CRIMINALS IN THE EDUCATION SYSTEM: A police officer's killer worked as a teacher at the Economics School in Brčko!

At the end of last year, the Police of Brčko District in Bosnia and Herzegovina received a report that a primary school teacher at the Economics School in Brčko had been harassing a student. The authorities confirmed to Žurnal that they had informed the duty prosecutor, who stated that there were no elements of a criminal offence in the reported actions.

However, a shocking revelation emerged during the subsequent police investigation, indicating that the same teacher had a prior conviction for killing a police officer and other criminal acts.

"Since the reported primary school teacher had previously been processed by the Police of Brčko District, further verification was conducted to determine how such an individual was employed in the school and how they became involved in the teaching process", stated the Brčko District Police in response to Žurnal's inquiries.

Further investigations have revealed that this teacher was engaged under a service contract with the Department of Education of the Government of Brčko District in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In such cases, candidates are not required to provide a criminal record certificate but rather a certificate stating that no criminal proceedings are being conducted against them. According to the Police of Brčko District, they presented these facts to the duty prosecutor, who once again confirmed that there were no elements of a criminal offence in the reported actions.

This issue was raised during the last session of the Assembly of Brčko District in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where Chief Prosecutor Zekerija Mujkanović presented a report on the work of the prosecution. He also responded to parliamentary questions, some of which were related to the case of the teacher at the Economics School.

Further investigations have revealed that this teacher was engaged through a contract with the Department of Education of the Government of Brčko District in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In such cases, candidates are not required to submit a criminal record certificate, but rather a certificate stating that no criminal proceedings are being conducted against them.

According to the Police of Brčko District in Bosnia and Herzegovina, these facts were presented to the duty prosecutor, who once again confirmed that there were no elements of a criminal offence in the reported actions.

This issue was raised during the recent session of the Assembly of Brčko District in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where Chief Prosecutor Zekerija Mujkanović presented a report on the work of the prosecution. He also responded to parliamentary questions, some of which pertained to the case of the teacher at the Economics School.

Member of Parliament Ina Pamukčić clarified that this case was mentioned in a report received by the parliamentary commission overseeing police work. The investigation was initiated after an incident on May 6, when a minor student killed eight peers and a guard at Vladislav Ribnikar Elementary School in Belgrade. The report in question was from the Police of Brčko District in Bosnia and Herzegovina, highlighting deficiencies in the conclusions made by the Government of Brčko District, which tasked the Department of Education with collaborating with relevant public administration bodies and institutions to establish an entity responsible for the preventive suppression of socially unacceptable behaviour.

In this police report, which Žurnal obtained, the case of the teacher from the Economics School, as well as another case of sexual harassment at the Agriculture and Medical School, were cited as illustrations of current problems regarding the early detection of negative occurrences in schools, with an insufficient response from the competent authorities.

The Brčko District Prosecutor's Office confirmed to Žurnal that the duty prosecutor, upon receiving the report, assessed that the circumstances reported did not constitute a criminal offence and informed the police accordingly.

"On the other hand, the Prosecutor's Office has initiated proceedings regarding the harassment of students at the Agriculture and Medical School, and intensive measures and actions are being taken to make a proper and lawful prosecutorial decision”, stated the Prosecutor's Office.

They further mentioned that the Prosecutor's Office did investigate the engagement of teaching staff through temporary and occasional work contracts, which was the general topic of discussion in the parliamentary debate. However, they concluded that the actions of the responsible individuals at the Department of Education of the Government of Brčko District did not involve elements of any criminal offence.

Although Chief Prosecutor Mujkanović couldn't recall the specific case of the teacher from the Economics School during his speech in the assembly, he mentioned a similar example involving a pedagogue from Pete Elementary School who was proven guilty and convicted. It refers to a case from 2006 when Dževad Kablarević was sentenced to two years and six months in prison by the Basic Court in Brčko for indecent acts committed against several young girls.

 "No one wondered how he was employed or how he got the opportunity to work as an educational counsellor, especially considering his previous conviction and well-known actions", Mujkanović questioned, emphasizing that the issue falls within the jurisdiction of the Prosecutor's Office.

Unfortunately, no one questioned how the teacher from the Economics School was employed either. The Economics School did not respond to inquiries regarding their knowledge of the teacher's background.

While the Prosecutor's Office, and evidently other institutions as well, have not addressed the matter, sources from Žurnal claim that the convicted teacher, who is originally from the Zenica-Doboj Canton, voluntarily terminated his contract and reportedly left Brčko on his own initiative.

(zurnal.info)