The Serbian war crimes prosecutor Vladimir Vukčević and representatives of the Prosecutor’s Office of BIH Jadranka Lokmić-Misirača signed a Protocol of Cooperation and transfer of evidence in war crimes investigations in Brussels today, says a reporter from Anadolija Agency.
The Protocol defines the exchange of information and evidence on the voluntary principle in war crimes. The Protocol will make possible a more efficient prosecution of war crimes, especially in cases when parallel investigations in BiH and Serbia arise. The document that was signed today will help overcome situations that are occurring when the evidence is located in one state, and the perpetrator of a war crime committed the crime in another country.
The Serbian War Crimes Prosecutor Vladimir Vukčević said that before the signing of the Protocol the Serbian Prosecution now has regular cooperation with all states in the region when it comes to war crimes.
‘’On the basis of such agreements until now, the Prosecution exchanged information and evidence for around 150 cases of war crimes in the region. Negotiations between the Serbia Prosecutor’s office and the BiH Prosecutor’s office regarding the signing of the Protocol lasted for more than 2 years’’, said Vukčević.
The signing of the Protocol between the Prosecutor’s office of BiH and Serbia was attended by the recently appointed chief state prosecutor of BiH Goran Salihović, the General Director for the Directorate of the European Commission for Enlargement Stefano Sanino, Director for the Western Balkans in the European Commissions Directorate for Enlargement Pierre Mirel, as well as other high-ranking representatives of the International Performance Organization.