Case No. IT-02-54-T
IN THE TRIAL CHAMBER
Before:
Judge Patrick Robinson, Presiding
Judge O-Gon Kwon
Judge Iain Bonomy
Registrar:
Mr. Hans Holthuis
Decision:
31 October 2005
PROSECUTOR
v.
SLOBODAN MILOSEVIC
_____________________________
DECISION ON PROSECUTION APPLICATION FOR FURTHER ACTION IN RELATION TO PREVIOUS RULE 54 BIS APPLICATIONS
_____________________________
Office of the Prosecutor:
Ms. Carla Del Ponte
Mr. Geoffrey Nice
The Accused:
Mr. Slobodan Milosevic
Court Assigned Counsel:
Mr. Steven Kay
Ms. Gillian Higgins
Government of Serbia and Montenegro:
Ms. Sanja Milinkovic
Amicus Curiae:
Mr. Timothy McCormack
THIS TRIAL CHAMBER of the International Tribunal for the Prosecution of Persons Responsible for Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Law Committed in the Territory of the former Yugoslavia since 1991 (“Tribunal”) is seized of a “Prosecution Application for Further Action in Relation to Previous Rule 54bis Applications” and hereby renders a decision thereon.
1. On 24 August 2005, the Prosecution filed an “Application for Further Action in Relation to Previous Rule 54bis Applications” (“Application”).
2. On 14 September 2005, Serbia and Montenegro filed a “Confidential Response to Prosecution Application for Further Action in Relation to Previous Rule 54bis Applications, dated 24 August 2005” (“Response”). Serbia and Montenegro’s Response did not comply with the Tribunal’s Rules of Procedure and Evidence (“Rules”) and practice directions in that (i) it was filed after the deadline for responses to motions had passed, and (ii) it exceeded the accepted length of responses to motions.1 Serbia and Montenegro did not seek leave for an extension of the length of its Response or the time in which it could be filed. The Trial Chamber notes this non-compliance with the Tribunal’s procedures but decides in this instance to grant proprio motu, pursuant to Rules 127 and 54, leave to Serbia and Montenegro to file its Response. Serbia and Montenegro also filed its Response confidentially. The Trial Chamber discerns no reason for the Response to have been filed confidentially and therefore will order Serbia and Montenegro to file a public version with any information it deems confidential redacted.
3. On 19 September 2005, the Prosecution filed a confidential “Reply to Serbia and Montenegro’s Confidential Response to Prosecution Application for Further Action in Relation to Previous Rule 54bis Applications” (“Reply”), along with a request for leave to file it under Rule 126 bis. The Trial Chamber grants, pursuant to Rule 126 bis, leave to the Prosecution to file its Reply. The Prosecution also filed its Reply confidentially. For the reason in the foregoing paragraph, the Trial Chamber will order the Prosecution to file a public, redacted version of its Reply.
4. The Trial Chamber has considered all the arguments raised by the Prosecution and Serbia and Montenegro in their filings and, pursuant to Article 29 of the Statute of the Tribunal and Rules 54 and 54 bis of the Rules HEREBY ORDERS as follows:
(a) With regard to the “Joint Command documents” that were the subject of RFAs 174 and 174A2 and the Trial Chamber’s Thirteenth Decision, Serbia and Montenegro shall file, within two weeks of this date of this decision, an inter partes, public submission explaining why it did not previously produce, and to this date still has not produced, the two “Joint Command” documents tendered by witness Bozidar Delic during his testimony,3 despite the fact that the Thirteenth Decision called for the production of such documents.4 The Trial Chamber notes that Serbia and Montenegro is still bound by the Thirteenth Decision’s order that Serbia and Montenegro “continue its efforts to locate the requested documentation” and produce such documentation to the Prosecution, and that a state must always perform its legal obligations in good faith.5 The Chamber also notes that non-compliance with the Trial Chamber’s decisions can entail Serbia and Montenegro being reported to the Security Council under Rule 7 bis of the Tribunal’s Rules.
(b) With regard to the documents requested in RFAs 119B-D (“Military Unit Documents”), the Trial Chamber DENIES the Prosecution’s motion for reconsideration as unnecessary.6 The specific relief requested by the Prosecution in its Application is “a binding order for the production of the documents detailed in Attachment A”, which is a subset of the Military Unit Documents. The Trial Chamber notes that Serbia and Montenegro has expressed an ability and willingness to provide the documents listed in Attachment A of the Prosecution’s Motion;7 the Trial Chamber therefore INVITES the Prosecution to direct a Request for Assistance to Serbia and Montenegro for the documents listed in Attachment A.
(c) With regard to the documents requested in RFA 877,8 the Trial Chamber notes that Serbia and Montenegro indicated that it was in the process of collecting the documents and that they would be provided to the Prosecution by 28 September 2005, and notes that they should now be in the hands of the Prosecution.9 Based upon Serbia and Montenegro’s representation, the Trial Chamber regards further action in relation to these documents to be unnecessary at this point in time.
(d) Serbia and Montenegro shall, within two weeks of the date of this decision, file a public and (if necessary) redacted version of its Response.
(e) The Prosecution shall, within
one week of Serbia and Montenegro’s compliance
with the paragraph above, file a public and (if
necessary) redacted version of its Reply.
Done in both English and French, the English text being authoritative.
______________
Judge Robinson
Presiding
Dated this 31st day of October 2005
At The Hague
The Netherlands
[Seal of the Tribunal]