The longest trial for murder in Zagreb is before the - time!

The longest criminal trial in Croatian history over a murder case has reached its final stage, just days before the statute of limitations expires. The proceedings against Krešimir Gilja, accused of killing Mirko Rimca at Star’s Caffé in Zagreb in October 1999, have lasted nearly 27 years. The statute of limitations is set to expire on October 9, 2026, just over a month from now. This case stands as one of the most prolonged legal battles in Croatia's judicial system, with five different judges having presided over the trial so far. A legally binding verdict was initially issued in 2008, sentencing Gilja to seven years in prison, but this ruling was later overturned by the Constitutional Court. At the heart of the ongoing dispute is the defense team’s request to exclude several prosecutors from the case. The defense, led by attorney Višnja Drenški Lasan, argues that the state prosecution has continued pursuing charges against Gilja even after the statute of limitations expired for some of the offenses. Specifically, they claim that the prosecution has not formally dismissed the case against Gilja for the alleged act of endangering public safety, which was deemed to have lapsed in 2021. Additionally, the defense asserts that the state prosecutor has yet to decide whether to accept the police’s complaint against another suspect, Domagoj Novak, who allegedly confessed to shooting Rimca and handed over the gun used in the crime. According to the defense, Novak’s involvement raises serious doubts about the legitimacy of the charges against Gilja. Gilja himself has been living in Bosnia and Herzegovina since July 2022 and has submitted medical documentation indicating he is unfit for trial due to mental health issues. However, attempts to conduct a psychiatric evaluation were thwarted when Gilja was found hospitalized in Banja Luka. The Zagreb County Court ordered him into preventive detention while absent, allowing the trial to proceed in his absence. This decision was upheld by the High Criminal Court (VKS) in August 2026, but the trial was postponed indefinitely after the defense requested the exclusion of several prosecutors, including Davora Mlinarić Žagi, the deputy head of the Zagreb County Public Prosecution Office, Jurica Ilić, the head of the Zagreb County Public Prosecution Office, and Ivan Turudić, the chief state prosecutor. The court has delayed the trial until the collegium of the chief state prosecutor decides on the defense’s motion. The defense claims that the prosecutors have shown bias by continuing the case despite the expiration of the statute of limitations for certain charges. They argue that the failure to resolve the status of Novak’s case, a man who reportedly admitted to committing the crime, casts doubt on the validity of the entire proceeding. Furthermore, the defense points to past rulings by Turudić, who served as president of the Zagreb County Court from 2011 to 2014, where he repeatedly rejected Gilja’s requests to replace judges, which the defense believes indicates partiality. These actions, according to the defense, undermine the fairness of the trial and justify their request for the prosecutors' exclusion. In response, Mlinarić Žagi called the defense’s arguments a textbook example of abuse of procedural rights. She emphasized that the case against Gilja dates back more than two decades and that the legal process must continue regardless of the defendant’s personal circumstances. She noted that the High Criminal Court had already ruled against Gilja’s appeal regarding the trial being conducted in his absence, and that he has ignored multiple summonses to appear in court. Meanwhile, the court’s decision to hold the trial in Gilja’s absence was made in July 2025, with the subsequent appeal heard in August 2026. As the statute of limitations approaches, the outcome of the defense’s request for the prosecutors’ exclusion will determine whether the trial can proceed. If the motion is granted, the case could effectively end before the deadline, leaving unresolved questions about the legality of the charges against Gilja. For now, the trial remains suspended, pending the resolution of these procedural disputes.