TRIALS

HJPC disciplinary commission imposes sanction: Ranko Debevec only publicly warned even though he hid property in Spain for 14 years

It is obvious that the HJPC has double standards for Debevec, who is controlled by Osman Mehmedagić Osmica, ISA director, and Bakir Izetbegović, SDA leader

Ranko Debevec. Avaz

M. Aš.

The First Instance Disciplinary Commission for Judges of the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council of Bosnia and Herzegovina (HJPC B&H/Council), deciding on the disciplinary lawsuit of the Office of the Disciplinary Prosecutor (UDT) of the HJPC B&H against the defendant Ranko Debevec, President of the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, establishes the disciplinary responsibility of the defendant for disciplinary offenses prescribed in the Law on the HJPC, Article 56, item 22: “conduct in court and out of court that damages the reputation of the judicial office” and item 19: “intentionally providing false, misleading and insufficient information with any other matters within the competence of the Council ”, and related to item a) and c) of the disciplinary action.

The defendant is imposed a disciplinary measure for the stated disciplinary offenses, based on the provisions of Article 58, paragraph 1, item (b) and Article 59 of the Law on the HJPC of B&H: Public reprimand.

The defendant was released from disciplinary responsibility for item b) of the disciplinary lawsuit.

An appeal against this decision may be lodged with the Second Instance Disciplinary Commission of the HJPC B&H within 8 days from the day of receipt of the decision.

The Office of the Disciplinary Prosecutor (UDT) filed a lawsuit against Debevec on April 2 this year. With that report, he was charged with inappropriate and intentional contact with Osman Mehmedagić Osmica, director of ISA, for putting pressure on the Prosecutor of the Prosecutor's Office of B&H Vedrana Mijović and hiding information in his annual financial report, ie that he owns real estate in Spain.

It is a scandalous decision considering that Debevec hid the property in Spain for 14 years and did not report it in the property card, which he was obliged to do.

It is obvious that the HJPC has double standards for Debevec, who is controlled by Osman Mehmedagić Osmica, the director of the ISA, and Bakir Izetbegović, the leader of the SDA.


Osmica and Debevec: Photographed together. Archive

In her closing remarks, Chief Disciplinary Prosecutor Alena Kurspahić-Nadarević emphasized that the UDT had fully proven Ranko Debevec's disciplinary responsibility and suggested that the Commission impose one or more disciplinary sanctions on him.

-In the first point of the lawsuit, we stated that during December 2020, Debevec met in Branilaca Sarajeva Street at number 45 with Osman Mehmedagić, Director General of the Intelligence and Security Agency of B&H, after which they went together to private premises owned by M. A. At the time of the defendant's meeting with the Director of ISA, a criminal case was pending before the Court of B&H, with which the public was informed on the basis of media reports, initiated by the indictment of the Prosecutor's Office of B&H, confirmed on November 4, 2020.The information about the meeting between the defendant and Mehmedagić was published by several electronic and written media - Kurspahić-Nadarević stated in her closing remarks.