The suspended President of the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina Ranko Debevec, former Director of the Intelligence and Security Agency (OSA) Osman Mehmedagić and suspended Court official Milisav Pijuk refused to enter a plea to the indictment charging them with abuse of office and other offenses.
Since they did not wish to enter a plea, Judge Dalida Burzić ex officio entered into the record that they pleaded not guilty.
The defense said that the accused would not enter a plea, because the decision on transferring this case to another court has not yet been completed.
“Given the procedural situation, we believe that the conditions for entering a plea have not been met,” said Debevec’s defense attorney Tatjana Vasić.
Mehmedagić’s defense attorney Nermin Mulalić also expressed his opinion, and Pijuk’s attorney Ratko Gengo also joined their position.
The defendants said that they understood the indictment, which, with Debevec making a remark.
“I only understood the indictment linguistically,” he said.
Defense attorney Vasić concluded by stating that accepting the minutes from the hearing does not mean that the Defense accepts the jurisdiction of the Court of BiH to conduct this criminal proceeding, BIRN BiH reports.
Debevec is charged with abuse of position or authority, forgery of an official document, receiving a reward or other form of benefit for trading in influence, unauthorized wiretapping and audio or optical recording, and false representation and violation of the Law on Gender Equality of BiH.
Mehmedagić is charged with forgery of an official document, as well as abuse of position or authority, while Pijuk, along with Debevec, is included in the indictment for false representation and violation of the Law on Gender Equality of BiH.
The indictment against them was confirmed in August. As Detektor previously wrote, Debevac’s defense filed an appeal with the Constitutional Court of BiH, requesting that the decision to confirm the indictment be overturned.
