Request for suspension of prosecutor Oleg Čavka rejected

The Disciplinary Commission of the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council (HJPC) did not accept the request for the suspension of prosecutor of the BiH Prosecutor's Office Oleg Čavka due to the criminal investigation opened against him, confirmed to the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BIRN BiH).

According to Oleg Čavka, the HJPC Commission rejected the request of the Disciplinary Prosecutor's Office because there was insufficient evidence and because he provided exculpatory evidence.

- What is indicative to me is that the Prosecutor's Office has no evidence. (...) This indicates that some people in the Prosecutor's Office are deliberately misleading the HJPC by providing incomplete information and evidence, with who knows what intentions, but it is clear that I am a major nuisance to someone. I will comment on all of this much more extensively in the coming days - Čavka told BIRN BiH.

Čavka previously stated that he was unaware of an investigation being opened against him, denying that he participated in corrupt acts in the "Džoker" case, in which several individuals are accused of illegal trade in excise products and smuggling.

Speaking about his work on the "Džoker" case, he said that the Defense of Zoran Popović, one of the accused, offered a plea agreement last year.

- I accepted that offer, I drafted a plea agreement for one year in prison and a secondary monetary fine of 50,000 KM. At that time, the agreement was sent to the office, and the then-head of the cabinet, Hasan Pleh, did not approve the agreement, regardless of what it means for such a person to approve something. He certified his decision with the facsimile of the Chief Prosecutor Goran Salihović - stated Čavka.

He added that the proceedings continued and that nothing was done wrong.

- After all, the court imposed the sentence here, not the prosecutor - said Čavka.

An investigation was previously opened against him for taking home a phone seized in one of the investigations he led. The HJPC did not accept his suspension in that case either.