Sarajlić questioned for six hours about ties to Hodžić and respirator imports, his phone confiscated!

Asim Sarajlić, a delegate in the House of Peoples of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina, former vice-president of the Party of Democratic Action, and by his own admission, the second most powerful man in the party ("first to Bakir," as he used to say) was questioned at the Prosecutor's Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina for the "Respirators" affair the day before yesterday, September 23. Sarajlić's questioning, according to sources consulted by "Slobodna Bosna," lasted an unusually long time, a full eight hours, and caused real panic among his party colleagues and friends, who suspected that Sarajlić had been deprived of his liberty. At one point, Asim Sarajlić requested that his lawyer, Nermin Mulalalić, be present during his interrogation, writes Slobodna Bosna.

Asim Sarajlić's testimony was scheduled for Wednesday at 2:00 PM, but it quickly became apparent that it would not be a routine procedure. During the questioning, prosecutors also called in a member of the Agency for Investigations and Protection (SIPA) and requested authorization from the Court of BiH to search Sarajlić and confiscate his mobile phone. Tanja Kosović, the pre-trial judge, approved these measures as the prosecutors had a rather convincing basis and evidence for them.

According to "SB" findings, Sarajlić was questioned about his relationship with Fikret Hodžić, the owner of the company "Srebrena malina" through which the Government of the Federation of BiH procured 100 respirators for which more than ten million marks were paid. Incidentally, the disputed respirators, procured from China, have not yet been put into medical use.

As our portal has already reported immediately after this scandal became public, there were serious indications that the Government of the Federation of BiH, or its Prime Minister Fadil Novalić, entered into an arrangement with the anonymous and commercially unproven company "Srebrena malina" through the mediation of someone from the top of the Party of Democratic Action, and among the first names that emerged was that of the powerful personnel manager Asim Sarajlić, without whom, according to insiders, not even a kiosk can be set up in Vogošća, let alone conduct state business worth tens of millions. The name of Naser Orić, former commander of the Army of BiH from Srebrenica and a post-war "controversial businessman" who was also in close relations with Fikret Hodžić, as well as Sarajlić, was also mentioned. Orić was also questioned at the Prosecutor's Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina two months ago in the "Respirators" case.

Asim Sarajlić's multi-hour detention at the BiH Prosecutor's Office caused real panic among his party colleagues and the SDA leadership, who suspected that the former vice-president and current state delegate had been arrested. According to some sources, during the night, while Sarajlić was at the BiH Prosecutor's Office, members of the BiH Intelligence-Security Agency (OSA) were seen in the immediate vicinity of the Court and Prosecutor's Office buildings, trying to find out what was happening with Sarajlić, a close friend of their director Osman Mehmedagić Osmica.

When Asim Sarajlić left the BiH Prosecutor's Office around 10:00 PM, visibly exhausted and dejected after an eight-hour interrogation, there was relief among his colleagues, but when he told them that his phone had been confiscated, everyone at the top of the party, including its president Bakir Izetbegović, was concerned. One can only guess what party, state, and private secrets were stored on the phone of the long-time second man of the SDA, responsible for "dirty" and confidential affairs.

Asim Sarajlić, incidentally, has been on trial for over three years at the Cantonal Court in Sarajevo, along with former party colleagues Amir Zukić and Mirsad Kukić, on suspicion of accepting bribes for favoritism in employment at "Elektroprivreda BiH."