One month detention for former director of the Home for the Elderly in Tuzla Mirsad Bakalović and Administrative Board member Zinaida Razić-Halilović

(Patria) - Former director of the Home for the Elderly in Tuzla Mirsad Bakalović and head of the Service for Economic, Financial, Accounting and General Affairs and Administrative Board (UO) member Zinaida Razić-Halilović have been ordered into one month of detention.

The Cantonal Court in Tuzla announced today that detention was ordered for them due to well-founded suspicion that they, as accomplices, committed the criminal offense of "Grave Criminal Offenses Against General Safety of People and Property" in connection with the criminal offense of "Causing General Danger", and Bakalović also for the prolonged criminal offense of "Abuse of Position or Authority".

"The suspects are, among other things, accused of having, in the period from February 2024 to November 4, 2025, as responsible persons in the Public Institution Home for the Elderly in Tuzla, knowingly failed to organize and implement the prescribed fire protection measures and general safety of the users.

These omissions resulted in the endangerment of the safety of a larger number of people, and when a fire broke out in the room of one of the users on November 4, 2025, it caused the death of a larger number of users, and more than 50 people were injured.

Detention for the suspects has been ordered due to the existence of extraordinary circumstances, as this is a particularly serious criminal offense considering the consequences, the fact that the place of commission is a public institution of special social significance, which housed about 180 elderly people, as well as due to the great public interest, and due to the unrest caused by the event and its consequences, and because releasing the suspects would result in a real threat to public order", the Cantonal Court in Tuzla states.