By order of the Prosecutor of the Special Department for Organized Crime, Economic Crimes and Corruption within the Prosecutor's Office of BIH, the authorized officers of the State Investigation and Protection Agency - SIPA conducted an extensive operation that included arrests of several people and raids on several locations in several cities. The operation involved several police agencies, and hundreds of police officers. Today's operation is a continuation of the operation codenamed "Panama" that the Prosecutor's Office of BiH has carried out intensively for some time now.
The raids and arrests were executed in Gradiška, Banja Luka, Prijedor, Bihać, Kozarska Dubica, Laktaši and Velika Kladuša. Several persons suspected of committing the criminal offense of Abuse of Office or Official Authority under article 220, Paragraph 3 of the CC BiH, the criminal offense of Lack of Commitment in Office under Article 224 , Paragraph 2 of the Criminal Code of BiH.
The Prosecutor's Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina is investigating several suspected officials due to grounded suspicion that they are linked to an organized group of the suspect Robert Dune, whose members are charged with committing criminal offences of Organizing a Group or Association for Smuggling or Distribution of Goods on Which Duties Were Not Paid under Article 215 of the CC BiH, in relation to criminal offenses of Customs Fraud under Article 216 of the Criminal Code of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Tax Evasion or Fraud under Article 210 of the CC BiH, Money Laundering under Article 209 of the CC BiH, in conjunction with Article 31 of the CC BiH. For some of these persons the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina ordered a remand in custody for a month.
The suspects - Officials of ITA charged with Abuse of Office and Lack of Commitment, have failed to perform their official duties and have enabled other suspects to illegally import a total of 138 trucks of raw coffee thus causing damage to BiH budget for the amount of 8.9 million BAM.
The suspects will be handed over to the Prosecutor's Office of BiH within the legal deadline, where they will be questioned as suspects. A decision concerning custody motion shall also be made.
Prosecutor's Office of BiH and SIPA will continue with activities and efforts in this matter aiming to proceed with the indictment.