ŠKOBIĆ: DECISION ON ELFETA VESELI'S PRISON LEAVE RESTS SOLELY WITH TUZLA PRISON WARDEN

SARAJEVO, JULY 30 /SRNA/ – The FBiH Ministry of Justice has no authority to decide whether to grant temporary prison leave to Elfeta Veseli, who was convicted of the brutal murder of 12-year-old Slobodan Stojanović, as such a decision is made exclusively by the warden of the Tuzla Prison, Federal Justice Minister Vedran Škobić told SRNA.

Škobić said that temporary leave is not a right of a convicted person but a possibility provided for under the Law on Criminal Sanctions Execution, and that the prison warden independently decides whether to approve such a privilege. "It is not her right; it is a possibility. All questions as to why she was granted leave and according to which criteria should be addressed to the warden. Under no circumstances can we influence his work. We may recommend that he also take public opinion into account, but he is under no obligation to do so," Škobić said. He explained that Veseli is subject to the provisions of the BiH Law on Criminal Sanctions Execution, rather than the FBiH’s because she was convicted of a war crime by the Court of BiH. Škobić added that the warden of Tuzla Prison would receive authorization from the Federation Ministry of Justice tomorrow morning to speak publicly about the case. The Tuzla Prison had earlier told SRNA that, in accordance with the applicable regulations, it could not provide information about the case without prior approval from the Federation Ministry of Justice. After evading justice for 10 years, Elfeta Veseli is currently serving a 13-year prison sentence in Tuzla for the brutal murder of 12-year-old Slobodan Stojanović in the village of Kamenica near Zvornik in 1992.