Prosecutor's Office of Tuzla Canton forgets presumption of innocence: Arrested police officer already declared guilty

By A. Vrabac

---

The Prosecutor's Office of Tuzla Canton sent a press release to the media today, although it would be more accurate to say it is already an indictment against police officer T.O. who was arrested for alleged abuse of office, and another police officer N.H. who was initially detained and then released and has the status of a witness.

We remind you that police officer T.O. is "guilty" because M.B. was forced to bring him to the police station due to inappropriate behavior during a traffic police check. M.B. is the husband of the Deputy Chief Prosecutor of the TK, Mirzeta Begić. Interestingly, the arrest of the police officer followed four days after the incident. He was arrested by members of the FUP.

The Prosecutor's Office of TK also attacked the MUP TK Trade Union today, expressing displeasure with the members' statements about the arrest of their colleague. The Prosecutor's Office of TK is even informed about when the TK Trade Union meeting is supposed to be held, and they are informing the public about that too.

"By presenting information to the public in this way, an attempt is being made to create a conflict between the Police Union and this Prosecutor's Office, which is being "accused" of unfair and illegal conduct in this specific case, and that the Prosecutor's Office reacted only because the injured party is the husband of a prosecutor in this Prosecutor's Office??

The Prosecutor's Office of TK goes a step further, insinuating that the TK Trade Union should "worry" whether there are individuals close to organized criminal circles in the Tuzla and Tuzla Canton area within the police structure of the MUP TK.

Regardless of what findings the Prosecutor's Office of TK has in this case, press releases like the one sent to the media today by this Prosecutor's Office are not an example of serious and professional work of a judicial institution. Thus, in addition to revealing that they knew about the alleged connection of police officers with "criminal circles," they also provide the media with photos of the police officer who has the status of a witness, showing him with members of the "criminal milieu." The Prosecutor's Office of TK further reveals that the witness's testimony is "questionable and contradictory, to say the least." Revealing such details in the midst of an investigation says more about the Prosecutor's Office of TK than about the police officers who may have used excessive force that night.

Given that it is the husband of a TK Prosecutor, it is clear that this Prosecutor's Office cannot continue the investigation or lead the case. The question is whether this case is sustainable at all, considering the information released by the Prosecutor's Office of TK. The Prosecutor's Office of TK further lists the names of individuals with whom police officer-witness N.H. is friends, and who have no connection to this case. To make their story more "realistic," the Prosecutor's Office also sent photos of the police officer-witness with certain individuals and even an Order for Conducting an Investigation against three people.

If the Prosecutor's Office of TK already had such data, or if this police officer was previously suspicious or compromised the MUP TK, then the question is why the Prosecutor's Office of TK did not react earlier. However, instead of doing its job, the Prosecutor's Office has a message for the public:

"The public should judge for themselves when they see pictures of such friendly relations between a police officer and criminally active individuals, as well as criminal records of the police officer's friends from the last opened investigation and the criminal records of the same police officer's friends! This Prosecutor's Office also has prior knowledge that the police officer who was deprived of his liberty is also on good terms with the same criminally active individuals," stated the Prosecutor's Office of TK.

The Prosecutor's Office further reveals that the prosecutor whose husband was deprived of his liberty is involved in the case of the organized group of Beriz Kabilović.

"At the press conference, when Kabilović and others were deprived of their liberty, the Commissioner-Director of the Police Administration of the MUP TK himself emphasized that certain police officers are linked to the activities of this group and are close to these individuals. We leave the publicly released photos of the police officer with criminally active individuals, the criminal records from the last investigation against Kabilović and others, as well as the criminal records of this police officer's "friends" for the public to judge," the Prosecutor's Office of TK announced.

And while the Prosecutor's Office of TK, in its report, lists all these compromising details regarding the police officer, thereby almost declaring them guilty, they simultaneously ask the media to "when taking over or transferring information published by the Cantonal Prosecutor's Office of Tuzla Canton about cases in which persons are suspected or accused of criminal offenses, keep in mind the presumption of innocence from Article 3 of the Law on Criminal Procedure of the FBiH, which in paragraph 1 defines that everyone is considered innocent of a criminal offense until their guilt is established by a final court decision." And it is clear that the Prosecutor's Office of Tuzla Canton itself forgot about this today.