The Supreme Court of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH) has amended the verdict of the Tuzla Cantonal Court, increasing the prison sentence of Elvis Custendil to 30 years for the crime of murder.

In the initial ruling by the Tuzla Cantonal Court on July 17, Custendil was found guilty and sentenced to 25 years in prison. However, both the prosecutor from the Cantonal Prosecutor's Office of Tuzla Canton and the defendant, through his lawyer, appealed the decision.

In its submission dated September 25, the FBiH Prosecutor’s Office of FBiH supported the prosecutor’s appeal, requesting the Supreme Court to extend the duration of Custendil’s sentence. The prosecution argued that the Tuzla Cantonal Court had overly weighed the defendant's guilty plea as a mitigating factor and had failed to adequately consider the particular cruelty of the crime and the fact that Custendil was a police officer at the time of the murder.

The Supreme Court dismissed the appeals of the defendant and his defense attorney, which challenged the initial verdict based on claims of incomplete and incorrect factual findings. However, the Court partially upheld the prosecutor's appeal concerning the sentencing decision, increasing the prison term to 30 years. The rest of the initial verdict remains unchanged.

Elvis Custendil, a police officer with the Ministry of the Interior of Tuzla Canton, was initially sentenced to 25 years in prison for the murder of Amra Kahrimanovic on February 7 of this year. The crime took place at the “Sjenjak” shopping centre in Tuzla.

The family of the victim and the Tuzla Canton Prosecutor's Office had expressed dissatisfaction with the initial sentence, deeming it insufficient given the gravity of the crime. The amended sentence by the Supreme Court reflects their concerns and the prosecution's argument for a stricter penalty.