Chemistry Institute murder trial continues
Ljubljana, 17 December - The murder of Chemistry Institute director Janko Jamnik continues to be processed by courts four years after he was gunned down in a parking lot. The fate of Milko Novič, who has been accused of murdering his former boss, remains unclear.
Ljubljana
Milko Novič to be tried again in Chemistry Institute director murder case after guilty verdict was quashed by Supreme Court.
Photo: Nebojša Tejić/STA
Novič, a former employee at the National Chemistry Institute, was sentenced to 25 years in prison last year for murdering Jamnik in December 2014 and the sentence, largely based on circumstantial evidence, was upheld by the Ljubljana Higher Court last December.
But this September, the Supreme Court found that Novič's right to defence had been violated and upheld his appeal on a point of law, suspending the 25-year prison sentence. The court quashed the relevant rulings of the first and second instance courts and ordered a retrial.
But at least this time, Novič will be attending court dates from his home, having previously spent nearly four years in detention.
Jamnik was shot in the head twice in a parking lot in Ljubljana as the institute held its Christmas party in December 2014. He died three days later and Novič was soon arrested as the main suspect.