Election of Chief Prosecutor in Sarajevo: What Dalida Burzić's letter to the HJPC reveals

By Amra Varatanović

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The competition for the Chief Prosecutor of the Sarajevo Canton Prosecutor's Office ended on March 30, and several applications were received for this position. 

After Dalida Burzić was elected judge of the Court of BiH, where she took office on April 1, Anika Kešelj was elected acting Chief Prosecutor at the KS Prosecutor's Office, who did not apply for the position of Chief Prosecutor afterwards.

Among those who applied for the Chief Prosecutor of the KS Prosecutor's Office are prosecutor Sabina Sarajlija, as well as prosecutor Sead Kreštalica. Prosecutor Sanin Bogunić, prosecutor Safet Hrapo, and state prosecutor Miroslav Janjić also applied for the position.

A criminal complaint was filed against Kreštalica with the BiH Prosecutor's Office due to omissions in his work on shedding light on the murder of Dženan Memić. The criminal complaint was filed due to influencing witness expert Željko Karan and abuse of office. Muriz Memić, the father of the murdered Dženan, stated in the complaint that at the hearing held on March 23, 2018, during the break, he and his daughter Arijana witnessed a conversation between expert Karan and prosecutor Kreštalica.
 
“We found prosecutor Kreštalica Sead addressing witness dr. Karan with the words: ‘What are you doing, why are you testifying like that?’, to which the witness, visibly upset, replied: ‘Well, you tell me how I should, however you want’, while waving his hands. Prosecutor Mladen Furtula was also nearby and noticed that we were listening to the conversation, to which he signaled Kreštalica to stop,” Memić stated in the complaint.

This did not prevent Burzić from rating Kreštalica’s work with the highest grade and thus increasing his chances during the scoring in the competition. Burzić also rated prosecutor Sarajlija with a five, while she rated some other prosecutors, including candidates for Chief Prosecutor, with a four.

Dissatisfied with the grades that would prevent their further advancement or eliminate them from the race for the Chief Prosecutor of the KS Prosecutor's Office, they sent a letter to the members of the HJPC, which lists all the (in)actions of Dalida Burzić during her tenure as Chief Prosecutor of the KS Prosecutor's Office. 

Let’s be clear, the prosecutors themselves participated in these wrongdoings, but now they are trying to blackmail the HJPC.

The very election of Burzić as a judge of the Court of BiH caused public interest, but also indignation in judicial circles due to her compromised involvement in the Memić case, as well as the disciplinary proceedings that were conducted against her at the same time she was elected judge of the Court of BiH. Her election was vehemently defended by the President of the HJPC, Milan Tegeltija, who has an interest in the prosecutors’ letter not reaching the public.

Therefore, a “tacit agreement” was made with the prosecutors who sent the letter that the HJPC will not take into account the evaluations of their work given to them by Burzić when evaluating the candidates! Patria agency sources indicate that this will not be possible, and as confirmed by the HJPC, the procedure preceding the appointment of the new Chief Prosecutor is underway, including reviewing applications, verification, notifying candidates, conducting interviews...