Office of Liaison Officer to The Hague moved to Mostar: Čović attempts to save Prlić and others

The Office of the Croatian Liaison Officer to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia was officially opened in Mostar yesterday.

Igor Planinić, the newly appointed Croatian liaison officer to the ICTY, announced innovations in the Office's work to those present, particularly in providing legal assistance to members of the veteran population, and opened the Office's doors to all those who need legal and any other assistance in this domain, writes the Patria News Agency.

The official opening was attended by the Croatian member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Dragan Čović, the Speaker of the House of Representatives of the BiH Parliament, Borjana Krišto, the Minister of Justice of BiH, Josip Grubeša, the Minister of Justice of the Federation of BiH, Mato Jozić, the Mayor of Mostar, Ljubo Bešlić (all HDZ BiH), and representatives of primary veteran associations.

The relocation of institutions from Sarajevo and their centralization in Mostar continues. Following the relocation of several ministries, agencies, and services of the Federal Government, and the relocation of the Office of the Croatian member of the BiH Presidency, the Office of the Liaison Officer to The Hague is also coming to the western part of Mostar.

The goal is an attempt to save Prlić and others, who were initially convicted of a joint criminal enterprise. A final verdict in the case of Prlić and others is not expected until June 2017.

In May 2013, the Hague Tribunal sentenced six former leaders of the so-called Herceg-Bosna to prison terms ranging from 10 to 25 years for crimes against Bosniaks during the war in BiH, conceived within a joint criminal enterprise.

The former Prime Minister of the so-called Herceg-Bosna, Jadranko Prlić, was provisionally sentenced to 25 years in prison; former Minister of Defence Bruno Stojić and former Chiefs of the HVO General Staff Slobodan Praljak and Milivoj Petković to 20 years in prison each; former Military Police Commander Valentin Ćorić to 16 years; and Head of the Prisoner Exchange Office Berislav Pušić to 10 years in prison.