Basota faces changes in his statements, SPS asks if Thaci asked the stake for collaborators to say it was hypothetical.

In one case, Basota had said statements about the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (TPNJ) were hypothetical. While, the prosecutor requested information from him in the case that accused Hashim Thaci was now asked to say this because earlier this witness was also interviewed by his defence team, reports the “Justice Vow betim“.

Whatever you told Thaci's defense in 2022 about the situation for accomplices that was just hypothetical, was that something Mr. Thaci wanted you to tell his defence team”, prosecutor Halling asked. However, the witness's response was not answered even though the question had been repeated by the prosecutor, since on one occasion he did not answer concretely.
“in this courtroom you have said paragraphs 39 and 43 signed TPNJ were largely hypothetical and you said something similar in the investigative notes of 2022 that read Thaci's defense to them. I'll read you some pieces: You have said that when someone was identified as collaborators with Serbs, punishment measures were taken in the Operative Zone against them inside the area. On occasion, they would be killed at the time they were performing their work. The General Staff would be notified about concrete punishment measures taken against the person. What did you say was a hypothetical situation? Witness Basota said there was no information that had happened during the time he served in the KLA.

“I haven't been following any information that happened somewhere by district commanders or by the area itself for such a case”, Basota said. Afterwards, prosecutor Halling followed by telling him that collaborators could be killed after the Staff was notified that they were such if they continued their activities.

“in paragraph 43 you said: As for collaborators with Serbs, zone commanders acted on the basis of reports given to soldiers under their command. As the person in question was warned and after the General Staff knew he was an associate of Serbs, this associate could be killed by the KLA command structure in the event it follows its activities. And what you said was hypothetical? But the witness said the answer was hypothetical in this case, since the question itself was so.

We don't have a reflected event that occurred back then. They just have hypothetical answers. The question has been hypothetical and the answer has been”, he said. Halling asked Basota why he hadn't said that these parts were speculation before signing the 2006 interview with TPNJ, since these parts were read literally to him.

“We have repeated it all day, and not knowing the nature of the justice procedures, you know the pressure I've had on me and the great number of documents that we've been looking at all day, and not knowing the nature of the justice procedures, really not even having a lawyer present, I couldn't give a clear focus on this case at that time and at that state of”, Basota replied. In addition, the prosecutor insisted again on telling the witness that even during the preparation hearing he said that TPJ has told the truth and why he did not say that these paragraphs were hypothetical.

The witness, during the preparation hearing you said you told TPNJ the truth and all the corrections you did during the preparation hearing have been made voluntarily and everything has turned white and recorded and you said you had no correction for the summary statements except the TPNJ transcripts. Why didn't you say when you saw the possibility that these paragraphs were hypothetical? The Witness responded by saying that it has not cost much to this part.

I didn't make any sense. Nada has a lot more to do, but I can't focus on this exactly”, he said. Similarly, at the very beginning of his testimony, Basota had stated that they reflect the truth and exactly what he would say in his witnessing. This was brought back into focus by the prosecutor.

When you started witnessing in this courtroom, why did you say that TPNJ's statement reflects exactly what you're going to say in this courtroom when these paragraphs were just hypothetical situations?”, the prosecutor said. For this, the witness was justified in not recognising nature and judicial terminology. As a result, he insisted that these parts have been a hypothetical situation.

I don't know the nature and the formalology of law, and at what point should these be used, but I really just answered correctly that there was a hypothetical situation in this statement that I gave about the Tribunal there”, Basota said. “Why didn't you say over the five hours that I asked you questions and asked you questions about the evidence you gave about TPJ, why didn't you say that situations are just hypothetical?

In response, the witness said it was not asked whether these situations were hypothetical or not when it was questioned for five hours by the SPS representative in the courtroom. The “are not all hypothetical situations in that statement, but parts of that question and answers have been hypothetical. You didn't ask me that question about whether or not they were during those five hours, so I probably didn't think I could have said that”, the prosecutor said.

Prosecutor Halling also asked the witness why he had not told Z. The SP that had spoken with Thaci's defence team about his testimony. “Why didn't you mention to the prosecution that you talked to Thaci's defense about aspects covered in your testimony?”, the prosecutor said.

However, Basota responded by saying no one has asked him about the matter. The prosecutor then presented the witness with a preliminary note saying that his testimony had not been discussed with anyone other than close family members, and no one has asked him about the matter.

What you told Thaci's defense in 2022 about the situation for accomplices that was just hypothetical, was that something Mr. Thaci wanted you to tell his defence team”, the prosecutor said. The witness [confirmed that Thaci's defence team has considered it an integral part of this court and that the interview has been carried out in their office.

I consider Mr. Thaci's defence team to be an integral part of this court and I didn't think it should be market-based that I really talked to them. I've asked Mr. Thaci a question of protection when they asked me if this is within the legal framework of this court and if I can answer this court, you tell me as lawyers and professionals. They gave me the competition you can talk about what you actually know and for us it's all okay. I haven't talked to anyone about this matter of Mr. Thaci, but directly the interview was done in a local or office where they have it back and it's done there”, he said. Afterwards, the prosecutor said he is not trying to say that he has mistaken Thaci's defence, but that the witness is not answering his question so by recuring it.

However, Bashata's response was not heard, and the prosecutor subsequently demanded that he be transferred to the private hearing, which was approved by the court. Prior to all of this, the witness faced a William Walker statement concerning the arrest of Cen Descu and Jakup Kastrat, explaining them both with hands tied when the exchange of Serbian journalists took place.

The witness said he hasn't seen Cen Descu and Jakup Kastrat at the car bound with hands since the car arrived, Basota has already been at the scene. And for Sabri Kicmar, he said they were part of a party together.

I know that. I've got a front of the war, and it's been part of the party I've met with”, Basota said. The witness said he does not know what Kicmar's role was in the Kosovo People's Movement (LPK).

However, Kicmari in an interview had said that the KLA, apart from the Serbian Army, also fought those co-operating with Serbia's authorities, against whom shares were taken. From what prosecutor Halling read, Kicmar had said the procedure was followed by General Staff. It was never during the war in Kosovo. I don't know how much he could tell me about these war-time cases. And those I've said during the preparation hearing I stand by it”, Basota told Kichmar. /Betimi for Justice/