The trial continues today at the Basic Court in Prishtina against Vladimir Tollic, Bllagoje Spasojevic, and Dusan Maksimovic in the “Banjska” case.
In this session, the defense of the accused Dusan Maksimovic began. He spoke about the photograph in which he appears in uniform, claiming that it was taken in his own home. He stated that “I have not been engaged by anyone or for anything.”
“I would like to clarify a part that concerns a matter of the Special Prosecutor’s Office, regarding a question for the Special Prosecutor’s Office. The question concerns the uniform in the indictment photograph. In the question from the Special Prosecutor’s Office asking me to clarify where I got the uniform, how I obtained it, for what reason, by whom I was engaged with duties, and what duties I had — I responded. However, when I reviewed the official report, I noticed that the part of my answer regarding any engagement or duties is missing. I was not engaged by anyone or for anything. The photograph was taken in my home, photographed for amusement, and it was the first time I saw and had such a uniform. Had I known earlier, I surely would not have found it interesting to take photos in uniform,” he said.
During his defense questioning by lawyer Jovana Filipovic, he said that he is an active hunter and that he had obtained the uniform beforehand to use it for hunting.
“I obtained this uniform beforehand to use it for hunting, and as I said to the Special Prosecutor’s Office, I did not know nor had any idea what photographs they planned to use in this procedure. Banjska is a small place surrounded by mountains and people, and I have spent my free time for years hunting and in nature, as I said, because I lived in such an environment,” he added.
He further claimed that the uniform in which he appears in the photograph is not similar to those used during the Banjska attack.
“That photograph was taken precisely on December 13, 2022. Mr. Judge, this is 285 days before the Banjska incident. Unfortunately, I had time to think about the days. As I have stated and now confirm, that uniform is not similar to the uniforms used in the Banjska attack,” he said.
The accused in the Banjska attack, Dusan Maksimovic, denied that the uniform found in his room has any connection to the Banjska attack on September 24, 2023.
“I have no knowledge of where lawyer Naim Rudari obtained such a claim and information. I know the uniform was wet with my things. After a while, when I cleaned my house from dirt and mud and discarded all water-damaged or wet furniture, I know that I also discarded this uniform. So it certainly could not have been ‘found’,” he declared before the panel.
The defense of the accused, Dusan Maksimovic, continues at the Basic Court in Prishtina.
The Special Prosecutor, Naim Abazi, previously requested the court panel to admit as evidence the official report from the interview with the accused Bllagoje Spasojevic.
“During the verification of the case files, we noted that the official report dated September 24, 2024, regarding the questioning of the accused Bllagoje Spasojevic, is included in the case materials; however, it was not included in the evidence list or index of file number 26, which is considered a technical error during the preparation of the evidence list. This evidence was provided to the defense and the court but was not marked as such. Since this document is part of the investigative material and is now included in the case files, the prosecution proposes to the court to allow its admission as evidence,” he declared.
The court panel issued a ruling, with presiding judge Ngadhenjim Arrni stating that the statement given by the accused earlier to the police has been admitted as evidence. The judge also noted that further information from phone examinations will be evaluated.
In Zvecan’s Banjska, on September 24, 2023, the Kosovo Police faced a terrorist attack. Nearly a year after the attack, the Special Prosecutor’s Office filed an indictment on September 11, naming among the main accused Milan Radojevic as the group leader.
According to the indictment, they committed the criminal offense of “commission of a terrorist act” and the offense of “serious acts against the constitutional order and security of the Republic of Kosovo.” Some are also accused of financing the group and money laundering.
From the terrorist attack in September 2023, a 50-year-old officer from Vushtrri, Afrim Bunjaku, was killed, while police officer Alban Rashiti was injured, along with Clirim Shaqiri, Mirsad Kryeziu, and Sedat Dushi.
The Serbian terrorists left behind extensive evidence and traces, including drone video footage, phone communications among group members, security cameras, photographs, and hundreds of documents.
Serbia has still not handed over the Banjska criminals, despite repeated requests from local authorities and some international allies.
