Božo Mihajlović, former prosecutor and head of the Special Department for Organized Crime, Economic Crime and Corruption at the prosecutor's office of BiH, was charged in 2018 with negligence in the performance of official duties for failing to supervise his typist, who allegedly misappropriated confiscated money from nine criminal cases. He was found guilty and sentenced to five years in prison in the first-instance verdict. However, following an appeal, the initial ruling was annulled, resulting in a renewed trial that is currently underway.

In January 2017, the online magazine Žurnal published an investigative report on the disappearance of KM55,000 (€28,105) that had been confiscated in the Milaković case. The funds, held by the prosecutor’s office of BiH, went missing under suspicious circumstances. Žurnal revealed that the chief state prosecutor was informed about the missing money in December 2016 and subsequently assigned a prosecutor to investigate the issue. All available evidence allegedly pointed to prosecutor Božo Mihajlović, who oversaw the case during the time the money disappeared.

The prosecution of BiH initially launched an investigation into the missing money, focusing on Sadina Beridan-Zuhrić, a typist who worked for Mihajlović. At the same time, pre-investigation proceedings were separately initiated against prosecutor Božo Mihajlović for negligence in the performance of his duties, specifically for failing to adequately supervise the actions of his typist. The two investigations resulted in the opening of two separate cases, each leading to their own legal proceedings. Additionally, a complaint was filed against Mihajlović with the disciplinary prosecutor's office.

In the wake of the emerging scandal, in March 2017, Božo Mihajlović resigned from his position as head of the Department for Organized, Economic Crime and Corruption at the BiH Prosecutor's Office (Department II). A week later, at the request of the office of the disciplinary prosecutor, the first-instance disciplinary commission of the high judicial and prosecutorial council (HJPC) suspended Mihajlović from his duties as prosecutor and deputy chief prosecutor of the BiH prosecutor's office, pending the outcome of the investigation against him.

An official indictment was filed against Božo Mihajlović on 19 June 2018. The indictment alleged that, between 15 November 2006 and 1 February 2015, as a prosecutor of the prosecutor’s office of BiH and Head of the Special Department for Organized Crime, Economic Crime and Corruption of the prosecutor’s office of BiH, Mihajlović acted with obvious negligence in the performance of his official duties. During this time, he failed to properly supervise Sadina Beridan-Zuhrić, who served as a typist, senior clerk-typist and clerk-specialist typist in the prosecutor's office and was assigned to work directly for Mihajlović. Specifically, Sadina Beridan-Zuhrić misappropriated temporarily confiscated money from nine different cases. Mihajlović's failure to adequately supervise her allowed Beridan-Zuhrić to retain the misappropriated funds without her illegal actions being discovered. As a result of this, property damage totalling more than KM10,000 (€5,110) occurred.

On 02 July 2018, the state court of BIH confirmed the indictment against Božo Mihajlović for the extended criminal offence of negligence in the performance of his duties, in accordance with Article 224, paragraph 2, in conjunction with paragraph 1, and all in conjunction with Article 54 of the Criminal Code of BiH.

On 20 August 2018, Božo Mihajlović pleaded not guilty to the charges. Meanwhile, the case against the typist was being handled separately by the Sarajevo Cantonal Prosecutor's Office. Mihajlović's defence demanded either a postponement of the proceedings until the resolution of the case against the typist or a merger of the two cases, a request the court denied.

The main trial began on 11 September 2018. On 09 June 2020, the court of Bosnia and Herzegovina issued a first-instance verdict, finding Božo Mihajlović guilty and sentencing him to five years in prison. The verdict also stipulated that Mihajlović was obliged to compensate the state for damages totalling more than KM225,000 (€114,978).

The defence appealed the verdict, asking the court to either modify or overturn the ruling and to transfer the case to the municipal court in Sarajevo. They also renewed their request to merge the proceedings with the case against the typist, asserting that the two cases were connected due to their cause-and-effect relationship.

In December 2020, the appellate panel of the court of Bosnia and Herzegovina partially accepted the defence's appeal, annulled the first-instance verdict and ordered a new trial. The criminal proceedings against Božo Mihajlović were also transferred to the Sarajevo municipal court. The renewed trail began in March 2021 and is currently underway.

This case has further eroded citizens’ trust in the judicial system of BiH, especially given the involvement of a prosecutor whose role is to uphold the integrity and legality of the prosecution's work. The case also highlights significant deficiencies in the system of oversight and accountability within the prosecutor's office. Restoring faith in the judicial system will require corrective actions, and a reform of oversight mechanisms to ensure accountability and transparency. As always, public scrutiny will play a crucial role in deterring further misconduct.