Bosnia Hands Down First Verdict Based on Sky Evidence

Thanks to plea bargaining, the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina has handed down its first verdict based on evidence obtained through the global crackdown on Sky ECC and Anom apps, the court stated on Friday. 

Alem Zukic, 32, pleaded guilty to participating in a drug trafficking enterprise and was sentenced to one year in prison and fined 4,000 Bosnian marks, equal to some 2,000 euros. The court also ordered the deprivation of unlawfully acquired property benefit to the amount of 2,000 euros. 

"From the very beginning of the criminal proceedings, the accused has cooperated with the law enforcement authorities and his testimony during the initial stages of the investigation significantly contributed to the successful and efficient conclusion of the investigation," the court said. 

While Bosnia's top court has accepted evidence gleaned from a global crackdown on Sky ECC and Anom, encrypted messaging apps popular with criminal organisations, lawyers in neighbouring Montenegro and Serbia question the admissibility of such evidence. 

On May 10, a group of lawyers organised a protest in Montenegro's capital, Podgorica, accusing the Higher Court and Special State Prosecution of misusing Sky ECC transcripts to order detentions and file indictments. They said Sky ECC transcripts must be supported with material evidence.

"We have been going through hardships ever since the Sky ECC appeared as evidence. From the courts' point of view, Sky ECC transcripts are perceived as evidence and on the basis of it our defendants are put in custody for a long period of time," one of the lawyers, Zdravko Begovic, said at the protest.

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