A hearing was held today in the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina to extend the custody of Josip Barić, a police officer suspected of organized crime, and to hide and destroy evidence in the case of the murder of Dženan Memić.
According to the evidence of the Prosecutor's Office of B&H, on the fateful night of February 8th, 2016, Barić did not take out the bloody sweater of Alisa Mutap, a girl who was with Memić on the night when he suffered fatal injuries.
Prosecutors Ćazim Hasanspahić and Dubravko Čampara explained to the Trial Chamber the motion to extend custody.
Hasanspahić stated that there are still reasons for Barić to remain in custody for another month because witnesses feel threatened and there are expert reports that have not yet been completed.
On the other hand, Prosecutor Čampara stated that they are working on the identification of new suspects and their accomplices, and he emphasized that this is a complex case in which the institutions of the system covered up, faked and hid evidence.
- This was done by the MUP of Sarajevo Canton and the Prosecutor's Office of Sarajevo Canton. Note that Zijad Mutap was in an organized criminal group superior to Barić. Witnesses are in fear. Yesterday we had a situation that they were making death threats to the father who is fighting for the truth about the death of his child - stated Čampara.
Barić also addressed the court and stated that he did not know why he was arrested because he had worked honestly and responsibly throughout his career.
- How do you think the other witnesses will feel when they know that Dženan's father was threatened in this way. The one who threatened said that Muriz Memić would be killed if something happened to the suspects. This is a case that attracts a lot of public attention and because of which citizens do not trust the police and the prosecution. The father was just looking for truth and justice. It was not just a matter of the child suffering, but someone was watching him die and did nothing. If he knows something, let this prosecution be interested only in the truth - Čampara explained.
Barić's lawyer referred to the finding of the expert from Serbia, Ištvan Bodal, who, as she stated, said that it was a traffic accident in this case. However, the prosecutor clarified that no one officially hired that expert witness, nor did he have a summons from the court to make an expert report, so this is a finding that was not taken into consideration because it was incoherent and illegal.
Barić justified himself in court by saying that the bloody sweater was not excluded because it was a female person, and that should have been done by a female police officer.
Prosecutor Čampara replied that Barić had a clear order from the then prosecutor and now a witness in the case Meris Ćato to remove all clothes from Dženan and Alisa.
- I did not keep a word from the prosecutor that night. I've been doing this my whole career. And now I do so. I have known Zijad Mutap for 30 years but I have not spoken to him since that night. My boss Hasan Dupovac ordered me to escort the Renault Clio to the place of expertise and that’s it. I think about all this at night and it is not clear to me why I am in custody - stated Barić.
