Savić: TK Prosecutor's Office Unprofessional, Portrayed Prosecutor's Husband as a Victim and Police Officers as Assailants

TUZLA, (Patria) - The public statement from the Tuzla Canton Prosecutor's Office clearly shows that the defense's request for the chief federal prosecutor to delegate this case to another prosecutor's office is justified, because this Prosecutor's Office is unable to conduct an impartial investigation in this case, considering the provisions of the Criminal Procedure Code which obliges the prosecutor's office to establish all facts that incriminate the suspect and all facts that are in his favor with equal attention, Tatjana Savić told Patria, the lawyer of the arrested police officer of the MUP TK T.O., suspected of abuse of duty, after he apprehended the husband of prosecutor Mirzeta Begić, Mujaga Begić.

“From this public statement, it follows that this Prosecutor's Office is not capable of doing so. Namely, during the interrogation today, the prosecutor refused to present the statements of the persons heard in this case to the defense, but they had no problem presenting all the details of the alleged victim's statement in the public announcement.

An objective Prosecutor's Office would present the statements of both the victim and the suspect, and let the public judge. They did the opposite, in the announcement, the victim is presented as a poor, endangered 63-year-old person, and the police officers as assailants,” says Savić.

Furthermore, this statement exerts impermissible influence on a witness.

“Witness Hodžić is being attempted to be criminalized by submitting an order for the initiation of an investigation against Beriz Kabilović, who in all other circumstances is never available to the public. To numerous media requests, it is always stated that the order for the initiation of an investigation is a secret document that is not provided to anyone during the investigation. However, when it is in the interest of the Prosecutor's Office, that document is provided, and it is particularly symptomatic that the prosecutor handling that case is Mirzeta Begić,” says Savić. 

In this way, a person whose testimony does not support the prosecutor's husband, who was detained for disturbing public order and peace, is being inappropriately criminalized.

“If the prosecutor is so conscientious, why didn't she file requests for the initiation of disciplinary proceedings or anything else against this police officer? That was not done because the photos are from a period long before Hodžić even became a police officer,” stated Savić.

She emphasizes that this is a flagrant violation of the presumption of innocence, as the Prosecutor's Office informs the public that the prosecutor's husband is an exemplary citizen.

“That is not true if you read the suspect's statement as well as the statement of another police officer. If the situation were reversed and the defense had commented on the witness in this way, the Prosecutor's Office would immediately initiate proceedings for influencing a witness and request custody,” emphasizes Savić.
Otherwise, the arrested T.O. presented his defense before the TK Prosecutor's Office today, and tomorrow a hearing will be held on the proposal to impose a detention measure.