An overview of the most important activities for the week from 19 January through to 23 January 2026.
CUSTODY MOTION FOR THREE PERSONS SUSPECTED OF ILLICIT DRUG TRAFFICKING
The Prosecutor’s Office of BiH filed a custody motion for the suspects Aleksandar Komnenić*, born in 1967 in Vrbas, a citizen of the Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Croatia, Zlatko Medić*, born in 1967 in Bačka Topola, a citizen of Serbia, and Saša Rađević*, born in 1975 in Gradiška, a citizen of BiH. The motion was filed for the reasons stipulated in Article 132, paragraph 1, items a) and b), namely due to the risk of the suspects fleeing, as well as the risk that by remaining at large they could obstruct the investigation, conceal evidence and influence witnesses or accomplices, and for the suspect Rađević also for item c) due to the risk that he could repeat the criminal offense or complete an initiated one. The suspects were deprived of liberty during the seizure of 2.3 kg of the narcotic drug "cocaine", which was smuggled from South America, via EU countries, into BiH. They are suspected of committing the criminal offense of Illicit Trafficking in Narcotic Drugs under Article 195 of the Criminal Code of BiH.
CUSTOMS OFFICER CONCLUDED PLEA AGREEMENT FOR CORRUPTIVE CRIMINAL OFFENSE
The accused Aleksandar Praštalo*, born in 1971 in Banja Luka, employed as a customs officer in the ITA BiH, shift leader at BC Gradiška, pleaded guilty to a corruption offense of Accepting Gifts or Other Forms of Benefits under Article 217 of the CC BiH. In accordance with the agreement, a sentence of one year imprisonment and a fine of BAM 35.000 was proposed for the accused. The accused was removed from the service in the customs authorities of BiH, in such a way that the agreement foresees a measure of prohibition on performing any official duties in the ITA BiH for a period of 3 years. Unlawful property gain in the amount of EUR 200 was confiscated from the accused. The Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina accepted the plea agreement and sentenced the accused. By concluding the agreement, the accused waived the right to a trial, as well as the right to appeal the judgement handed down by the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina pursuant to the agreement.
CUSTOMS OFFICER CONCLUDED PLEA AGREEMENT FOR CRIMINAL OFFENSE OF CORRUPTION
The accused Slobodan Nešković*, born in 1972 in Doboj, employed as a customs officer of ITA BiH at BC Brod, pleaded guilty by agreement to a corruption offense of Accepting a Gift or Other Form of Benefits under Article 217 of the CC BiH. In accordance with the agreement, a sentence of 11-month imprisonment was proposed for the accused, as well as a fine in the amount of BAM 5.000. The accused was removed from employment in the customs authorities of BiH, in such a way that the agreement foresees a measure of prohibition on performing any active duties in the ITA BiH for a period of 3 years. Unlawful property gain in the amount of 120 euros was confiscated from the accused. The Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina accepted the agreement and sentenced the accused. By concluding the agreement, the accused waived the right to a trial, as well as the right to appeal the judgement handed down by the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina pursuant to the agreement.
INDICTMENT ISSUED FOR CRIMINAL OFFENSE OF SMUGGLING OF PERSONS
The Prosecutor’s Office of BiH issued an indictment against Ismar Rahmanović* , born in 1997 in Bihać, a citizen of BiH.
He is charged with having taken over 13 migrants, citizens of Syria and Iran, in the Bihać area on 7 January last year and placed them in a vehicle intended for people smuggling with non-corresponding license plates and headed for the immediate vicinity of the state border of BiH and the Republic of Croatia. After spotting the BiH Border Police, the accused, together with the driver, left the scene, while the migrants remained in the vehicle. The accused is charged with having participated, together with persons known to him, in an attempt to illegally transport several foreign citizens across the state border, with the aim of obtaining unlawful property gain, thereby committing the criminal offense of Smuggling of Persons under Article 189, paragraph 1, of the BiH Criminal Code all in conjunction with Articles 26 and 29 of the same Code.
INDICTMENT ISSUED FOR CRIMINAL OFFENSE OF PEOPLE SMUGGLING
The Prosecutor’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina issued an indictment against Zaim Eski*, born in 1978 in Sarajevo, citizen of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Salih Kurgaš*, born in 1984 in Bijelo Polje, citizen of Bosnia and Herzegovina. They are accused of placing 12 migrants from Bangladesh, India and Afghanistan in two vehicles on 30 January 2024, all with the intention of further transferring them from BiH, by boat across the Sava River, to the territory of Republic of Croatia, in which they were stopped and prevented by police officers of the Border Police of BiH, Unit Gradiška. They are accused of having committed the criminal offense of Smuggling of Persons under Article 189, paragraph 1 of the CC of BiH in conjunction with Articles 26 and 29 of the same Code.
EXHUMARATION CARRIED OUT IN THE KOZARAC AREA
An investigator of the Special Department for War Crimes, acting on the instructions of the Assigned Prosecutor, supervised the process of exhuming the remains found during work at the local cemetery in Kozarac near Prijedor. The complete remains of one person were found and transferred to the CPP “Šejkovača” in Sanski Most for further forensic medical processing and identification of the missing person through DNA analysis. The exhumation process was attended by a forensic pathologist, a representative of the BiH Missing Persons Institute (MPI), as well as police officers from the Prijedor Police Station who secured the exhumation site.
MOTION FOR PROHIBITING MEASURES IN ORGANIZED CRIME CASE
On 21 January 2026 the Prosecutor’s Office of BiH filed a motion to the Court of BiH to impose prohibiting measure against the suspect Edina Karišik* (1985), namely - a ban on traveling outside the borders of Bosnia and Herzegovina along with the confiscation of travel documents of Bosnia and Herzegovina, a ban on issuing new travel documents, as well as a ban on using an ID card to cross the state border of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as stipulated under Article 126, paragraph 2 of the CPC BiH. The aforementioned measure was proposed in order to ensure the presence of the suspect in the proceedings, as well as to prevent the suspect fleeing, which would make her unavailable for the further phase of the proceedings.
On 19 January 2026, police officers of the BiH Border Police arrested the suspect while she was attempting to leave Bosnia and Herzegovina, at the Sarajevo International Airport, on a Sarajevo-Dubai flight. Edina Karišik is a suspect in the criminal case against Elmedin Karišik et al., suspected of having committed the criminal offense of Organized Crime under Article 250, paragraph 2 of the BiH Criminal Code, in conjunction with the criminal offense of Money Laundering under Article 209, paragraph 3, in conjunction with paragraph 1 of the BiH Criminal Code.