Bosnia Prosecution Seeks Detention for Radoncic

Bosnia’s prosecution has asked the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina to keep Fahrudin Radoncic, the businessman-leader of the Alliance for a Better Future of Bosnia and Herzegovina, SBBBiH, in detention for 30 days.

The prosecution said the measure was necessary because if he was left at liberty, the accused could conceal evidence or pressure witnesses and so undermine the investigation.

Radoncic was arrested on Monday on suspicion of pressuring witnesses and obstructing the work of judicial institutions.

Vasvija Vidovic, a lawyer for Radoncic, told BIRN on Tuesday that the arrest was “politically motivated.

“The arrest was unnecessary. Radoncic is here and is a public figure. I am very familiar with this case and I can say this is a political fabrication,” Vidovic said.

Radoncic’s lawyers also complained after the prosecution presented a new accusation against him, linked to the nomination of Nermana Hadzijahic as ambassador to Slovenia.

“When Radoncic was interrogated in SIPA [state investigative police] premises, this issue was not even mentioned but when we arrived at the prosecution, this figured among the accusations,” Dragan Barbaric, another lawyer for Radoncic, told the media.

The arrest is likely to have political consequences for his party and for its alliance with the main Bosniak party, the Party of Democratic Action, SDA, and the Croatian Democratic Union, HDZBiH, at state level and at the level of the Federation entity.

On Tuesday, an SDA press release stated that the party was “committed to preserving the coalition with the Alliance for a Better Future for the best interest of Bosnia and Herzegovina and its citizens”.

The SDA acknowledged, however, that “Radoncic’s arrest represents a serious challenge for our coalition… and have huge consequences.

“We believe the judicial institutions are aware of all these circumstances and that they will do their job in the shortest period and with all respect for the constitution and laws.

“We respect the presumption of innocence, according to which everyone is innocent until proven guilty,” the SDA wrote.

Bakir Izetbegovic, president of the SDA and Bosniak member of the state presidency, has announced a meeting with SBBBiH representatives to discuss the situation.

The arrest was criticised by the leader of the other main party in the ruling coalition, the president of HDZBiH and Croat member of the Presidency, Dragan Covic.

“Radoncic told us that he would be arrested some days ago, so we should ask ourselves how he could have known that,” Covic said.

On January 11, the Bosnian authorities arrested Bakir Dautbasic, a member of Fahrudin’s SBBBiH and his partner, accusing her of having pushed a Bosnian doctor, Azra Saric, to modify her deposition at the trial of alleged drug lord Naser Kelmendi in Pristina, so as not to mention Radoncic’s name. It has been linked to Kelmendi’s in the latter’s indictment.