. Under a first instance verdict, Babic and Skrbic were sentenced to 22 years in prison each, while Stojnic was sentenced to 15 years. The Appellate Chamber revoked the verdict and ordered a retrial.

The retrial is due to continue with the examination of new Defence witnesses on October 15.
M.T.