Ganic arrested
March 2, 2010
Bosnia and Serbia have both demanded custody of Ejup Ganic, the ex-Bosnian deputy president who was arrested in London on Monday for suspected war crimes.
Serbia had issued an arrest warrant for Ganic relating to an attack on a retreating convoy of the Yugoslav People's Army in May 1992 that killed several soldiers and officers. Ganic denies the charges.
Bosnia opened an investigation into the incident several years ago. It claims the right to prosecute Ganic, who now works at the University of Sarajevo, under an agreement signed with Serbia saying suspects wanted by both countries should be prosecuted in their country of residence.
"The prosecution considers that dealing with war crimes committed in Bosnia-Herzegovina by Bosnian citizens is under its exclusive authority," the prosecutor's office said in a statement.
Warring judiciaries
But a group of Bosnian Serb wartime detainees complained to Belgrade that Bosnia's investigation was going too slowly. In response, Serbia launched its own probe into the incident last year, and has issued arrest warrants for 19 Bosnian ex-officials, including Ganic.
Serbian Justice Minister Snezana Malovic told local media that Belgrade would also seek to prosecute Ganic.
"The ministry is working hard to prepare necessary documents and I expect that we will send an extradition request by the end of the week," she said.
Mutual mistrust
Many Bosnians are skeptical of Serbia's justice system, which waited 18 months to indict an imprisoned Bosnian former wartime official several years ago. Some openly question Serbia's motives in seeking extradition.
"This is aimed by Serbian authorities to rehabilitate perpetrators of the crimes ... in Bosnia-Herzegovina and to demonize victims of the aggression of Serbia," said Haris Silajdzic, a Muslim member of Bosnia's presidency.
Bosnia's 1992-1995 war between Croats, Muslims and Serbs ended in the deaths of about 100,000 people. Belgrade politically and militarily backed ethnic Serbs during the conflict.
acb/dpa/AFP/AP/Reuters
Editor: Michael Lawton