The appellate panel of the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina acquitted the former director of the Indirect Taxation Authority (ITA BiH), Kemal Čaušević, of charges of money laundering, but made a decision to confiscate 1.7 million BAM of illegally acquired property.
The Appellate Panel made a decision on the confiscation of 1.7 million BAM in property and made a temporary measure prohibiting the disposal of eight real estate properties.
“This measure will last until the amount is settled,” said the chairman of the Appellate Panel, Hilmo Vučinić.
At the same time, the Appellate panel pronounced the verdict after renewed proceedings in relation to money laundering and confiscation of illegally obtained benefits, while Čaušević was previously sentenced to five and a half years for receiving gifts.
Čaušević was acquitted of the charge that, in the period from 2007 to 2012, he put into legal channels money that he knew about and that he obtained himself through the criminal act of receiving a gift. The verdict refers to the purchase of 11 apartments, business premises and agricultural land with a total value of 1.4 million BAM.
“In order for it to be a criminal offense of money laundering, it was necessary to establish beyond a reasonable doubt that the real estate was bought with illegally obtained money,” said Vučinić.
He said that the opinion of the Prosecution expert was too general and that the expert himself stated that he did not know with what money Čaušević bought the real estate.
“Therefore, the Prosecution’s main claim is questionable and the key evidence is also problematic,” explained Vučinić.
He added that the Defense expert gathered data on the sources of financing for the purchase of the real estate, so she stated that one of the apartments owned by Čaušević was purchased in 2001 with the funds of the Government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina through the Housing Fund.
Vučinić mentioned two more properties that were bought from the savings and current accounts of Čaušević and his family, while a more detailed explanation for the others will be presented in the written judgment.
In October 2022, the Appellate Council overturned part of the first-instance verdict in which Čaušević was found guilty of receiving a gift and for money laundering and was sentenced to nine years in prison.
