On 21 October 2021, in Bihac, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), UNODC conducted a third workshop on information exchange on criminal procedural law applicable in firearms investigations through its Global Firearms Programme. Eleven criminal justice practitioners, including prosecutors, State Investigation and Protection Agency representatives, and Border Police, attended the workshop.
Participants have discussed a review of adjudicated trafficking cases under Article 193 of the Criminal Code of BiH. Discussion included facts of the case, profile of the perpetrators, type, and quantity of firearms, the qualification of the offense, the indictment, the arguments before the court and the appeal court, and the arguments in the final verdict.
The discussions resulted in identifying several challenges in applying the criminal procedure law and substantive criminal law. Examples of such challenges include court panels having different interpretations of the facts and applicable law. Mistakes made in the reports on special investigative actions or orders of seizure of objects lead to procedural errors and verdict acquitting the accused.
This activity is implemented with the financial contribution provided by Germany, the United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands, Sweden and Norway through the Western Balkans SALW Control Roadmap Trust Fund and supported by the European Union.