PHOTO: Croatia’s trial of the decade begins

Defendants in Ivo Pukanic and Niko Franjic’s assassination began their defense; they say that they do not feel guilty.

This Wednesday (03/02/2010) at around 9 a.m. Croatia’s trial of the year, if not a decade, began.  Judge of the Zagreb County Court, Ivan Krsul, opened a trial for the murder of the ‘Nacional’ magazine co-owner Ivo Pukanic and his associate Niko Franjic. USKOK, Croatia’s police agency, raised charges against Robert and Luka Matanic, Amir Mafalani, Zeljko Milovanovic, Bojana Guduric and Slobodan Durovic.

Gravity of this case was vivdly demonstrated by the fact that all who came to the court in Zagreb today had to pass a number of high-security searches. Thorough security scan consisted of initial vehicle search which was in place for both visitors and court officials.

This was followed by another search, followed by a walk through the corridor, and additional third search in the end. Furthermore, the trial is covered by 126 accredited journalists from 28 media houses. It includes three international agencies and seven local TV stations.

USKOK charges defendants for joining together and creating an international criminal organization headed by Sreten Jocic, known as Joca Amsterdam. They are accused of installing explosive device that killed Pukanic and Franjic, as well as planning to kill two other individuals. In case they are proven guilty, the court will prosecute them for a serious crime against public safety, murder for personal gain (they allegedly received 1.5 million Euros), and organized crime.  

The last fugitive arrested only recently

However, Zagreb justice will not see Zeljko Milovanovic, who was detained in Belgrade. He is detained along with Milenko Kuzmanovic and Sreten Jocic who will be tried there after Serbian authorities refused to extradite them to Croatia. Although the remaining suspect, Bojan Guduric, eluded authorities longer than the rest, he finally turned himself in some 37 hours before the Zagreb trial began.  He strolled into the Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina police station in the company of his lawyer.

He is considered to be the one who delivered an explosive device from Novi Sad, Serbia, to Zagreb, Croatia. He is also believed to be a high-ranking person in a criminal organization accused of murdering the Croatian media entrepreneur and his associate.

Zeljko Milovanovic, who is suspected of having planted the explosive device that killed Pukanic and Franjic tried to escape, but police traced him after he used his cell phone. Media reports that during the arrest he carried Glock pistol, fake Serbian ID, Slovenian passport and a fake driver's license from Slovakia.

Secret witness

On October 23, 2008 at 6:29 PM the explosion in the parking lot of Palmotic Street mortally wounded Ivo Pukanic and his marketing director Niko Franjic, while seriously injuring two other individuals.

It is suspected that Milovanovic used a scooter bike to drive the explosive device into the ‘Nacional’ parking lot, while a Guduric used a remote control to activate it.  

Attorney believes that Matanic and others acted under the orders of Jocic’s godfather, Durovic, who allegedly paid 1.5 million Euros for this operation.

One-year investigation was launched by the Zagreb police shortly after suspects were arrested in a police operation called “Balkan Express'”. The investigation was declared secret, so details involving witnesses are still unknown.  

However the media has announced that the prosecution is cooperating with a key witness who participated in the murder, but who reached a deal with the attorney. Croatian and Serbian press speculates that the charges against suspects are based on the testimony of this witness.

See the trial photos here.