Former Intelligence director Osman Mehmedagic acquitted of abuse of office charges

The Prosecutor's Office of BiH had accused Mehmedagic of holding the director position without the legally required higher education qualifications from November 2019 until his dismissal on 27 February 2023. Prosecutors alleged that he gained unlawful financial material benefit totalling 293,046.58 Bosnian marks (approx. €149,832), an amount they argued represented direct financial damage to the state budget.

At the centre of the trial was the validity of Mehmedagic's educational credentials. Prosecutor Sanja Ljuboje Romic highlighted that his degree from the Faculty of Business Studies in Banja Luka had been annulled, while questioning additional documentation linked to the Faculty of Law in Sarajevo and the American University in Tuzla. The prosecution, which called 28 witnesses and four expert consultants, requested a sentence near the legal maximum.

In contrast, the defence team, led by lawyers Senka Nozica and Nermin Mulalic, argued that prosecutors failed to prove criminal intent or a causal link between Mehmedagic's actions and the alleged budgetary damage. They emphasized that Mehmedagic lacked the authority to dismiss himself, as executive appointments and dismissals rest entirely with the Council of Ministers of BiH.

The Court of BiH accepted the defence arguments, ruling that the legal elements of the alleged crime were not established. Today's verdict is a first-instance ruling and remains subject to appeal by the Prosecutor's Office.