Bosnia and Herzegovina: Judge 'Received Bribes' from Alleged Organized Crime Figures

News

Police in Bosnia and Herzegovina have arrested a senior appeals court judge who is suspected of taking bribes from two men whose sentences were overturned on appeal last year.

February 27, 2015

Judge Azra Miletic was arrested alongside two alleged organized crime figures, Ramo Brkic and Senad Sabic, in a police action called "Hammer" on Wednesday evening.

Brkic is a former police officer who recieved an 11-year prison sentence for organized crime, drug production and trafficking, and abuse of power in 2013. At the same trial, Sabic was sentenced to 10 years in prison for bribing and drug production and trafficking. The charges against Brkic came after the police action "Kastel" in 2010, in which 41 people were arrested on drug-related charges. The Bosnian Center for Investigative Reporting (CIN) covered the case, and produced the award winning documentary, "Police and(or) criminals" in 2014.

Brkic and Sabic's convictions were overturned when they appealed in 2014, and the court called for a retrial. Now, the two stand accused of bribing judge Miletic to manipulate the outcome of their appeal.

The Bosnia and Herzegovina Court said in a statement,"This is certainly a disturbing development, since Judge Miletić holds a highly responsible function in this state-level judicial institution."