The Srebrenica-Potočari Memorial Center issued a request to the District Public Prosecutor’s Office in Bijeljina for data on the case and the course of action regarding the anonymous report, which refers to the alleged commission of a criminal offense of tax and contribution evasion.
Abdulah Kešan and Anel Ibeljić, on behalf of the Memorial Center, submitted a request which states that certain checks are being conducted, namely, pre-trial activities, relating to the service agreement that the Memorial Center concluded with natural persons in 2022.
The Memorial Center is asking the Prosecutor’s Office to clarify whether the case was based on an anonymous report. Regarding this case number, they are requesting details on how the investigation was conducted and the identity of the prosecutor in charge.
Additionally, they are seeking information on whether the case is currently in the verification stage and which specific circumstances are being checked—including whether tax payments and public revenues were verified with the Tax Administration of Republika Srpska or other relevant institutions.
A key concern raised in the request is that 26 current and former employees of the Memorial Center have been, or are scheduled to be, interviewed as part of these verifications.
“Why are 26 persons who are former and current coworkers and employees of the Memorial Center being heard due to verification of the anonymous information, when the anonymous information can be checked by submitting a letter to the competent tax authority?” the statement said.
The center is also seeking an explanation about the way in which calls for the hearing are being delivered to the individuals. The request claims that some calls, according to information at the Center’s disposal, were immediately delivered ahead of the hearing – in the night to the home address or in the morning to a workplace, with an order to report to the police station on the same day.
In a series of questions addressed to the prosecution, the Memorial Center is also seeking an answer as to whether such a practice is conducted on the orders of the Prosecutor’s Office or represents the standard practice of the Zvornik Police Administration, specifically the Srebrenica Police Station.
The Center further asks whether individuals with the status of witnesses are being treated in such a manner, as well as how many times these same individuals have previously been interviewed in proceedings initiated based on anonymous reports.
The statement also made serious claims about the possible abuse of power and resources, the question of whether the actions of the persecution can lead to political confrontations and the discrediting of Memorial Center and its former and current employees.
The Memorial Center emphasized that it is logical for potential irregularities regarding tax calculations and payments to be verified by competent tax authorities, which have the legal mandate and expertise to do so.
As a budget-funded organization operating through the treasury system, the Center noted that it is systematically impossible to issue payments under service contracts without the automatic calculation and payment of taxes and other public revenues.
Furthermore, the Memorial Center announced that it will hold a press conference in the coming days to present service contracts from 2022, bank statements, and tax payment receipts to the public, while ensuring full protection of personal data.
At the same time, the Center announced they will address the Tax Administration of Republika Srpska and request the issuance of a tax clearance certificate.
As stated, the goal is to shed light on the allegations in the anonymous report lawfully and to present documents related to the Center’s operations to the public.
The Memorial Center calls on the media and interested parties to verify claims regarding the absence of tax debt through competent institutions, in accordance with the Freedom of Access to Information Act.
In the end, the Center emphasizes that, as stated, it does not wish to influence the autonomy and independence of the Prosecutor’s Office or the manner of conducting potential actions, but seeks information on whether a concrete case is being conducted against the institution or responsible persons, before which prosecutor, under which number and based on what facts.
The request was addressed to the District Public Prosecutor’s Office in Bijeljina. It was also submitted to the Secretariat of the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Office of the Disciplinary Counsel of the HJPC in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the Institution of Human Rights Ombudsman of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Klix.ba writes.
