The exact cause of death of Kristian Josip Periša (32) is not yet known, and the results of the autopsy and toxicological analysis have not been published. Lawyer Martin Sherri, who is also a medical technician by profession, told RTL that he does not consider the delay in these findings unusual, as in such cases it is standard practice to wait between two and four weeks for results.
Sherri also addressed the question of whether the cremation of Periša's body may have destroyed important evidence. He decided not to watch the footage of the procedure towards Periša, as it constitutes evidentiary material in the investigation, but based on available photographs and information, he doubts the legality of the actions taken. He claims that such a manner of procedure cannot be in accordance with professional rules and that during his secondary school education, neither in theory nor in practice, he had ever seen or heard of such an act being permissible. He believes that a protocol allowing such procedure would be contrary to higher regulations, laws and the Constitution, as any form of torture cannot be allowed or prescribed.
As one of the key failures, Sherri highlighted that the competent institutions were not immediately informed of the incident, primarily the police. He believes that medical technicians and doctors should first have informed their superiors, shift leaders and heads of the Institute, after which the information should have reached the director. He sees no reason why the City Health Office was not informed, and in accordance with regulations, the ministry itself.
The footage shows, according to available information, nine people, and four have been arrested so far. Sherri warns that the investigation is only in its early stages and that criminal proceedings against a larger number of people cannot be ruled out. He says it is possible that more people will be included or that they already are, but that pre-trial detention does not necessarily have to be sought for all of them immediately.
Regarding the qualification of the criminal offence of aggravated murder, Sherri says that the State Attorney's Office probably has a broader context and information that is not available to the public. He also warned of the possibility that the investigation could expand to suspicion of the existence of a criminal association. This could come into consideration if it is established that individuals attempted to cover up what happened after the incident, or that superiors were aware of the case but did not react. Sherri concluded that a legitimate suspicion of a criminal association may exist if three or more people participated in covering up such a serious criminal offence. Meanwhile, an investigation is ongoing into how the footage of the procedure towards Periša ended up in the public domain.
