Trial of Jakiša continues: US suspects him of multiple murders and war crimes

Former HVO member Zdenko Jakiša, who was arrested in the United States in Minnesota for defrauding immigration authorities and is under investigation for war crimes, will go on trial tomorrow, US media report, as carried by the Bosnian news agency Patria (NAP).

Jakiša has pleaded not guilty to possession of illegally obtained documents. Prosecutors say he obtained a green card illegally because he did not disclose his participation in the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He also concealed that he had been charged with the murder of a neighbor.

Jakiša's attorney said prosecutors waited too long to charge him and that the key witness to the murder has died.

However, court documents indicate that Jakiša is also suspected of other murders. According to US media, seven witnesses in Bosnia and Herzegovina have been questioned about his alleged involvement in three separate murders.

The investigation against Jakiša is also being conducted by the Prosecutor's Office of the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton, and US authorities claim they are seeking to question him in connection with war crimes. It was previously reported that Jakiša resisted arrest and has a lengthy criminal and violent record, NAP reports.