Prosecutor's Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina Seeks Maximum Sentences for Dupovac and Ramić, Defense Requests Acquittal

(Patria) - The Prosecutor's Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina has requested maximum sentences for Hasan Dupovac and Alisa Ramić for concealing evidence in the investigation into the death of Dženan Memić in 2016, while the defense has requested acquittal, reports Detektor.

Appeals were submitted to the Third Instance Panel of the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina after Dupovac was sentenced to three years in prison for abuse of office and authority in his position as head of the Traffic Investigations Department in Sarajevo, and Ramić to two and a half years for giving false testimony.

Photo: Patria

The Prosecutor's Office believes that due to the consequences resulting from the actions of Dupovac and Ramić, which are reflected in the fact that even after eight years the murder of Memić has not been resolved, the maximum sentences prescribed by law should be imposed.

- Alisa Ramić contributed with her false testimony, her concealment - said prosecutor Ćazim Hasanspahić.

He states that Dupovac is responsible for collecting evidence without a court order and diverting the investigation, and adds that due to Dupovac's actions, two video surveillance recordings never saw the light of day.

The prosecutor said that the consequences of the actions committed by the accused are the basis for the jurisdiction of the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina. As he stated, earlier attempts to portray Memić's death as a traffic accident have failed.

- Even today, the family seeks justice - Hasanspahić emphasized.

Dupovac was found guilty by the verdict of the Appellate Chamber of abuse of office or authority under the Criminal Code of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Ramić of giving false testimony. For both offenses, sentences ranging from six months to five years are prescribed.

The defense filed appeals due to violations of criminal procedure and law, incorrectly and incompletely established facts, as well as the sanction. They requested an acquittal, and Dupovac's defense proposed as an alternative that the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina declare itself incompetent.

Photo: Patria

Defense attorneys Nina Kisić and Ermin Gačanović said they stand by their written appeals but did not wish to present them orally in the courtroom.

The accused Dupovac said that nothing the prosecutor stated is true. He added that it is not true that he acted without orders from the court and the prosecutor's office, and that witnesses spoke about this during the trial.

- The prosecutor knows very well that those recordings were reviewed - Dupovac emphasized.

The Appellate Chamber of the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina in July last year issued a verdict convicting Dupovac and Ramić and acquitting Zijad Mutap, Josip Barić, and Muamer Ožegović. This verdict was rendered after the first-instance verdict acquitting all five defendants was overturned.

Given that the first-instance proceeding resulted in an acquittal and the second-instance in a conviction, the parties had the right to file appeals to the Third Instance Panel regarding the convicting part of the verdict.

The Third Instance Panel, presided over by Judge Darko Samardžić, will render a decision at a later date.