The Prosecutor’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina filed an indictment charging a total of 21 natural and legal persons with conspiracy to commit criminal offenses, corrupt criminal offenses and illegal trade in dozens of higher education diplomas, mainly economic, legal, technical-engineering, health professions, management and other profiles of education.
The extensive investigation of the Prosecutor’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina and SIPA in the past two years collected thousands of material evidence, heard more than 130 witnesses, including representatives of the academic community, and carried out special investigative actions in which representatives of police structures were directly engaged in exposing illegal sale and issuance of diplomas.
According to the collected evidence, at least 49 higher education diplomas were issued, the annulment of which will be sought in the procedure provided for by law. The Prosecution of Bosnia and Herzegovina and SIPA collected evidence that persons who illegally bought diplomas, in a very small amount or even at all, did not participate in the process of education at higher education institutions, and for the purchase of illegal diplomas they usually paid amounts of several thousand euros.
The commission of criminal acts caused great damage to the system of higher education in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as the endangerment of all citizens by the work and activities of persons with illegally obtained university degrees. As part of the proceedings, the BiH Prosecutor’s Office will request that the accused persons be banned from performing their duties in higher education institutions.
The accused legal entities, i.e. private universities, operated in the area of Banja Luka, Mostar and Brčko District.
The defendants are charged with the criminal offenses of conspiracy to commit criminal offences, abuse of official position or authority, illicit trade, forgery of documents and other related criminal offences.
The prosecution team will prove the responsibility of the accused by calling about 70 witnesses, eight expert witnesses, and by submitting more than 3,000 material pieces of evidence, including files and student and university documentation.
The accused are: Zoran Kalinić, Dragan Ilić, Vladimir Stojanović, Dragan Đuranović, Denis Pračić, Mirko Tufegdžija, Ljubiša Todorović, Dragan Golijan, Vaso Pajić, Vojislav Škrbić, Goran Lalović, Dušan Perić, Senad Sinanović, Ljubinko Dobraš and Miodrag Tepić, and Nezavisni the University of Political and Social Sciences “NUBL” Banja Luka, the College of Applied and Legal Sciences “Prometheus” Banja Luka, the University of Business Engineering and Management “PIM” Banja Luka and the University “Victoria International University” Mostar, the legal successor of the University of Modern Sciences “CKM” Mostar, High School “Union” Mostar and the International University Brčko District of Bosnia and Herzegovina, announced the Prosecutor’s Office of BiH.
