The appointment of police officials will be completed before Spiric's trip to Brussels

BiH Chief Prosecutor Barasin on cooperation between the prosecution and police

Representatives of Citizens’ Complaints Board met with SIPA and BiH Border Police

BiH Minister of Security Ahmetovic is preventing the appointment of Serb staff members

Case of Ejup Ganic – update

Person suspected of robbing BiH Chief Prosecutor Barasin’s apartment arrested

Police operation “Network 2010” continues

Dnevni avaz pg. 5, Glas Srpske pg. 4 – BiH Parliament's Independent Board (IB) for Appointment of Police Officials should today submit the list of most successful candidates for the positions of BiH Border Police Director and Deputy Director, State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA) Deputy Director, as well as Director and two Deputy Directors of Directorate for Coordination of Police Bodies, as confirmed by the President of the IB Ziko Krunic.

Krunic reiterated that the list, once submitted, will be immediately forwarded to BiH Minister of Security Sadik Ahmetovic. At the end, the police officials will be appointed by the BiH Council of Ministers (BiH CoM).

BiH CoM Chairman, Nikola Spiric, announced his trip to Brussels next week, pointing out that until then the final condition for abolishment of visa regime will finally be fulfilled – the appointment of the Director of BiH  Directorate for Coordination of Police Bodies.

 

Dnevni avaz pg. 5, Oslobodjenje pg. 3 – BiH Chief Prosecutor Milorad Barasin, met yesterday in Sarajevo with the representatives of the International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance Program (ICITAP). Together with the Project Manager James Tillman and his co-workers, Barasin discussed the mechanisms of cooperation between police structures and prosecutors in BiH.

 

Nezavisne novine pg. 2, Oslobodjenje pg. 6 – Representatives of the Citizens’ Complaints Board met with State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA) and BiH Border Police officials and agreed that these two institutions will forward all complaints of the citizens, filed with regards to the work of police in BiH, to the Board in urgent procedure.

The Board representatives said that the two police bodies will start forwarding the complaints as of 01 March, as well as that the Board will be informing about the certain investigations as well as about the ways the cases will be resolved.

 

Glas Srpske front page and pg. 5 – BiH Minister of Security Sadik Ahmetovic and BiH Ministry of Security Secretary Bakir Dautbasic, prevented the appointment of Mladen Mrkalj to the post of BiH Assistant Minister of Security and Head of IT Department, although he fulfils all necessary conditions, claims Glas Srpske source from BiH Parliament, adding that Mrkalj’s appointment was prevented with the aim of exclusion of employment of Serb officials within this particular department, as well as in order for the Bosniak domination in this Ministry to be maintained.

“The vacancy for this position has been cancelled with an explanation that not a single candidate managed to pass the written exam. Dautbasic plans to hire his man for this post, who is allegedly a Serb, but a former member of RBiH Army,” said the source, stressing that Ahmetovic continued with the same discriminatory policy as his predecessor Tarik Sadovic.

“Bosniaks intend to hire only “their” people, while candidates with other national affiliation have been invited to the interviews pro forma,” stated Mirko Okolic, Chairman of the Joint Parliamentary Security-Intelligence Committee, adding that he will request from BiH Ministry of Security the official information on why this particular vacancy has been cancelled.

BHT, FTV, RTRS, BN, NTV Hayat, Dnevni avaz front page “Another 17 patriots are on the list“ and pgs. 2 and 4, Nezavisne novine front page and pgs. 4 and 5, Oslobodjenje front page “For four days Ganic had no idea what was happening” and pg. 2, Dnevni list pg. 5, Vecernji list front page “Emir Ganic: My father is isolated and has no idea what is happening” and pgs. 6 and 7, Press RS pgs. 2 and 3, Glas Srpske front page and pg. 2 – Dnevni Avaz claims to be in an exclusive possession of the arrest warrant issued after Ejup Ganic by the City if Westminster Magistrates Court.

According to the warrant issued, Ganic is accused of conspiracy to murder.

“Between the 2^nd and the 3^rd May 1992 in Sarajevo, Ejub Ganic conspired with Fikret Muslimovic, Zaim Backovic, Jovan Divjak, Emin Svrakic, Jusuf Pusina, Dragan Vikic, Jusuf Prazina, Nusret Sisic, Musan Kovac, Jovan Begovic, Ibrahim Hodzic, Avdo Panjeta, Jusuf Kecman, Damir Dolan, Samir Cengic, Stjepan Kljujic and Hasan Efendic, and committedor procured the commission of a grave breach of a Geneva Convention, namely killing of wounded soldiers,” reads the official warrant.

Meanwhile, the reactions concerning Ganic’s arrest continue.

BiH Council of Ministers Chairman, Nikola Spiric, stated that if the person is innocent, one should not be afraid of any judiciary – British, Serbian or Bosnian.

RS Prime Minister, Milorad Dodik, said over Ganic’s arrest that "justice can never come too late if those who committed war crimes are brought to justice and receive adequate sentences.”

"Ganic couldn't have escaped justice, because he is more responsible for the war than former RS President Biljana Plavsic. Ganic had certainly been more in charge of issuing orders for the operations, than Plavsic," Dodik said.

SDA harshly condemned the arrest and detention of Ejup Ganic, assessing it as an act contrary to international conventions and bilateral agreement between BiH and Serbia. SDA President, Sulejman Tihic, highlighted that British authorities had shown disrespect towards BiH and those who had been defending the state and its people. Tihic requested local institutions to make additional efforts in order for Ganic to be released.

