General Ante Gotovina's lawyers on Tuesday filed a complaint against former ICTY chief prosecutor Carla Del Ponte with United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, asking that an investigation be carried out into her recent statements to the press that justice was not served with the UN war crimes tribunal's acquittal of Gotovina and Markac, lawyer Luka Misetic announced on his Twitter profile.
Gotovina's lawyers asked the United Nations to instruct Del Ponte to desist from further comments regarding the Gotovina case; lift any United Nations immunity so that further legal proceedings may be initiated against Del Ponte; and invite her to publicly retract her statements and issue an apology to Gotovina.
"Ms. Del Ponte’s improper media statements constitute a grave violation of Mr. Gotovina’s fundamental rights and are an unacceptable interference with the reputation and authority of the ICTY," read the complaint.
Del Ponte is currently a member of the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria.
The complaint also describes "Del Ponte’s unfortunate habit of turning criminal trials into political affairs through the media", noting that this is not the first time that she has made improper statements concerning cases before the Hague-based ICTY.
As a result of her decisions, nine innocent people have cumulatively spent more than 40 years in detention, according to the lawyer.
