Member of “Mice” Paramilitary Group Negotiates Plea Bargain with State Prosecution
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The state prosecution has charged Dario Slavuljica, Dragan Marjanovic, Sasa Gavranovic, Vitomir Devic, Zoran Sljuk, and Dragomir Kezunovic with taking 28 detained non-Serb civilians from a Teslic police station and the nearby Pribinic prison to Mount Borje on the night of June 17 and 18, 1992. There, the defendants allegedly killed them.
According to the charges, Marjanovic was the commander of the First Squad of the military police of the Teslicka Brigade of the Bosnian Serb Army. The other defendants were members of that squad as well as members of the “Mice” paramilitary formation.
“I can only confirm that these allegations are true,” prosecutor Dzermin Pasic said with regards to Slavuljica’s plea bargain at a status conference held prior to the defense’s presentation of evidence.
At today’s hearing, Slavuljica’s defense asked the trial chamber to revise the scheduling of evidence presentation hearings and to have their client testify first for the sake of efficiency and due to his admission of guilt.
Marjanovic’s defense attorney, Milan Romanic, asked the trial chamber to reject this proposal, arguing that it imperilled his client’s defense. He also claimed Slavujica “accused the defendants in a certain way” through statements he gave to the state prosecution as part of his plea bargain.
The trial chamber said it would consider Slavuljica’s testimony and said the defendant intended to testify, regardless of order. Trial chamber chair Vesna Jesenkovic told Romanic that he would be able to present evidence pertaining to Slavuljica’s testimony.
“The order in which the evidence is presented is very important,” Romanic said. He said he would be unable to confront Slavuljica with testimony given by other defendants in the case.
The trial will continue on January 21, when Slavuljica is expected to testify.
