SIPA

On 10 September 2014, police officials of the State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA) initiated an operation code-named “Brend” in Sarajevo, Široki Brijeg, Grude and Mostar.

During the operation, 11 individuals were arrested: J.I.L. (DOB 1969), S.I.L. (DOB 1957), J.I.L. (DOB 1962), M.I.L. (DOB 1960), M.B. (DOB 1953), J.S. (DOB 1956), Ž.M. (DOB 1959), Z.I. (DOB 1968), D.K. (DOB 1968), M.Š. (DOB 1958) and M.G. (DOB 1954).

Searches at 17 locations in Široki Brijeg, Grude and Mostar, with the aim of detecting and seizing items that might be used as evidence in further proceedings, are underway. Fourteen physical and three legal persons were covered by the searches.

The arrested individuals are suspected of committing the criminal offence set out in Article 250 of CC BH “Organised Crime”, in conjunction with the criminal offence set out in Article 211 of CC BH “Failure to Pay Taxes”, criminal offence set out in Article 210 of CC BH “Tax Evasion or Fraud”, Article 209 of CC BH “Money Laundering”, etc.

Members of an organised criminal group founded several fictitious companies to which they transferred their entire production, which then continued the production with the same employees, at the same premises, with the same facilities and under the same licence.

The investigative activities determined the organised criminal group, through its unlawful activities, acquired illegal material gain of more than BAM 11.6 million. They acquired the illegal material gain by failure to pay taxes and VAT evasion, from misuse of incentives for the development of agriculture, misappropriation of goods reserves of the Federal Goods Reserve Directorate, unpresented realisation collected in cash for goods sold in the black market. With an intention to conceal the origin of the unlawful material gain, they returned the mentioned amount of money into legal financial flows by giving loans and redemption of shares from some legal persons and payment of cash to accounts.

The arrested individuals will be brought to the official premises of SIPA and criminally processes, whereupon they will be handed over to the Prosecutor’s Office BH for further proceedings.