Zivko Budimir, 52, who is also the leader of the Bosnia and Herzegovina Party for Justice and Trust, was indicted on Jan. 15 by the Cantonal Court in Sarajevo.
He was charged along with five others: his adviser, Petar Barisic; Federation Parliament delegate Zeljko Asic; Hidajet Halilovic ,the president of the Federation's board for evaluating pardons; Saud Kulosman, the president of a veteran's organization; and Armin Kulovac, who was accused in 2013 of seeking illegal assistance so that his brother, Admir Kulovac, would be released from prison. Today's charges were confirmed to OCCRP by a spokesman at Sarajevo Cantonal Court.
This case stems from a state-level indictment in November 2013, when Budimir was accused of intervening on his own initiative and at the request of politicians and crime figures to give amnesty to criminals serving sentences and erase their criminal records. The case was then referred to the Sarajevo Cantonal Prosecutor.Budimir is also alleged to have used his official budget to pay personal bills and buy clothes.
Hundreds of inmates with multiple criminal convictions have had their sentences reduced since Budimir took office. One of them, Mersed Hadzic, was a convicted murderer who was once on Interpol's most wanted list.
Budimir was a compromise candidate who was sworn into office in 2011 following an election stalemate in 2010, when the vote was split between political parties and no single group succeeded informing a government. The impasse was resolved only after four parties formed a coalition.
Since today's indictment, the president has continued to serve. Government officials have not indicated whether he will step down during the pending court action, and it is unclear whether he is required to do so.
