An investigating judge of the Belgrade High Court's war crimes department on Friday completed a hearing of Hague war crimes tribunal indictee Ratko Mladic at a special court which ruled that Mladic could be transferred to The Hague, reporters were told by special court judge Maja Kovacevic Tomic and Mladic's attorney Milos Saljic.
Kovacevic Tomic said the deadline for appealing the ruling expired on Monday.
Saljic said Mladic refused to speak at the hearing, even on the Hague tribunal's indictment.
Before that, Saljic said, the investigating judge briefed him and Mladic about medical findings that he is fit to stand trial.
"I think he isn't and throughout the hearing he showed the opposite, namely that he wasn't following appropriately what was going on in the court room," he added.
Saljic said Mladic jumped from subject to subject and spoke inconsistently, so the prosecution will be forced to seek an independent medical opinion, "court experts who will establish the real state of affairs."
"We think this is obviously intended to have the proceedings here terminated as soon as possible. At this moment, Mladic definitely can't follow and defend himself appropriately," said Saljic.
He said the defence would ask that Mladic be transferred to Belgrade's military hospital, to be followed by an appeal against the extradition decision.
Saljic said the issue of Mladic's health should be dealt with before the extradition procedure, as "it's unusual to extradite someone who is sick and can't follow the trial." He added Mladic should receive appropriate treatment so that he could defend himself.
