On the morning of 16 March 1999, around 7:50 a.m., Leutar was being driven to work in his official VW Golf vehicle.[2] While driving through the Sarajevo neighborhood of Ciglane, a car bomb that had been placed underneath his vehicle was activated.[2] Leutar's chauffeur, Željko Ćosić, survived with minor injuries.[3] Leutar suffered severe, life-threatening injuries, primarily to his head.[3]
He was transferred to the University Clinical Center Sarajevo (Koševo Hospital) but never regained consciousness. He died 12 days later, on 28 March 1999.[3]
As of 2025, the masterminds and perpetrators of the assassination have not been lawfully convicted.[2] Due to Leutar's high security position, several unconfirmed theories regarding the motives have emerged in the public sphere:
- Conflict with Organized Crime: According to media reports, this was a primary line of investigation. Leutar was allegedly working on investigations involving high-level corruption, illegal trade (especially in oil), and financial crime. It was suspected that his actions threatened powerful criminal clans with political ties.[6]
- Internal Political Conflict: Another theory, often expressed by Leutar's family, focused on internal political struggles. Leutar belonged to a moderate faction of the HDZ BiH advocating for the strengthening of Federation institutions. It was suspected that the assassination resulted from a conflict with more radical factions within the HDZ and Herzeg-Bosna, who opposed Leutar's efforts towards police integration. The family repeatedly voiced suspicions that the masterminds came "from the political or security elite of the time."[6]
- Involvement of Foreign Services: A third, less frequently mentioned theory suggested the involvement of foreign intelligence services whose goal was the destabilization of the Federation of BiH during the sensitive post-Dayton period.[6]
The assassination caused significant political turmoil. The investigation involved domestic police agencies, as well as international actors such as the IPTF and the American FBI.[2]
The investigation led by the Cantonal Prosecutor's Office in Sarajevo resulted in the indictment of six ethnic Croats (Ivan Andabak, Dominik Ilijašević, Zoran Bašić, Željko Ćosić, Mario Miličević, and Jadranko Bajkuša) for terrorism and the murder of Leutar.[6] This legal process was interpreted by the public as an attempt to attribute responsibility to "Croat extremists."[6]
The entire indictment heavily relied on the testimony of protected witness Merim Galijatović.[6] During the trial, the Cantonal Court in Sarajevo fully dismissed Galijatović's testimony as unreliable, contradictory, and false. The six accused persons were acquitted (in 2001 and 2002), a verdict later confirmed by the Supreme Court of the FBiH.[6]
This failed judicial process led to a widespread belief, shared by Leutar's family, that the investigation was deliberately directed away from the actual perpetrators and masterminds.[2]
Due to the complete lack of progress in the investigation, Jozo Leutar's son Ivica filed an appeal with the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina.[4]
In October 2021, the Constitutional Court ruled that the authorities (the Cantonal Prosecutor's Office and the Prosecutor's Office of BiH) had violated Leutar's "right to life" (Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights).[4] The Court determined that the investigation was ineffective, unacceptably lengthy, and that the reasons cited for the delays were insufficient.[4] This decision ordered the Prosecutor's Office of BiH to take over the case and conduct an effective investigation "without further delay," confirming the systemic failure to resolve the assassination from the highest judicial authority.[4]