INDICTMENT ISSUED AGAINST THREE VETERINARY INSPECTORS OF BIH VETERINARY OFFICE FOR CORRUPTION CRIMINAL OFFENCE

A prosecutor of the Special Department for Organised Crime, Economic Crime and Corruption of the Prosecutor’s Office of BiH has filed an indictment against:

1.      Indira Dajić-Hukić, born in 1967 in Brčko, employed as a border veterinary inspector of the Veterinary Office of BiH,

2.      Ivo Kobaš, born in 1964 in Bosanski Šamac, employed as a border veterinary inspector of the Veterinary Office of BiH,

3.      Mladen Mijić, born in 1959 in Bosanski Šamac, employed as a border veterinary inspector of the Veterinary Office of BiH.

The accused are charged that in the period between July to September 2020, in order to acquire unlawful property gain, as authorised officers of BiH institutions performing the duty of veterinary inspectors of the Veterinary Office of BiH at the Border Veterinary Inspection Crossing Orašje and being in charge of conducting veterinary health inspection and control in the international trade in live animals, food and products of animal origin, they solicited and received money as property gain from persons dealing in the import of these goods to let freight motor vehicles enter BiH without verifying compliance with the prescribed health and sanitary terms and conditions, which must be met for the entry of this type of goods in BiH and which are prescribed by the Law on Veterinary of BiH, Rulebook on Conditions and Manner of Border Veterinary Inspection in BiH and Manual for Work of Border Veterinary Inspectors in BiH / Inspection of Products of Animal Origin.

This way, the accused committed the corruption criminal offence of Accepting Gifts or other Forms of Benefits under Article 217 of the Criminal Code of BiH.

Also, by committing the said criminal offence, the health and sanitary safety of the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina has been endangered.

During the investigation, the commission of the criminal offences was discovered and documented, and the Prosecution will prove the allegations of the indictment by calling witnesses and submitting a larger number of pieces of evidence.

Also, the Prosecution will request that pursuant to Article 110 of the BiH Criminal Code, the accused be deprived of the proceeds of crime, and that pursuant to Article 73 of the BiH Criminal Code, the security measure of Prohibition of Making Calls and Performing the Activity or Duty for a Period of Five Years be imposed on the accused in a way to prohibit them from performing their duties of veterinary inspectors at the border in the Veterinary Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The indictment was sent to the Court of BiH for confirmation.