BIH PROSECUTOR’S OFFICE MEETS WITH OSCE MISSION TO BIH ON FIGHT AGAINST CROSS-BORDER CRIME AND CONFISCATION OF PROCEEDS OF CRIME

Chief Prosecutor of the Prosecutor’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Gordana Tadić, presented to the representatives of the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina the work and activities of the Prosecutor’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the fight against organized cross-border crime, as well as key elements to be addressed in relation to the confiscation of proceeds of crime in cases dealt with by judicial institutions at the level of the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Chief Prosecutor Gordana Tadić and her deputies Ozrenka Nešković and Diana Kajmaković met and talked with officers working at the project of Strengthening the Fight against Transnational Organized Crime in South-Eastern Europe through Improved Regional Co-operation in Asset Seizure, Confiscation, Management and Re-use, Ms. Denise Mazzolani and Ms. Rebecca Agule, and their co-workers, Ms. Merima Abdić and Ms. Erlin Agich.

The project is being implemented in a total of five beneficiary countries, including Bosnia and Herzegovina, and representatives of the OSCE Project are visiting partner institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Representatives of the Prosecutor’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina presented the work and results achieved by the Special Department for Organized Crime, Economic Crime and Corruption, in the fight against cross-border crime, participation in regional and international operations, and confiscation of proceeds of crime, as part of which, in 2019 and 2020, the amount of about 6 million BAM was confiscated, as well as real estate property, vehicles and movable property.

The lack of an agency at the state level to manage the confiscated proceeds of crime was noted as one of the key issues in this area, and it was pointed out that intensive work should be done to resolve this issue.

Representatives of the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina noted that, within the project, support could be provided to agencies and institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in the form of specialist training and education in that area, drawing on experiences of countries that had already developed good practice in that area.

At the meeting, the Prosecutor’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina expressed its support to the implementation of this project, and it was agreed to continue activities which would include, among other things, specialist training and exchange of experiences in fighting cross-border crime and confiscation of proceeds of crime.