The anti-corruption office USKOK is not considering amending the indictment against former Defence Minister Berislav Roncevic and his then assistant Ivo Bacic, while the defence said the indictment must be amended for the retrial in the "military trucks" case to continue as envisaged by the Supreme Court.
The retrial began at Zagreb County Court on Monday because the Supreme Court quashed the trial verdict which sentenced Roncevic to four and Bacic to two years' imprisonment.
Both once again pleaded not guilty.
The Supreme Court quashed the verdict in early April due to error of fact, ruling that the trial court's finding of "extensive damage" caused by the purchase of Iveco trucks was based on a hypothetical conclusion - the defence ministry's chance of the MAN Importer company's more favourable offer coming through.
USKOK argued in the first trial that Roncevic and Bacic had abused their office and defrauded the state through the purchase of 39 Iveco trucks for HRK 34.4 million because they were HRK 10.2 million more expensive than those offered by MAN. The defence had claimed that the MAN trucks did not met NATO standards.
Today the defence said it would prove that the state actually earned HRK 873,000 because the trucks had been purchased below the market price.
The panel of judges allowed all the evidence submitted by USKOK under an unchanged indictment, with deputy head Ksenija Pavic telling the press after today's hearing USKOK was not considering amending the indictment for now.
Bacic's counsel Ivo Farcic said it was only a matter of time before USKOK changed the facts in the indictment for the retrial to proceed "as envisaged by the Supreme Court."
The proceedings resume on July 11.
