Prosecutor's Office of BiH still without answer on whether there were abuses in OSA and illegal wiretapping as Konaković claims

Former director of the Intelligence-Security Agency Osman Mehmedagić has been on the US blacklist since mid-March this year. He left OSA only a month before, and Almir Džuvo was appointed as the new director.

Very quickly, accusations began that Mehmedagić had committed abuses, with the most vocal being the Minister of Foreign Affairs of BiH, Elmedin Konaković.

At the beginning of September, Konaković stated in the show Pressing on N1 that there were 100 cases of abuse of wiretapping without a court order during Mehmedagić's tenure.

„I delegate that question to the Prosecutor's Office of BiH. I responsibly claim and know that in OSA there are over 100 documented cases of abuse of wiretapping without a court order. There is evidence that has been forwarded to the Prosecutor's Office that speaks of his guilt, we have it and we ask them why, when, what, and when they will start processing these matters,“ said Konaković.

Konaković's allegations were denied by Mehmedagić through his lawyer Alen Nakić.

However, that such accusations have left a mark is also shown by the question of delegate in the House of Peoples of the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH Sredoje Nović (SNSD), who at the session on October 4, which was also attended by Konaković, asked the Chairwoman of the Council of Ministers of BiH and a member of the Executive Intelligence Committee whether Konaković had informed the Executive Intelligence Committee about the abuses in OSA and whether that data arrived officially and was handed over to the Prosecutor's Office of BiH.

„This is one of the most serious accusations I have heard in the last few years, that in one country it is possible that more than a hundred people were abused in wiretapping by officials of a service. If that is the case, then I am interested in whether it was considered by the competent committee and whether any conclusions were reached,“ said Nović.

Krišto could not give him an answer at that time, to which Nović said he expects an answer as to whether this is data from OSA or data from individuals within OSA who give their views on some major state issues in this country.

Federal representative Mahir Mešalić today published the response of OSA director Almir Džuvo, which he received to the parliamentary question regarding the allegations of 100 cases of abuse.

„Bearing in mind that the parliamentary question refers to 'possible abuses' which may constitute a criminal offense, the answer to the parliamentary question can only be given by the competent prosecutor's offices or possibly police agencies authorized under the Criminal Procedure Code.

The Intelligence-Security Agency of Bosnia and Herzegovina (OSA), pursuant to the provisions of Articles 5 and 6 of the Law on the Intelligence-Security Agency of BiH, collects, processes, and distributes information on threats to the security of Bosnia and Herzegovina to authorized legal users, and not media appearances by the highest holders of government functions in Bosnia and Herzegovina. For possible clarifications of media statements by officials, we suggest you contact directly the persons who made the statements in question,“ the response states.

In response to today's inquiry by Patria to the Prosecutor's Office of BiH whether they are verifying the allegations of Elmedin Konaković and whether he has been summoned to the Prosecutor's Office of BiH to present all information regarding his claim, we received the following response:

„The Prosecutor's Office of BiH is working on a case involving persons from the US government's blacklist, and within which allegations of abuse of the capacities of OSA-OBA BiH are also being checked.

The actions being taken in the case relate to materials with a specific classification mark, and the prosecutor's office cannot provide more information or details,“ they stated in the response.

Therefore, the Prosecutor's Office of BiH is the key institution that can say whether there were abuses in OSA during the mandate of Osman Mehmedagić. But we will obviously have to wait for that information.

(V.A.)