Lawyers: Prosecution's evidence in the Ibar-Lepenac case is questionable and one-sided

Lawyers representing the three defendants in the Ibar-Lepenac case, Jovan and Dragisa Vicentijevic and Igor Dimovic, said that the Kosovo Special Prosecutor's Office had not accepted a single piece of evidence proposed by the defense, while relying on collective formulations in presenting its own evidence, adding that the defense will once again have to prove the defendants' innocence.

Lawyer Nebojsa Vlajic said the prosecution's evidence in the case is questionable and one-sided.

"There is nothing new in this case that the public in Kosovo does not already know. This is one of many cases being conducted in the same manner, and its main effect in the end will be to deepen antagonism between the communities and nations living in Kosovo. I do not believe that should be the judiciary's goal. The evidence here is, at the very least, questionable and one-sided, because the public prosecutor has so far presented only the evidence he himself proposed, while rejecting all the evidence submitted by the defense. So the beginning of this trial is no different from other trials in Kosovo, and I fear the outcome may be the same," Vlajic said.

Lawyer Milos Delevic stated that the prosecution relies on collective formulations without presenting any evidence.

"The task of the special prosecutor is to prove the defendant's guilt. But this special prosecutor is doing it in the following way: he says that Jovan Vicentijevic and Dragisa Vicentijevic, together with other unidentified persons, arrived, planted the explosive device, lit the fuse, and detonated the explosive. He uses collective formulations without a single piece of evidence showing that Dragisa Vicentijevic took part in that act. We have to do what is not our job, which is to prove innocence. We will do that by presenting at least four witnesses who will confirm his alibi and at least two video recordings that will show where he was at the time of the explosion," Delevic said.

Lawyer Jelena Krivokapic stressed that the items found in Igor Dimovic's home could not be considered weapons, but rather an old, non-functional collection.

"My client, Igor Dimovic, is charged under Article 366, Paragraph 1, with unauthorized possession of weapons. As you heard, and as I said in my opening statement, what was found in his house, in his room during the search, in no way constitutes weapons or military equipment, as the prosecutor described it today. Therefore, in the course of these proceedings we will prove that it is a valuable collection from which only those items that could be interpreted as weapons were seized. They cannot be considered weapons because they are merely parts of weapons that are non-functional and serve no practical purpose. We have informed the court about the evidence we intend to present, and I expect that, after evaluating all the evidence, the court will conclude that an acquittal is the only fair and lawful verdict," she said.

Dragisa and Jovan Vicentijevic and Igor Dimovic, who are charged over the attack on the Ibar-Lepenac canal in the village of Varage near Zubin Potok on November 29, 2024, pleaded not guilty to the charges against them at today's hearing.

Prosecutor Bekim Kodraliu said that the defendants had committed the criminal offense described in the indictment, stating that it was not an ordinary criminal act, but a well-organized attack against Kosovo's critical infrastructure.