A British court refused to extradite former Bosnian wartime leader Ejup Ganic, wanted in Serbia on war crimes charges, saying his trial would be politically motivated.

Ganic, a member of Bosnia’s multi-ethnic presidency during the three-way 1992-95 war that pitted his fellow Muslims against Serbs and Croats, hailed the ruling as a vindication. Serbia said it would appeal to a higher court in Britain.

Ganic, 64, was arrested at London’s Heathrow Airport on March 1 at the request of Serbian authorities for alleged ‘conspiracy to murder with other named people and breach of the Geneva Convention, namely killing wounded soldiers’.

Ruling against extradition, judge Timothy Workman said: ‘These proceedings are brought and are being used for political purposes and as such amount to an abuse of process of this court.’ The ruling was reported by Britain’s Press Association.

Serbia wants to try Ganic and 18 other former Bosnian officials over an attack by Bosnian forces on a retreating column of the former Yugoslav People’s Army (JNA) in Sarajevo in May 1992, one of the opening salves of the conflict.

Serbian authorities say scores of JNA troops were killed or wounded in the attack.

Ganic described the could ruling as ‘yet another truth about Bosnia.’ ‘We defended Bosnia and we feel proud because of what was said in the judge’s closing remarks,’ he told the Bosnian state radio after the ruling. ‘We won, and this will play a major role in the further strengthening of Bosnia and the development of its relations with neighbours.’ Bruno Vekaric, Serbia’s deputy war crimes prosecutor, said: ‘We respect any decision by British court, but there is an option to appeal to the higher court and we are going to do that.’ During a court hearing in March at which Ganic was granted bail, his lawyer, Clare Montgomery, said the allegations against him had already been rejected by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and accused the Serbian government of abusing extradition laws for political gain.

After his arrest, thousands of Bosnians protested outside the British and Serbian embassies in the Bosnian capital Sarajevo demanding his release.

Ganic is manager of the private School of Science and Technology in Sarajevo, where he lives. He no longer holds public office.

The US-brokered Dayton peace accord ended the Bosnia war, dividing the country in two autonomous regions, the Serb Republic and the Muslim-Croat federation.

REUTERS