The Cantonal Court in Novi Travnik has upheld a five-year prison term for Emina Begić, a lawyer from Bugojno, following her conviction for breach of trust. In the same final ruling, her brother, municipal councilor Adnan Hozić, received a six-month suspended sentence, contingent on his not committing another offense within the next twelve months.
The verdict concludes criminal proceedings initiated in 2019 by the Central Bosnia Canton Prosecutor’s Office. Begić was charged with abusing the trust of clients who had sought her legal help with property deals, unlawfully taking over one million convertible marks from them, with assistance from her brother.
The case was closely monitored by journalists from the Centre for Investigative Reporting (CIN), who detailed the events in their investigative report titled Millions Through A Power Of Attorney.
The sentence further implies that Begić will be barred from continuing her legal practice. According to the law, any lawyer receiving an unconditional prison sentence of six months or longer loses their right to practise law automatically, effective from the date the conviction becomes legally binding.
