Police agencies and judicial institutions in B&H in the last 20 years conducted tens of spectacular court processes and investigations against highly positioned political officials in our country. Current members of B&H Presidency are also among them, Dragan Čović and Mladen Ivanić, as well as a state minister Mirko Šarović. Many of these processes ended in acquittals, and the state had to pay high compensations in addition to the costs of trials.

Judicial tortures

The most obvious example of unfounded accusations is found in the case against Šarović, the current Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations of B&H and former president of RS. Šarović spent one year in custody groundlessly, after which the Court of B&H acquitted him of the accusations in the case “Privredna Banka Srpsko Sarajevo”. He sued the state pf B&H for the suffering, as he said back then, and received 102.000 KM. Nowadays Šarović is, according to all estimates, one of the best ministers in the state government.

Neither Dragan Čović was in any better position. A soap opera with alleged abuse of office while he was Minister of Finance of the FB&H, started in 2005 and ended in 2013. Despite the fact that he was accused of serious criminal offences, at the end he was acquitted of all charges. He spent one month in custody. Nowadays he is considered a politician who strongly advocates for B&H to join the EU.

Čović: Process lasted for years

Also, Mladen Ivanić, former Prime Minister of RS, was in the dock, but in 2010 he was acquitted of all charges for negligence in service. His struggle to prove his innocence lasted for full three years due to which he had certain health problems.

Ivanić: Acquitted of all charges

Hasan Čengić, former FB&H Minister of Defence was also in the dock. In 2005 the Prosecutor’s Office of B&H charged him of abuse of office. Back then he served as a delegate to the House of Peoples of B&H. But in the same year the Court of B&H acquitted him since the Prosecutor’s Office failed to prove grounded suspicion.

The same happened to Asim Fazlić, former Deputy Director of Interpol B&H, who received almost 200.000 KM damage compensation because the Prosecutor’s Office of B&H charged him unfoundedly for disclosure of secret data. He spent almost 14 months in custody.

Handcuffed

The last one in a series of those who suffered spectacular arrest and serious accusations of the Prosecutor’s Office of B&H is former president of the Federation, Živko Budimir. He was arrested in 2013 in his office in the building of B&H Presidency under suspicion of abuse of office for pardoning the convicts the Federation. He was taken out of the building with the handcuffs on his hands, but was released after one month spent in custody unit in Mostar.

Budimir: Spectacular arrest

The Prosecutor’s Office filed an indictment against him, but the Court of B&H declared its incompetency in that case. Trial in his case is conducted by Municipal Court in Sarajevo.    

What about “Reket“ affair

In 2011 Prosecutor’s office of B&H rendered decision on suspension of investigation against former president of SDP, Zlatko Lagumdžija and vice-president of the party Damir Hadžić in the “Reket” affair. The investigation was suspended due to alleged lack of evidence.

Nihad Imamović, a distinguished entrepreneur from Sarajevo, was a witness in that case and the one who reported corruption as a former director of “ASA Group”. In 2009 he reported that he was asked by SDP members to pay bribe in amount of 3,5 million KM for issuance of a building permit to build a residential and commercial complex. He provided the Prosecutor’s Office with the audio recording where it can be clearly heard that he was requested the bribe. However, the investigation was suspended despite all evidence.

Imamović recently stated that he believed the case is not under the statute of limitation, and he points out that he still sticks to what he previously said and reported. He stressed he was disappointed that “investigation was suspended by the competent authorities despite the irrefutable evidence”.

Numbers

12 months  Mirko Šarović spent in custody
14 months Asim Fazlić spent in custody  
30 days Dragan Čović spent in custody  
30 days Živko Budimir spent in custody  

Numbers

500.000 KM paid for court expenses
102.000 KM compensation to Šarović
200.000 KM compensation to  Fazlić