Today, the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) rendered the first instance verdict in the case of Momčilo Mandić, acquitting him of Crimes against humanity and War crimes against civilians.

Momčilo Mandić was acquitted of having directed an attack against the Training Centre for Personnel of the Republic of BiH Ministry of Interior in the capacity of, as indicated in the indictment, Assistant Minister of the Interior of the Serb Republic of BiH on 5 April 1992.  According to the indictment, after the attack and surrender of the Centre, all the management and teaching staff of Bosniak and Croat ethnicities were taken to the Vrace Community Centre.  One group was taken to Pale where they were subjected to interrogation and then imprisoned, physically abused and mistreated until 10 April 1992 when they were exchanged and taken back to Sarajevo .

The Court, inter alia, concluded that individuals in the Training Centre for Personnel of the Republic of BiH Ministry of Interior did not have the status of civilians, which constitutes an important element of the criminal offence of War crimes against civilians, with which the Accused was charged.

Momčilo Mandić was also acquitted of the charge of being solely responsible, in the capacity of Minister of Justice of the Serb Republic of BiH in the period from May to December 1992, for the functioning of all penal-correctional institutions operating in the Serb Republic of BiH, of and being an immediate superior to all management and staff in those institutions.  The indictment charged the Accused for crimes that occurred in the Butmir Penal-Correctional Institution in Ilidža and the Vogošća branch of that institution, as well as the crimes committed in the Foča Penal-Correctional Institution.

The Trial Panel concluded that the presented evidence might be seen as a passive report of certain criminal actions, which the Panel also recognised existed, but without any link with Momčilo Mandić being their author.