Court of BiH requested additional clarifications: How was Fahrudin Radončić's mobile phone examined

The trial of Fahrudin Radončić, Bakir Dautbašić, Bilsena Šahman and Zijad Hadžijahić continued today before the Court of BiH, and Adnan Bešlić, an employee of the Federal Police Administration, who is a criminal expert for seized mobile phones, tablets, USB sticks and SIM cards, testified, Patria reports.

The defense immediately filed an objection, stating that Bešlić is not on the list of court experts.

- If we look at things professionally, an expert should be an impartial person, legal or natural. But even when a legal entity conducts an expert examination, the persons doing the job must be impartial. It cannot be expected from an agency ordered by the prosecution to conduct an impartial examination – said Asim Crnalić, attorney for Fahrudin Radončić.

Judge Hasija Mašović, before Bešlić's testimony began, warned the Prosecution, i.e., prosecutor Božo Mihajlović, that additional answers would be needed regarding the defense's complaints about the legality of evidence concerning the order for the expert examination of Radončić's mobile phone.

- We must make a professional distinction; this is not about illegal wiretapping but about illegal expert examination in this specific case and illegal oral orders for recording and documenting communications. In any case, first there was an order to record communications and Viber messages from the phones of Bakir Dautbašić, Bilsena Šahman and Sabahudin Žujo, and then it was subsequently orally extended to Radončić. There was also a written note, but procedurally it means nothing by itself. To carry out such a task, a court order is required. The Court said today that an order is needed - said Crnalić.

Fahrudin Radončić also addressed the Court, stating that it is completely clear that the order for such an act was not issued by the Court of BiH, but by a low-ranking SIPA official.

Today, at Mihajlović's request, Bešlić read out a series of SMS messages with which he attempted to prove the acts the defendants are charged with, but the defense had several objections and comments about how "the prosecutor has a vivid imagination," because he immediately began to assume what each message meant.

A series of messages between Dautbašić and Radončić were read out, relating to the political activities of the SBB, i.e., the deployment of party cadres and its agreement with the SDA when the coalition was signed.

The prosecutor stated that with these messages he wanted to prove the "personality structure" or that there was communication between Dautbašić and Radončić, i.e., that hierarchically Radončić was Dautbašić's boss.

The defense confirmed this, stating that Radončić is the leader of the SBB, and Dautbašić a respected party member, but that this is not the subject of this trial.

In court today, an SMS message sent by Bakir Izetbegović to Fahrudin Radončić on January 12 was also heard: "We have appointed an ambassador to Slovenia."

Zijad Hadžijahić, a defendant in this case, requested the floor and said:

My wife is a long-time diplomat and member of the SDA. She was appointed to that position by the SDA and personally by Bakir Izetbegović – Hadžijahić emphasized.

The next hearing will be held on December 14, and Bešlić will continue presenting his expert examination, when evidence in the form of Viber communication of the defendants and others they communicated with will be submitted as evidence by the BiH Prosecution.