The Prosecutor’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina requested that the lawyer Vasvija Vidović be punished for preventing evidence and that she be banned from practicing law for three years.
In the closing statement, the prosecution assessed that it was undoubtedly proven that Vidović had the intention to make it difficult to prove in the criminal proceedings when on December 18, 2023, acting as a defense attorney in the investigation against the then arrested president of the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ranko Debevac, she hid his phone.
“In this case, a relatively small amount of subjective and objective evidence was presented, but what evidence clearly and precisely confirms the allegations of the indictment”, said prosecutor Bojana Jolović.
She recalled the testimony of the inspectors of the State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA), who told how, when Vidović was alone with the client, she reached for her bag in which Debevec had inserted a mobile phone. She mentioned that the inspectors asked Vidović several times if she had something to report and hand over, but that she denied it, until the inspection revealed the disputed phone.
Jolović emphasized that the inspectors told the accused, when she arrived at SIPA, that the phones in the room should be confiscated and that she was aware that they were used in criminal proceedings.
“All this shows the intention of Vasvija Vidović with the aim of concealing items that can serve as evidence,” said the prosecutor.
According to her, the fact that she is a lawyer with many years of experience and enviable knowledge of legal regulations increases the responsibility.
“The fact that this crime was committed by the defense attorney not only shows an increased intent but also an increased degree of responsibility, because it is about someone who knows not only the rights of suspects but also procedural regulations,” stated Jolović.
She dismissed the objections of the Defense regarding the difference of a few minutes in the orders of the Court and SIPA for the search of the suspect, as well as that the subject of the search was significantly different in those two orders. She stated that neither Vidović nor her defense attorney had any objections during the search.
The prosecutor believes that the fact that the order to search Debevac arrived around midnight does not change anything, as emphasized by the Defense. She assessed that the allegations made by the accused in her testimony were unsubstantiated.
“The claims that she acted in accordance with lawyer ethics are not supported by anything,” said Jolović.
She stated that the character of the accused is an aggravating circumstance. She requested that Vidović be found guilty and that a sanction be imposed on her, and that, as a security measure, a ban on the practice of law be imposed for a period of three years.
The closing statement of the Defense is scheduled for January 22.
(TYPE/Source: Detektor.ba/Author: Marija Taušan/Photo: BIRN BiH)
