Appeals Court in Belgrade Acquits Ten Individuals Accused of Aiding in Ratko Mladić's Concealment

The Appeals Court in Belgrade has definitively acquitted ten individuals for aiding and abetting the concealment of Hague indictee and former commander of the Army of Republika Srpska, Ratko Mladić, writes the Patria agency.

In addition to the ten acquitted individuals, the Appeals Court handed down a conditional sentence of six months with a probation period of one year to retired general Marko Lugonja.

Lugonja is the only one among all the accused who admitted to aiding in Ratko Mladić's concealment.

The criminal proceedings were initiated 11 years ago, and the indictment accused them of assisting the Hague indictee in his concealment from 2002 to 2006.

By the final verdict, Stanko Ristić, Ljiljana Vasković, Borislav Ivanović, Predrag Ristić, Saša Badnjar, Ratko Vučetić, Tatjana Vasković Janjušević, Bojan Vasković, and Blagoje Govedarica were acquitted of the charges due to lack of evidence.

Retired general Marko Lugonja was conditionally sentenced because, in September 2002, he harbored Ratko Mladić in his apartment in Belgrade at the urging of general Zdravko Tolimir and provided him with necessary food supplies, despite knowing that Mladić was indicted for war crimes.

Lugonja stated that he helped Mladić because he was his commander.