Proposal for Mehmedagić's appointment under consideration, serious accusations against OSA

SARAJEVO, (Patria) – A session of the Joint Commission for Oversight of the Intelligence-Security Agency will be held today. Given the recent developments surrounding OSA and its director Osman Mehmedagić, members expect a dynamic session with conclusions.

The President of the Commission, Nermin Nikšić, stated on Monday that there are serious complaints about what is happening within the agency, and it will certainly be discussed at the Commission.

"We have received a proposal from the Chairman of the Council of Ministers for the appointment of the director. The Joint Commission provides its opinion, which is not binding for the Council of Ministers," Nikšić said.

The Chairman of the Council of Ministers of BiH, Zoran Tegeltija, sent a proposal for Mehmedagić's appointment for another term at the head of OSA, even though one of his university diplomas was annulled, and another he submitted from AU in BiH was declared secret. It was with the annulled diploma that he applied for his first term. The BiH Prosecutor's Office is investigating this case.

It is still unclear whether there will be political support for Mehmedagić's appointment.

"I see that an agreement has been reached between certain political entities because it is important who will get certain other positions and that they are being traded. As for me, I think my position is completely clear. As the President of the Commission, I will advocate for the positions I have taken in public. I do not want to be the one who corrects one illegality with another. The man offered a diploma; whether it is valid or not is not for the commission to investigate; there are other institutions for that. A much bigger problem is the abuse of OSA for political purposes, settling scores with political opponents, whether from SDA, within SDA, or outside, including this latest affair. Who do you think could have obtained that surveillance video, and now we are pretending not to know? I have been exposed a thousand times to lies and unprincipled accusations by suitable journalists who receive that data from OSA, sometimes I work for SNSD, sometimes for HDZ, sometimes for the Russians, and I don't know for whom anymore," said Nikšić.

It was precisely because of the video and the articles published on one portal that the advisor to the Federal Minister of Internal Affairs, Aljoša Čampare, Mirela Bubalo, filed criminal charges with the BiH Prosecutor's Office against Mehmedagić, Avdo Avdić, and an unknown person from BH Pošta. Bubalo also informed the Joint Commission, as well as embassies and the OHR, about everything.