CHIEF PROSECUTOR PARTICIPATED IN VIDEO CONFERENCE OF STANDING CONFERENCE OF PROSECUTORS FOR ORGANISED CRIME, ON EXPLOITATION OF COVID 19 PANDEMIC BY ORGANISED CRIMINAL GROUPS

Chief prosecutors from several participating countries, including the countries of the Western Balkans, Greece, Italy and Romania, with the support of the OSCE Mission, discussed the exploitation of the Covid 19 pandemic by criminals and the methods of work and results of prosecution authorities during the pandemic.

The Chief Prosecutor of the Prosecutor’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Gordana Tadić, participated in a meeting of the Standing Conference of Prosecutors for Organised Crime via video conference.

The participants in the meeting discussed new forms of crime occurring in pandemic emergencies, in particular corrupt activities and misuse of budget funds through public procurements.

The participants in the video meeting were addressed by the Ambassador of the OSCE Mission to Serbia, HE Andrea Oricio, and the panellists were Federico Cafiero de Raho, Chief Prosecutor of the National Directorate for Combating Mafia and Terrorism (DNA) of Italy, as well as Chief Prosecutors and Prosecutors for Organised Crime from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Northern Macedonia and Albania, and an international criminal law expert from Italy.

Chief Prosecutor Gordana Tadić informed the participants in the meeting that over the past three months the Prosecutor’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina, despite the emergency situation caused by the Covid 19 pandemic, carried out investigative activities in several cases related to public procurements of medical and other equipment during the pandemic, as well as to putting health and safety of citizens at risk, and participated in several international operations in the fight against drug trafficking, financial crime, and smuggling of persons, as well as other crimes, the commission of which was identified during the Covid pandemic 19.

All participants in the meeting of the Standing Conference of Prosecutors for Organised Crime agreed to continue cooperation in the coming period through direct exchange of information, international legal assistance and organising meetings through webinars to improve the epidemiological situation.