By reading statements and submitting material evidence, the State Prosecutor’s Office completed the evidentiary proceedings at the trial of the former Minister of Defense of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) Selmo Cikotic, accused of abuse of position and authority, while the defense announced the first witnesses for September.
Prosecutor Mladen Furtula read the testimony of the witness Sefik Hasanovic, who has since passed away, in which he stated that he was an employee of the Ministry of Defense and the president of the Commission for the Delivery of Weapons and Ammunition.
In his testimony, he described the process of handing over weapons and ammunition.
“Packed ammunition and weapons were waiting for us at the location, and there were members of the Armed Forces of BiH (AFBiH) and the representative of ‘Scout’ Darko Kandic,” reads the statement read by the prosecutor.
As the witness said, they mostly had documentation on the type and quantity of weapons and ammunition, but this was sometimes omitted.
The testimony of the witness states that he was also appointed to the commission that was supposed to determine the individual prices of weapons and ammunition, but that he never saw any decision on this.
“I don’t remember that I ever received any decision or solution, nor that I signed anything,” the witness stated in his testimony.
Prosecutor Furtula then submitted four decisions on the delivery of weapons and ammunition to the Ministry of Defense of BiH, along with accompanying documentation – reports and handover records.
Among the material evidence, the State Prosecutor’s Office submitted the decisions of the Council of Ministers of BiH, the governments of the Federation of BiH (FBiH) and Republika Srpska (RS), as well as the decisions of the Presidency of BiH on the realization of unrealized contracts from 2008, as well as the one from 2009 on the determination of surplus weapons and ammunition.
Among the evidence of the Prosecutor’s Office of BiH is the opinion of the Office of the Attorney General of BiH from 2010, as well as the report of this institution sent to the Ministry of Defense of BiH.
By submitting material evidence, the State Prosecutor’s Office completed the evidentiary proceedings.
The defense objected to four documents related to the signing of the annex to the contract, stating that the State Prosecutor’s Office did not receive those documents from the Ministry of Defense, and objected to the findings and opinion of expert witness Berko Zecevic.
“We believe that he is in a conflict of interest,” said defense attorney Kadrija Kolic.
The indictment accuses Cikotic that in the period from 2009 to 2011 – in agreement with other persons, with the aim of obtaining benefits – he used his official position and favored the company “Scout” from Zagreb.
As stated, Cikotic, contrary to the Agreement on the final disposal of all rights and obligations over the movable property from 2008 and the decisions of the BiH Presidency, made and signed two decisions approving the delivery or exchange of goods, and four decisions on the delivery of ammunition. According to the indictment, he concluded four annexes to the basic contracts on the sale of non-perspective weapons and ammunition concluded in 2003 and 2004.
The continuation of the trial is scheduled for September 12th, when the presentation of the evidence of the Defense begins, Detektor reports.
E.Dz.