All media reported that the decision whether Ganic will be released from custody or not, will be reached today, as well as that the members of Ganic’s family as well as Haris Silajdzic’s counsellor Damir Arnaut andBiH Ambassador to Great Britain Jadranka Negodic, managed to meet with him yesterday.

 

FTV, Dnevni avaz pg. 13 – Members of Sarajevo Police managed to arrest the person suspected of robbing the apartment of BiH Chief Prosecutor, Milorad Barasin, few days ago.

As informed by several media, the suspect has been in possession of burglary tools that were used during other two robberies as well.

LAE in BiH refused to comment on this case yesterday, noting that more details will be revealed today.

Police operation “Network 2010” continues

Dnevni avaz pg. 25, Nezavisne novine pg. 15, Oslobodjenje pg. 12, Press RS pg. 14, Glas Srpske pg. 16, Dnevni list pg. 19 - Continuing the activities in the operation “Network 2010”, officers of the Republika Srpska (RS) Ministry of Interior Crime Department, Doboj Public Security Center (PSC) and Tuzla Canton Police searched twelve locations in Doboj area, seizing large quantities of firearms, ammunition, explosives and military equipment.

RS MoI informed in their official statement that “the searches uncovered 27 rifles, two snipers, a shoulder rocket launcher, seven handguns, four grenades, 50 meters of slow-burning fuse, 16,700 bullets of different calibers, and a number of weapons spare parts.”

The police also seized records on weapon sales and more than 50 vehicle registration certificates and license plates, which are suspected of being falsified.

Nine persons were interrogated during the operation, and the reports on police findings on unauthorized production and trafficking in firearms or explosive materials forwarded to Doboj County Prosecutor’s Office, as informed by RS MoI.

 

Dnevni list front page and pg. 8 – So far not a single person has been charged or punished for the murder of Vedran Puljic occurred during riots in Siroki Brijeg five months ago. West-Herzegovina Cantonal (WHC) Prosecution informed that the investigation in this case is still ongoing, as well as that several activities still needed to be undertaken in order for the investigation to be completed and in order for some things to become clear.

Competent prosecutor Vesna Cavar said that she hopes that the investigation will be completed until beginning of April.

“Investigation is being led against two persons due to the criminal act of murder and injuring of several persons. Only after the investigation is being completed, we will be able to say more about who perpetrated this criminal act. Apart from the two persons mentioned, investigation has also been launched against the football fans who participated in the riots, which means we have two investigations that are currently ongoing,” said Cavar.

WHC Police Commissioner, Zoran Galic, stated that the police is intensively working on the cases occurred in Siroki Brijeg together with the competent prosecution, but refused to reveal any more details.

“It is the prosecution’s decision that the police is not allowed to publish any information,” added Galic.

Several speculations were published by the media on how the riots started in the first place, as well as about the persons who participated in the riots and who was the murderer of Puljic.

The police officers allegedly were shooting in the air in order to repress the group of hooligans, who were attacking the police and destroying other peoples’ property. Civilian Oliver Knezovic somehow managed to gain access to the gun carried by the police officer Dragan Vujevic. Currently, one side claims that Knezovic took the gun away from Vujevic, while the other says that it was Vujevic who dropped the gun on the street.

Vujevic told his superiors his side of story and was even detained for several days as a murder suspect, while Knezovic managed to escape from prison and is currently hiding in Croatia.

According to police information, eight police guns were used during the incident. Vujevic’s gun is one of the guns used, although Vujevic claims that he did not fire a single bullet.

 

Oslobodjenje front page and pg. 3, Nezavisne novine pg. 7, Glas Srpske pg. 4, Dnevni list pg. 9 - BiH Council of Ministers (BiH CoM) adopted the Action Plan for implementation of the verdict of European Court for Human Rights in the case of “Sejdic and Finci against BiH”.

The Action Plan foresees the establishment of the Working Group that should propose concrete solutions for implementation of the verdict and amendments to the BiH Constitution.

Working Group will consist of one representative from each of the delegates’ caucuses at BiH Parliamentarian Assembly’s House of Representatives, three representatives of BiH constitutive nations from the House of Peoples, and three representatives from BiH CoM. The goal is to reach the final solution prior to the general elections in October 2010, in order for BiH Election Law to be amended timely.

 

Oslobodjenje pg. 9 - The European Union (EU) has recently granted three million Euros to the Registry for Section I for War Crimes and Section II for Organised Crime, Economic Crime and Corruption of the Criminal and Appellate Divisions of the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina and for the Special Department for War Crimes and the Special Department for Organised Crime, Economic Crime and Corruption of the Prosecutor’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

As the Delegation of EU to BiH informed, the overall objective of the grant is to assist the national authorities in developing an effective, independent and efficient judiciary at state level for the citizens of BiH.

“Funding the operational and direct costs of certain units within the Registry and the Ministry of Justice of Bosnia and Herzegovina will enable bringing war crimes, organised crimes and corruption cases to court,” reads the official statement.

 

 

 

Dnevni avaz – Another 17 patriots are on the list (to be arrested)

Oslobodjenje – For four days Ganic had no idea what was happening

Nezavisne novine – Savic acquitted of all charges

Press RS – Garic’s murderer acquitted of all charges

Glas Srpske – Former President of the Serbian Military Court in Belgrade: Ganic ordered and led the attack

Dnevni list – Riots in Siroki Brijeg: Investigation will be completed until April

Vecernji list – Emir Ganic: My father is isolated and has no idea what is happening