Bosnia top court releases intelligence chief accused of fraud
The top Bosnian court released Friday Osman Mehmedagić, the country’s chief of intelligence, following his detention stemming from charges of money laundering and abusing his position.
Mehmedagić, who is currently the head of the Bosnian
Intelligence-Security Agency (OSA), was arrested Wednesday following an
investigation for forging official documents, abuse of office, and money
laundering. Although the top court has released Mehmedagić from custody, he is
barred from speaking with or discussing the case with other suspects and
potential witnesses. According to a statement released by the top court,
Mehmedagić’s ban measure will last as long as it is needed but will be monitored
every two months. He may be remanded if the court finds he is not acting in
accordance with the order. Prosecutors are expected to appeal this decision
soon.
The original arrest caused significant controversy, many
citizens claimed that the prosecutors were acting on political motives by
detaining Mehmedagić, who is a Muslim-Bosniak. The arrest also came just
shortly after the director of the American University in Sarajevo and Tuzla was
allegedly arrested for giving an illegal diploma to Mehmedagić.
Back in October of 2020, Mehmedagić and another colleague
were charged, but later acquitted of, abusing their offices and for reportedly
using government resources to spy on a man who filed a complaint against them.
Mehmedagić continues to maintain his innocence throughout these proceedings,
with his lawyer Senka Nozica stating that there is no legitimate basis behind
these accusations.
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