Prosecutor of the Special Department for Organized Crime, Economic Crime and Corruption of the Prosecutor’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina has issued an Indictment against Savo BJELOGRLIĆ, born in 1970 in Gacko, a citizen of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Lejla BJELOGRLIĆ, born in 1970 in Zenica, a citizen of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ernad PIPIĆ, born in 1975 in Jajce, a citizen of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Amir GUDŽEVIĆ, born in 1972 in Sarajevo, a citizen of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Radislav IVANOVIĆ, born in 1971 in Foča, a citizen of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Enver BAŠIĆ, born in 1958 in Mostar, a citizen of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
These persons are accused in the case codenamed ‘Pat’ and they are charged, as members of a group of people, to have illegally procured, stored, sold or otherwise put into circulation on the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina excise goods-tobacco products which were not marked with control stamps, in the period from 13 July 2016 to 2 April 2017, all with the intention of acquiring unlawful material gain.
The Indictment alleges that the principal accused Bjelogrlić, being the organizer and leader of the group of which other accused persons became members for the purpose of acquiring unlawful material gain, had a clearly defined organization of work in which the roles of the group members were mostly divided into suppliers, buyers and accomplices in the distribution of cigarettes.
The Indictment alleges that the accused Bjelogrlić was giving specific instructions for the organization of these illegal activities in undertaking the procurement, storage and sale of cigarettes from the territory of Herzegovina and their further distribution in the areas of Sarajevo, Zenica and Foča, for which occasion he organized a network of resellers, whereas other members of the group were handling the procurement, arrangements, takeover, transport and exchange of cigarettes, sale of tobacco products and the storage of such products with the aim of their final sale and putting these products into circulation, all according to the instructions given.
In this manner, the accused persons were causing damage to the budget and citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and they acquired unlawful material gain for themselves.
During the search, large quantities of different brands of cigarettes without excise stamps and cut tobacco were found and temporarily seized.
The aforementioned accused persons are charged with the commission of the criminal offence of Associating for the Purpose of Perpetrating Criminal Offences, as referred to in Article 249 of the Criminal Code of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in connection with the criminal offence of Illicit Trade in Excise Products, as referred to in Article 210a, and the criminal offence of Unauthorized Storage of Goods, as referred to in Article 210b of the Criminal Code of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The Indictment has been forwarded to the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina for confirmation.
