INDICTMENT ISSUED FOR INTERNATIONAL SMUGGLING OF MIGRANTS

The two accused, a citizen of Pakistan and a citizen of Bosnia and Herzegovina, are charged with smuggling a group of at least 17 Pakistani citizens from Serbia to Bosnia and Herzegovina and transporting them within BiH.

The Prosecutor’s Office of BiH issued an indictment against:

1.        Tajamul Jabbar aka “Malik”, born in 1995 in Pakistan, citizen of Pakistan, residing in the camp “Lipa” near Bihać, in custody,

2.        Mensud Suljić, born in 1976 in Tuzla, citizen of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

It is alleged against the accused Tajamul Jabbar aka “Malik” that he, by acting with the intention of acquiring illegal property gain, in agreement with a person from the territory of Serbia, facilitated several Pakistani citizens to enter Bosnia and Herzegovina illegally from the Republic of Serbia.

On 4 May this year, the said illegal migrants were smuggled by boat across the Drina River to the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina, where the accused Jabbar hired the accused Mensud Suljić as a driver to transport the migrants further into the territory of BiH, namely towards the Tuzla area, which the latter accused did although he knew and saw that these were illegal migrants who did not meet the conditions for legal entry, stay and movement within BiH, in which he was discovered by police officers of the PS Teočak while transporting the migrants in his vehicle.

The said actions are contrary to Article 6 of the Protocol against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air, supplementing the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime.

The Prosecutor’s Office of BiH, Section for Fight against Trafficking in Human Beings and Illegal Immigration conducted an extensive investigation in this case together with partner police agencies, the BiH Border Police and SIPA, after which evidence was collected and an indictment charging the accused with the criminal offence of Smuggling of persons under Article 189 of the Criminal Code of Bosnia and Herzegovina filed.

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