The Hague - Former Serb leader Radovan Karadzic on Tuesday said Tuesday he was not prepared for the day's pre-trial hearing at the International Criminal Tribunal for Former Yugoslavia (ICTY), citing the lateness of Serb-language documents. Speaking before the Hague tribunal, the former Serb president noted that while the English version of the indictment against him was ready on September 22, he only received a Serb translation on Monday.
"I did not even have time to study it," Karadzic told the court.
Scottish judge Iain Bonomy, who is presiding the trial against the former Serb leader, said he was "extremely disappointed" about the slow speed of preparations for the trial.
The revised indictment, the English version of which was released in late September, showed that the prosecuton had reduced the number of charges from 41 to 27, in a move to speed up the trial.
Karadzic faces charges of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. He was arrested in Serbia in July after being on the run for more than 12 years.
Karadzic has appeared before the court in pre-trial hearings. The trial proper is not expected to start for several more months.
