FBiH Minister of the Interior Aljoša Čampara requested the suspension of FBiH PA officer, Zoran Čegar, due to the ongoing court proceedings against him in Croatia and the violent behavior and threats addressed to journalists of the Center for Investigative Reporting (CIN).
On October 26 this year, the Municipal Court in Dubrovnik commenced the trial against Čegar, who is accused of fraud. The State Attorney’s Office in Dubrovnik charges him with defrauding the boat and car rental company “Prožura” from the island of Mljet for EUR 20,000.
Čapara requested the suspension of Čegar from the position of head of the FUP Uniformed Police Division also for falsifying the documents based on which he came into possession of the valuable property on the Nišići plateau, which CIN recently wrote about.
CIN discovered that Čegar registered in the Cadastre of Ilijaš Municipality as the owner of someone else’s land, attaching documentation notarized in Loznica, which the Public Notary Chamber of Serbia described as “a gross forgery”.
Čampara urged the acting director of the FBiH PA (FUP), Ensad Korman, to act by the Law on Police Officers of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH), which states that a police officer will be immediately suspended “if he/she is accused of a criminal offense for which a prison sentence of at least three years can be imposed”.
FBiH Ministry of the Interior condemned the threats to the CIN journalist whom Čegar threatened to “rip out her throat”, called her names, and insulted her.
“This ministry needs brave and honest police officers, not cowards who threaten and attack women. The Minister will ask the FBiH Government to start the procedure for the dismissal of police officer Zoran Čegar from the position of President of the Police Committee of the Government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina”, FMUP announced.
In parallel, the FUP announced that, prompted by information released in the media, an internal investigation was launched against a high-ranking police officer who was “adversely related and linked to the incriminated persons”. The FUP statement did not specify which police officer it was, but it was emphasized that an internal investigation would be conducted promptly.
