Hearing on Extension of Detention for Debevec and Mehmedagić: BiH Prosecutor's Office Claims They Destroyed Wiretapping Orders

(Patria) - A hearing was held at the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina on the extension of detention for suspended President of the Court of BiH Ranko Debevec and former Director of OSA Osman Mehmedagić, with the presiding prosecutor Bojana Jolović presenting new details obtained through witness examination.

She stated that after his arrest, Debevec called a Court of BiH employee and asked her to hide the logbook of access to classified data, which she did by taking it home.

"We found and seized the logbook. In the testimony of that Court of BiH employee working on these orders, it is stated that she was instructed to make alterations in that logbook, to change the date from the 19th to the 18th. Also, pages from those records were torn out; however, due to the responsible conduct of employees, all those pages were submitted to the Court and the Prosecutor's Office of BiH."

The prosecutor stated that if released, the suspects would influence witnesses.

"At the beginning of the investigation, when the concealment of evidence in the Court of BiH began, in March 2021, the President of the Court of BiH made a decision to declare the method of handling classified data a state secret, and that employees are obliged to keep state secrets, and if the Prosecutor's Office summons them to testify, they must say they cannot speak about it," said Jolović, adding that this was not the previous practice.

She added that it concerns 60 wiretapping orders that were destroyed.

She reminded that Debevec gave his mobile phone to his defense attorney and indicated that if released, he could commit numerous other acts.

Jolović also spoke today about the illegal entry of prison officers from Vojkovići into the detention unit of Osman Mehmedagić. She added that if they cannot control that while in detention, how will they monitor them while free.

When asked by Judge Braca Stupar how many more witnesses they need to examine, Jolović said 10 or more.

The defenses of Debevec and Mehmedagić proposed that restrictive measures be imposed on them.

Debevec himself also addressed the court, requesting that restrictive measures be imposed on him, claiming he no longer has any influence.