The Cantonal Court in Sarajevo overturned the first-instance verdict by which Amir Zukic, the former Secretary-General of the Democratic Action Party (SDA), was sentenced to three years in prison.

Lawyer Ahmed Zilic told N1 that Zukic conveyed this news to him over the phone and that he will meet with him on Tuesday.

Asim Sarajlic, another SDA high-ranking official was also accused, and his acquittal was confirmed.

Amir Zukic, Safet Bibic, Esed Dzananovic, Ramiz Karavdic and Senad Trako were found guilty of accepting a gift and illegal mediation during an employment in 2016, Asim Sarajlic and Nedzad Trako were acquitted and the case was returned to the Municipal Court for a retrial.

Zukic, who at that time was the SDA Secretary-General and a representative in the FBiH Parliament, was sentenced to three years in prison by the first-instance verdict of the Municipal Court, the same sentence received by Dzananovic, the then CEO of Elektroprivreda BiH.

Bibic, who was a technician at the Clinical Center of the University of Sarajevo (KCUS) and a member of several administrative and supervisory boards, was sentenced to six years, Karavdic to two, Senad Trako, the then an official of the Patriotic Party of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BPS), to a year and a half in prison.

They were found guilty of receiving a gift and trading in influence through illegal mediation during the employment of several persons, from whom sums ranging from 11,000 to 20,000 Bosnian marks (€6,000-10,000) were demanded. According to media reports, in some cases the money was handed over, and in others, it was not, because the accused were arrested.

The trial should be repeated before the Municipal Court in Sarajevo.