INDICTMENT ISSUED FOR THE CRIMINAL OFFENCE OF ILLICIT TRADE IN EXCISE PRODUCTS AND ILLEGAL POSSESSION OF WEAPONS

A prosecutor of the Prosecutor’s Office of BiH has filed an indictment against REFIK TURIĆ, born in 1977 in the municipality of Novi Travnik, previously convicted, citizen of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

According to the allegations from the indictment, Turić is charged with having illegally placed on the market large quantities of tobacco products in the form of cut tobacco, handmade cigarettes and cigarettes of various brands not marked with valid BiH excise stamps over a longer period of time, namely from January 2018 to 7 July 2020, in the place Opara, municipality of Novi Travnik, in order to acquire illegal property gain and avoid paying excise duties.

Contrary to legal regulations, he prepared the said tobacco for sale in a form suitable for consumption and then sold it to customers known to him.

During the search, a large quantity of tobacco, hand-made cigarettes and packages of cigarettes of various brands were found and seized.

The accused acquired an illicit monetary gain in a larger amount in the form of unpaid indirect taxes to the detriment of the BiH budget and caused damage to the State of BiH and its citizens by selling tobacco products that did not pass the quality and correctness control standard.

Also, the accused is charged with illegal possession of an automatic rifle Kalashnikov M56 with ammunition, whose procurement is not allowed to citizens at all according to the Law on Procurement, Possession and Carrying of Weapons and Ammunition (Official Gazette of the Central Bosnia Canton), No. 1/97, 5/97, 6/97, 2/98, 7/98, 8/98, 10/00, 8/03, 2/04 and 14/04).

The accused is charged with having committed the continued criminal offence of Illicit Trade in Excise Products under Article 210a (1) in conjunction with Article 54 of the Criminal Code of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the criminal offence of Illegal Possession of Weapons or Explosive Substances under Article 371 (1) of the Criminal Code of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The indictment has been forwarded to the Court of BiH for confirmation.