The Case of Čavka is also proof that SDA spares no expense to keep Osmica at the head of OSA

By Amina Čorbo-Zećo

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The Disciplinary Prosecutor's Office of the HJPC filed a lawsuit against state prosecutor Oleg Čavka. Čavka is being sued for illegally conducting an investigation in the "Diploma" case, and for illegally questioning Žurnal journalist Azra Omerović. 

The disciplinary lawsuit has been submitted to the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and a Disciplinary Commission is expected to be formed in the coming days to review this case. According to Žurnal's information, Oleg Čavka is being sued because he, without a formal investigation order, unilaterally began investigating how the Director of the Intelligence Service of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Osman Mehmedagić, obtained his university diploma. 
However, it has been confirmed to Patria from the BiH Parliament that Čavka requested all necessary documents from the Joint Commission for Oversight of the Work of OSA, and all the unprincipled nature and suitability of the judiciary to politics is reflected in this case.

Namely, the fact that the Party of Democratic Action cares so much about Osman Mehmedagić remaining at the head of OSA, even though his term expired last year, and the story about the forged diploma has never been clarified, shows how little this party cares about the state. After all, wouldn't it be in their interest for the story to end and for Mehmedagić to become the legitimate director of the most important security agency, or do they know in advance what the outcome of the investigation would be?

Why are they concerned with formalities at a time when, mind you, the diploma of the Director of the Security Intelligence Agency is questionable!? I wonder how long CIA Director Gina Hespel would remain in her position if a similar story were to emerge. I have compared this too ambitiously, but purely for the reason that SDA cadres like to boast in public about how Osmica is an American man. Thus, they give him legitimacy.

However, what is the biggest problem. Čavka has been under investigation before, and several times. But, given that he remained a prosecutor, the current intention is clearly visible that he will not be in the future, and the reason is clear. He touched something he shouldn't have.

So far, politically powerful individuals have not been very interested, because Čavka, with his (in)action, has only harmed ordinary citizens. We will provide some examples. 

The report against Čavka relates to the affair of the alleged recruitment of Salafists in BiH by Croatian intelligence officers, in which Čavka was the acting prosecutor. Certain media in the Federation of BiH wrote that the Disciplinary Prosecutor's Office of the HJPC of BiH initiated an investigation and disciplinary proceedings against Čavka.

Čavka was also under investigation before, after he hacked the email of the then Chief Prosecutor of the BiH Prosecutor's Office, Milorad Barašin. He was then punished with a six-month salary reduction.

The Disciplinary Prosecutor's Office requested Čavka's suspension at the beginning of 2017 due to suspicions of abuse of office in the "Džoker" case, within which, it is stated, he secured a lower prison sentence for the accused Zoran Popović. The Disciplinary Commission of the HJPC did not accept that request.

Should we mention the case of Kemal Čaušević and the Pandora case. Čavka suited them then. Pandora was spoken of as the biggest corruption case, and the damage to the BiH budget was close to two billion marks.

When it comes to Pandora, it is a major affair and a suspicious import involving the then director of the Indirect Taxation Authority and the leaders of the ruling parties SDA, HDZ, and SNSD. Milorad Dodik, Nikola Špirić, Dragan Čović, and the late Sulejman Tihić were also included in the investigation. 

The state was damaged by over a billion marks, but with pressure and intervention through their people, the investigation was diluted and everything was split into two parts. Politicians were excluded, and Kemal Čaušević is accused of abuse of office and authority, but for a minor amount. Everything else is set aside. 

Čavka worked on cases of political assassinations, and to this day there are a number of unresolved cases that burden BiH society. However, the dust has been raised now that there is even a suspicion that the truth about Osmica might be revealed.