An 80-year-old former truck driver, who is wanted in Italy as one of the alleged “weekend snipers” in Sarajevo during the siege of the city during the last war, was questioned today before the prosecutors in Milan.
He is charged with the extended criminal offense of aggravated murder, but during the interrogation he completely denied all allegations.
“It’s not true, it’s not true,” the suspect repeated, answering the prosecutors’ questions during the hearing, which lasted a little over an hour. According to available information, he even denied that he had ever stayed in Sarajevo.
His lawyer Giovanni Menegon told reporters that his client “completely rejects the accusations” and emphasizes his “absolute innocence”. The suspect, who lives in the province of Pordenone, did not make any statements after leaving the Palace of Justice.
Earlier, in conversations with local Italian media, he claimed that he went to Bosnia exclusively on business, and that, in his opinion, the witnesses exaggerated parts of his stories. However, during today’s questioning, according to sources close to the investigation, he denied all circumstances that could connect him with his stay in Sarajevo or wartime events.
“My client answered all the prosecutors’ questions, again emphasizing his complete innocence. He believes that, despite the media noise, the judicial authorities will objectively determine that he has nothing to do with these events,” said Menegon, adding that he is also considering legal steps to protect his client’s reputation.
The hearing was attended by ROS Carabinieri investigators, prosecutor Alessandro Gobbis, as well as chief prosecutor Marcello Viola. According to the investigation files, the suspect allegedly boasted in front of other people that he went to Sarajevo in the early 1990s, where, as he claimed, he “hunted people” during the siege of the city.
According to the allegations, one woman informed a journalist of the local television in Friuli about these stories, and the witness and the journalist, who spoke about the “shocking testimonies”, were heard as part of the investigation.
The suspect is under investigation for prolonged aggravated murder, because, as stated, “in cooperation with other, so far unidentified persons, as part of the same criminal plan, he killed unprotected civilians, including women, elderly people and children, by shooting sniper weapons from positions around Sarajevo in the period from 1992 to 1995”.
The investigation is being conducted by the Carabinieri Special Unit, under the coordination of Chief Prosecutor Marcello Viola and Prosecutor Alessandro Gobbis, and the names of other persons are being checked within its framework, based on testimony and reports received.
