CUSTODY PROPOSED AGAINST A BRITISH CITIZEN

A Prosecutor of the Special Department for Organized Crime, Economic Crime and Corruption of the Prosecutor’s Office of BiH has put forward a Motion for Custody with the Court of BiH against a British citizen suspected of the criminal offense of Smuggling of Persons, as referred to in Article 189, Paragraph 1 of the Criminal Code of BiH.

The Motion for Custody has been requested for the following suspect:

- E. X. (1960), from Onrer, Albania, resident of Holton, Great Britain, citizen of Great Britain.

The aforementioned suspect, for whom the Prosecutor in charge of the case has requested custody, was deprived of liberty on 05 January 2014 by officers of the Border Police of BiH, Trebinje Border Police Unit, and he was subsequently handed over to the Prosecutor in charge of the case within the statutory time limit.

The suspected person is charged with conducting an unlawful transfer of a foreign citizen from the Republic of Albania across the Republic of Montenegro to Bosnia and Herzegovina, on 04 January 2014, for the purpose of acquiring unlawful material gain and as previously agreed with a person known to him, all with the intent of transporting that person further to Great Britain, although that person does not fulfil conditions for legal entry and residence in the capacity of a migrant in other countries which citizenship, temporary residence permit or registered permanent residence he does not have, which is contrary to the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime.

Having questioned the suspect, the Prosecutor in charge of this case has put forward a Motion with the Court of BiH seeking custody for reasons stipulated in Article 132, Paragraph 1, Items (a) and (b) of the BiH CPC.

Among other things, the measure of custody has been proposed due to the circumstances indicating the risk of flight of the suspect, as well as due to the justified fear to believe that the suspect, if at large, might destroy or conceal evidence or clues important to the criminal proceedings in an attempt to hinder the criminal proceedings against him or make such proceedings impossible, or influence witnesses, accessories or accomplices.  

The Motion for Custody has been forwarded to the Court of BiH, and the Prosecutor’s Office of BiH continues its investigation in this case for the purpose of issuing an Indictment.