CUSTODY MOTION FILED FOR 7 SUSPECTS AND MOTION FOR ORDER OF PROHIBITING MEASURES FILED FOR 3 SUSPECTS WITHIN OPERATION ‘MASTER’

Following the questioning of the suspects, Prosecutor of the Special Department for Organized Crime, Economic Crime and Corruption within the PO BiH filed a motion to the Court of BiH for remand in custody of seven suspects deprived of liberty within the operation code-named ‘Master’; an operation carried out within the scope of the fight against organized crime connected with financial crime and corruption offenses.

Remand in custody was requested, for the majority of the suspects, due to reasons stipulated in Article 132 (b) of the CPC BiH i.e. due to risk that if released, the suspects might interfere with the investigation, suppress evidence or influence the witnesses or accomplices; and for one suspect it was also requested due to reasons stipulated in item (a) of the same article i.e. due to risk of flight.

Prohibiting measures defined in Article 126 of the CPC BiH, which include prohibition from performing certain business or official activities, prohibition from visiting certain places or areas and the prohibition from meeting with certain persons, were proposed for three suspects.

Operation ‘Master’ was conducted pursuant to the order of the Prosecutor’s Office of BiH and has included a significant number of persons suspected of organized crime in connection financial crime, customs and tax fraud and corruption crimes - all related to import of large quantities of textile goods in Bosnia and Herzegovina where customs and tax duties were unlawfully reduced thus causing damages to the budget and all citizens of BiH.