A fourth hearing in the case of Hamdo Dacić, Haris Zornić and Acik Can at the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) was cancelled because no defense witnesses showed up. Hamdo Murić and Ismet Bektić were to show up to speak in favor of the accused drug traffickers and money lauderers.. Zornić’s attorney Vlado Adamović said the two agreed to testify but could not be reached because they work in Germany. The defense announced their arrival several times, but they have never responded to calls.
The president of the panel of judges, Mirsad Strika, asked for a written listing of witnesses to prevent future cancelations. Strika said that he would issue another order to the State Investigative and Protection Agency (SIPA) to bring in Saveta Zvizdić and another protected witness for an Oct. 2 hearing. Strika issued a similar order to SIPA 15 days ago but SIPA could not track them down.
For an Oct. 9 hearing Adamović announced the same witnesses who did not show up today as well as Jurgen Hofman, a German businismen doing business with the defendants during their stay in that country. He was also supposed to show up at a hearing seven days ago, but he could not buy a ticket for Sarajevo because of a Lufthansa strike, according to a letter he wrote the court.
Also, another defense witness expected to testify is Drew Engel, former international prosecuter from the Special Department for Organized Crime, Economic Crime and Corruption of the BiH Prosecutor’s Office. Engel was one of the prosecutors who filed an indictment against the accused, but he stopped working at the end of 2009.
The BiH Prosecutor’s Office filed the indictment against Dacić, Zornić and Can and a Sarajevo firm Majorka on Nov. 16, 2009. The trial began Feb. 21, 2010. The group is charged with making 5- 6 million KM from drug trafficking. They laundered money through the Hotel Exclusive.
