Verdict for Zubac on March 5

The main trial in the case of Goran Zubac, charged with negligent work in office, has concluded before the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in connection with the failure to act, i.e., failing to provide assistance to the Directorate for Coordination of Police Bodies and sending a special support unit when it was necessary on February 7, 2014, reports a reporter for the Bosnian news agency Patria.

The verdict will be announced, i.e., delivered, on March 5 at 1:00 PM, as announced by Judge Mirsad Strika. During the closing arguments, prosecutor Miroslav D. Marković reiterated the statements of witnesses in this process, particularly the testimony of Dragan Lukač, who unequivocally stated that Goran Zubac, in accordance with legal regulations, should have provided assistance to the DKPT.

Furthermore, Marković posed a rhetorical question in his presentation, referring to the defense of the accused, which claimed that it was not a case of negligent work because the legal regulations are unclear and interpreted differently.

- I ask the Court of BiH and the public of BiH whether, in the event that, for example, the White House were set on fire, the commanders of the local police, i.e., police agencies, would refuse to help, claiming they have no agreement on mutual assistance – asked Marković.

The Prosecutor's Office of BiH requested a conviction for Goran Zubac, stating that they had managed to prove through the statements of witnesses and experts of adequate expertise that Goran Zubac committed the criminal offense of negligent work in office, thereby causing significant material damage.

We recall that earlier, an expert in the construction field determined that the material damage amounted to 339,522.41 BAM.

Zubac's defense requested an acquittal because the Prosecutor's Office of BiH had not proven in any way that it was a case of negligent work. In their closing arguments, they particularly emphasized the occurrence of the consequence, i.e., that the burning of the building would certainly not have been prevented because it was set on fire much earlier than the dispatch requesting assistance from the DKPT was sent.

- Should the accused perhaps have been held accountable for the failures of other agencies, because witness Fahrudin Radončić clearly stated that the FUP formed a staff, meaning they were responsible for the situation in the Federation of BiH – said Dragiša Jokić, attorney for Goran Zubac.

He further stated that none of the witnesses heard, except for Dubravko Čampara, Saša Sarajlić, and Dragan Lukač, could confirm that Zubac's actions were negligent.

- If the accused had, by any chance, reacted differently in the previous nine similar situations compared to the one on February 7, 2014, perhaps we could talk about negligent work, but this is not the case – said Jokić.

Incidentally, during the presentation of closing arguments, the Prosecutor's Office of BiH noted that part of the media in BiH approached this case very unprofessionally and in a partisan manner, which is not the case anywhere in the world, particularly highlighting RTRS and Nezavisne novine, which published a column by a judge titled "Orwell in the Prosecutor's Office."