Defendants in the Murder of Slaviša Krunić Plead Not Guilty

BANJA LUKA, (Patria) - A hearing was held at the District Court in Banja Luka for the defendants accused of murdering Banja Luka businessman Slaviša Krunić and his associate Žarko Pavlović.

Spokesperson of the District Court, Slavica Divjak, said today that the defendants Benedi Đukanović, Emilijo Baldo, and Rodoljub Gajić pleaded not guilty, and the hearing was closed to the public. 

The indictment charges the suspects with organizing and murdering Slaviša Krunić near his family home in Glamočani on the night of April 23 to 24, 2019. 

The defendants waited for the vehicle in which Krunić was traveling and, at the moment the vehicle slowed down before entering the property, opened fire with automatic weapons, inflicting life-threatening injuries on Slaviša Krunić and his security detail, from which Krunić and Pavlović died, while another security worker was seriously wounded.

The defendants are in custody, and the indictment proposes that their detention be extended until the conclusion of the main trial. 

The motives for the murder of the well-known businessman are still unknown.