A UN war crimes court said Friday it is launching an "independent expert review" into the death of a Bosnian Croat war criminal who appeared to drink poison in front of shocked judges.

The probe will complement the Dutch investigation into the death of Slobodan Praljak, the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) said in a statement. Praljak died in hospital after drinking from a small brown glass bottle in the ICTY courtroom on Wednesday.