Nermin Nikšić testified in the Mehmedagić case: The commission could not rule on the validity of diplomas

(Patria) - At the trial of the former director of the Intelligence-Security Agency (OSA) Osman Mehmedagić for abuse of office, a witness for the Prosecutor's Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina recounted how two diplomas of the accused, marked as secret, were submitted to the parliamentary commission.

Nermin Nikšić stated that in 2020 he was the chairman of the Joint Parliamentary Commission for Oversight of the Work of OSA, and that they requested the diplomas of the then director of OSA after certain stories appeared in the public.

“We received two diplomas, an official response stating that these documents were declared official secrets,” said Nikšić, who now serves as the federal prime minister.

He stated that one diploma was from the two-year program of the Faculty of Law in Sarajevo, and the other from the American University. According to him, the views of the members of the parliamentary commission were divided.

“I took the position that the commission cannot assess the validity of the diplomas,” said Nikšić.

He added that Mehmedagić was invited to the session and spoke with him. As he stated, he told him that he saw the problem, but that he could not decide on the validity of the diplomas.

Nikšić said there were dilemmas regarding the secrecy of the documents. He believed that diplomas were public documents, but that it was up to the person who marked them as secret to remove it. He said that Mehmedagić stated that the documents of all OSA employees were also confidential.

The witness said that it was possible that the submitted diplomas were returned in accordance with OSA's instructions, and that he did not know if the minutes of the commission's session were adopted, as the work was blocked at one point.

Mehmedagić is accused by the indictment of performing the duties of director from 2019, when his diploma from the Faculty of Business Studies in Banja Luka was annulled, until 2023, when he was relieved of duty, without the required higher education. He is accused of abusing his position to remain in a position for which he did not meet the conditions.

The secretary of this body, whose name cannot be published, also testified about the session of the parliamentary commission. She recounted how a courier from OSA delivered an envelope marked as confidential, which contained a diploma. She said that Mehmedagić came to the session and said that nothing was problematic.

“It was discussed why the diploma carried a secrecy mark. The director said that the diploma was part of his file and that the personal files of all employees are confidential,” the witness recalled.

She said that when Mehmedagić was leaving, he said he would take his diplomas, and she gave them to him. As she stated, it had happened before that he took back certain documents in that way.

The witness stated that the minutes from that session were not signed. She explained that the commission's work was interrupted due to the coronavirus, and that at the next session, they immediately proceeded to consider certain issues, and the usual adoption of the minutes was skipped.

She confirmed to the defense attorney Nermin Mulalić that she was aware that the files of all OSA employees had a secrecy mark. She agreed that the agency protects the identity of its employees due to the secrecy of its work.

She stated that they do not usually receive the names of employees when considering issues related to OSA's work, and that there are special procedures if commission members wish to obtain such information.

The trial continues on September 2.