A Bosnian court has ordered the president of the autonomous Bosniak-Croat Federation to be detained for a month on corruption charges. Zivko Budimir, the president of the region’s commission of pardons, Hidajet Halilovic, and at least 17 other officials were arrested.
On 25 April, prosecutors said Budimir and four other officials had taken bribes to arrange pardons for convicts. They demanded his detention in case he tried to flee the country. Lawyers for the accused said they would appeal against the ruling. Police had earlier searched Budimir’s presidential office and several other government buildings.
The court’s Spokeswoman Asja Papo has confirmed that Budimir has been remanded in custody. The court accepted the Prosecution’s request to remand him in custody and determined that Budimir and his associates were a flight risk, that they could influence witnesses and destroy evidence. “The court concluded that the criminal acts were committed by top Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina officials and that the country and judiciary system’s reputation has been violated,” Papo said.
The investigation focused on Budimir and his alleged role in “cash-for-pardon” cases, state broadcaster BHRT1 reported.
The Prosecutor’s Office said it authorised the State Investigation and Protection Agency, or SIPA, said it was focusing on “tens of persons” involved in corruption, abuse of office, drug trafficking and organised crime and that “searches are ongoing at many locations”.
“The aim of these investigative activities is to discover corruption offenses whose perpetrators are the highest officials,” the prosecutor’s office said.
On 27 April, the Party of Justice and Trust (SPP), headed by Budimir, President of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, issued a statement condemning its leader’s arrest on 26 April as politically motivated.
The SPP said that Budimir was arrested because he did not want to sign against the law a decision on reshuffling the Federation’s government. The party said his arrest was an attack on the institutions of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina aimed at causing disorder, and called for his immediate release from police custody.
Budimir was named president of the Muslim-Croat federation in March 2011 after general elections in Bosnia. His party was removed from the ruling coalition in June 2012 and replaced with other Bosnian Croat political groupings but Budimir has refused to step down.
