Bosnia’s Prosecution continues investigation into Jozo Leutar assassination

Nada Dalipagic, the lawyer representing Leutar’s family, confirmed that numerous witnesses are being questioned as part of the investigation.

“A large number of witnesses are being interviewed, and I still hope for a positive outcome in this process,” Dalipagic stated in an interview with RTV HB.

In 2021, Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Constitutional Court ruled that the Leutar family’s rights, guaranteed by the country’s Constitution and the European Convention on Human Rights, had been violated due to the ineffective investigation conducted by the state prosecutor's office.

The case was transferred from the Sarajevo Cantonal Prosecutor’s Office to the Prosecutor’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2017, which classified the assassination as an act of terrorism.

Dalipagic acknowledged that the prolonged investigation is difficult to justify but emphasized the complexity of the case given the passage of time. However, she believes that the ruling of the Constitutional Court could help restore public trust in the judiciary and shed light on Leutar’s murder.

Leutar was seriously injured on March 16, 1999, in the Sarajevo neighbourhood of Ciglane when an explosive device planted in his official vehicle detonated while he was travelling from his apartment to the Ministry of Interior headquarters. He succumbed to his injuries 12 days later, on March 28, at a Sarajevo hospital.

The assassination had significant political ramifications, with media reports at the time suggesting that the Sarajevo Cantonal Prosecutor’s Office and intelligence services aimed to blame the Croatian political leadership in Bosnia and Herzegovina for the attack. Six Croatian individuals were later acquitted of all charges by the Sarajevo Cantonal Court.

Last year, former Bosniak intelligence officer Edin Garaplija, who wrote a book on the subject, filed a criminal complaint against several Bosniak officials whom he believes were involved in a series of unresolved murders, including that of Jozo Leutar.