Detention Proposed for Damir Hadžić

The Cantonal Prosecutor's Office of Sarajevo proposed a one-month detention for Damir Hadžić, former mayor of Sarajevo's Novi Grad Municipality and former minister in the Council of Ministers of BiH.

As confirmed to N1 by Azra Bavčić, spokesperson for the Cantonal Prosecutor's Office of Sarajevo, the proposal for a one-month detention was submitted due to the risk of influencing witnesses, concealing evidence, and the risk of re-offending.

Hadžić is suspected of the criminal offense of abuse of office and authority, while expert witness Kasim Zulum is suspected of the criminal offense of abuse of assessment.

The Prosecutor's Office of Sarajevo accuses Hadžić of paying one million KM to the suspect Esed Radeljaš, and the other arrested person, Kasim Zulum, of abusing the authority of an expert witness who assessed the value of the disputed land belonging to Radeljaš.

In 2006, Radeljaš was allocated municipal land in Nedžarići for which he paid a fee of 44,404 marks. The Law on Construction Land of the Federation of BiH states that state land cannot be allocated to an individual without a public call. The municipal attorney also gave consent for the land to be allocated to Radeljaš without a public call.

Radeljaš's right to the land was revoked in 2010 because he did not fulfill his obligations and build a commercial facility within the legally prescribed period. When Radeljaš's right to dispose of the land was revoked, he requested compensation from the Municipality. After an expert assessment of the land's value, an order was issued to pay Radeljaš 1.03 million marks, which is 23 times more than he paid.

The order to pay compensation to Radeljaš was signed at the beginning of 2010. At that time, he was a municipal councilor in Novi Grad, having won a mandate in the 2008 local elections as a candidate of the Bosniak Party (BOSS).

In the same operation, Esed Radeljaš, Nedžad Kapetanović, and Jusuf Čaušević were previously arrested. One-month detention was ordered for Esed Radeljaš, and prohibiting measures were imposed on Jasmina Horo, Nedžad Kapetanović, and Jusuf Čaušević.

(N1)