After arrest, Gavrankapetanović and Musić detained at the Sarajevo Cantonal Prosecutor's Office

(Patria) - After arrest on suspicion of committing the criminal offenses of “associating for the purpose of committing criminal acts and abuse of position or authority”, Faris Gavrankapetanović and Fikret Musić have been handed over to the jurisdiction of the Sarajevo Cantonal Prosecutor's Office, confirmed for the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BIRN BiH).

The suspects Zlatko Vuković and Muvedeta Čedić-Butmir were released after criminal processing at the State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA), the Sarajevo Cantonal Prosecutor's Office said.

“The suspects Faris Gavrankapetanović and Fikret Musić have been handed over to the jurisdiction of the Prosecutor's Office of Sarajevo Canton, they will be detained for 24 hours, and the acting prosecutor will decide on further measures against the suspects within the legal deadline,” said Prosecutor's Office spokesperson Azra Bavčić for BIRN BiH.

The suspects Gavrankapetanović, former director of the Clinical Center of the University of Sarajevo (KCUS), Musić, former Prime Minister of Sarajevo Canton, Vuković, former Minister of Health, and KCUS employee Čedić-Butmir are charged with committing the acts of “associating for the purpose of committing criminal acts and abuse of position or authority” from 2011 to 2012.

SIPA police officers on December 7 this year, as part of the operational action “Magnet”, conducted searches of residential and auxiliary buildings and movable property at several locations in the Sarajevo area.

These activities were carried out due to the existence of grounds for suspicion that the criminal offenses of “associating for the purpose of committing criminal acts and abuse of position or authority” were committed, SIPA previously announced. The searches were conducted by order of the Cantonal Court in Sarajevo and under the supervision of the Cantonal Prosecutor's Office of Sarajevo Canton, in cooperation with the Federal Police Administration and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Sarajevo Canton.