OPERATION CODENAMED "PELEGRINO" CARRIED OUT BY ORDER OF THE PROSECUTOR’S OFFICE OF BiH

Several persons deprived of liberty including two authorized official persons.

Acting on the orders of the Prosecutor of Department III within the Prosecutor's Office of BiH, police officers of the State Investigation and Protection Agency - SIPA carried out an operation in the wider area of Mostar and Herzegovina, arresting several persons and conducting a search at about 10 locations. Six persons were apprehended and facilities were searched in the municipalities of Mostar, Grude and Čapljina. These activities were carried out within the framework of the investigation of criminal offenses of Organized Crime, Abuse of Office or Authority and Extortion. Among those deprived of liberty are official persons i.e. two high ranking members of the Service for Foreigners' Affairs (SFA BiH). During the course of the investigation into the case codenamed "Pelegrino" an organized criminal group of several persons was detected. The group was involved in abuse of office and extortion in relation to residence and employment status of foreign citizens in BiH. Persons deprived of liberty in this operation are suspected of having committed the criminal offenses of Organized Crime under Article 250 of the CC BiH; Abuse of Office or Authority under Article 220 of the CC BiH; and Extortion under Article 295 of the CC FBiH. The Assigned Prosecutor will question the suspects within the legal deadline and subsequently decide whether to file a motion to the Court of BiH to remand the suspects in custody. The Prosecutor's Office of BiH continues to fight against all forms of crime, in particular illegal activities involving police officers and other authorized officers from various institutions who abuse their position to commit criminal offenses.