At the Basic Court in Pristina, the brothers Dragisha and Jovan Vicentijevic and Igor Dimovic, accused of the attack on the “Ibër-Lepenc” canal in Varagë, Zubin Potok, on November 29, 2024, pleaded not guilty at the initial hearing, KosovaPress reports.
They entered their pleas after the indictment was read by Special Prosecutor Bekim Kodraliu.
When asked by the presiding judge, Vesel Ismajli, whether they considered themselves guilty of the acts they are accused of, Jovan and Dragisha Vicentijevic said they do not feel guilty: “No, for none of them.”
Igor Dimovic also entered the same plea.
“I wish to declare that I do not feel guilty for the criminal offense attributed to me,” he said.
Presiding judge Vesel Ismajli stated that the accused have 30 days to submit requests for dismissal of the indictment and to challenge the evidence.
“The initial hearing concludes here. Since the accused did not plead guilty to the criminal offenses they are charged with, you are legally entitled, from today, to submit written requests for dismissal of the indictment and challenges to the evidence within the legal deadline of 30 days. The court will examine, analyze, and issue a decision regarding your requests,” said Ismajli.
However, Jovan Vicentijevic’s lawyer, Nebojsha Vllajic, requested that the criminal proceedings against his client be joined with the case ongoing at the Basic Court in Peja, where his client is also charged alongside his brother for murder.
“Regarding the requests for dismissal of the indictment and challenges to the evidence, we will submit them in this court in writing within the deadline, but at the same time, we will request the joining of the criminal proceedings against the defendant ongoing at the Basic Court of Peja,” he said.
However, Special Prosecutor Bekim Kodraliu added that the court cannot interfere with the jurisdiction of the Basic Court in Peja, as it would impede the investigation into the accused for murder.
“He [the lawyer] is a professional and must understand certain legal issues. The criminal procedure in Peja is ongoing, under investigation, and it is not legally possible to merge the same case with a case still under investigation. We cannot interfere with the jurisdiction of the Basic Court in Peja, as it would obstruct the investigation there,” he said.
According to the Prosecutor’s Office indictment, on November 29, 2024, around 18:50, in the village of Varagë, Zubin Potok Municipality, the brothers Dragisha and Jovan Vicentijevic placed explosives in a section of the “Ibër-Lepenc” canal, a public infrastructure facility that serves the supply of drinking water and the needs of the Kosovo Energy Corporation (KEK) for electricity production.
The indictment, filed by Special Prosecutor Bekim Kodraliu, states that the accused, together with several other still unidentified persons, after a prior agreement, with the aim of seriously intimidating the population and endangering the constitutional order and security of the Republic of Kosovo, placed a considerable amount of military-use explosives (around 20 kilograms of Trinitrotoluene “TNI”) inside the canal.
According to the Prosecutor’s Office, these actions caused a serious risk to the life and safety of the population and damaged critical state infrastructure. In this case, the damaged facility, “Ibër-Lepenc,” suffered material damages valued at €376,774.70.
In point 2 of the indictment, the Vicentijevic brothers are also charged with illegal possession of weapons. According to the indictment, from an unspecified date until their arrest, in their homes — one in Zubin Potok and the other in the village of Prevllak, in the same municipality — inspections by the Kosovo Police found a significant amount of military weaponry in their possession.
In point 3 of the indictment, it is stated that Jovan Vicentijevic, from an unspecified date continuously until his arrest on December 1, 2024, as a recruit in the Serbian Military Service with the rank of colonel, acted and assisted this service by collecting information and classified documents to use in his illegal activities in Kosovo.
According to the indictment, this information was intended to be communicated to the Serbian Military Intelligence Service through visits and meetings he conducted in Serbia with its officials. These documents and information were obtained through his espionage activities. Additionally, according to the indictment, with the aim of creating a damaging narrative about Kosovo to the international community, Vicentijevic attempted, through a modified document, to present the existence of a fictitious organization supposedly for the liberation of Albanian territories, called the “National Committee for the Liberation and Protection of Albanian Territories,” accompanied by several photos of high-ranking officers of the Kosovo Liberation Army.
In point 4 of the indictment, Igor Dimovic is accused of, from an unspecified date until November 30, 2024, around 6:30 a.m., in the village of Varagë, Zubin Potok, specifically in his home, being found during a Kosovo Police search in possession of three magazines, one bullet, a knife, and several military uniforms, which were seized by the Police at the scene.
