The Prosecutor’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina has filed the largest indictment so far for smuggling illegal migrants. A total of 16 indictees, prosecuted as part of an operation codenamed “Lipa”, including foreign nationals and BiH citizens, are charged with organized smuggling of more than 850 illegal migrants.
The Accused Ahmed Iftkhar (1977), Sead Mukanović (1985), Hidajet Gaković (1996), Memaga Nuhanović (1971), Fikret Šušnjar (1966), Emrah Mehmedović (2000), Hamid Mehmedović (1975), Ibrahim Gverić (1995), Suad Husak (1991), Safet Husak (1996), Rusmir Gaković (1998), Redžo Osmancević (1988), Esad Bajramović (1954), Senad Keškić (1992), Mirzet Delić (1996) and Medina Mukanović (1996), are charged with have committed the offenses of organizing a group of people or an association to commit the offense of ‘smuggling of migrants’.
The accused are charged with being in the period from September to ninth December last year, acting as an organized group, in order to gain property, they smuggled at least 850 migrants, who did not meet the conditions for legal entry and stay in BiH, from the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the territory of the Republic of Croatia and further to the EU countries.
The incriminated actions are described in the indictment in 26 counts. It was proposed to confiscate motor vehicles and other items used to commit the crime. For the first accused, the organizer of the group, Ahmed Iftkhar, a citizen of Pakistan, it was proposed to extend the detention measure after the confirmation of the indictment.
The work of the Prosecutor’s Office of BiH and partner institutions and agencies in the field revealed and disrupted an organized smuggling network that, in an organized manner, among other things, received payments of illegal property benefits for smuggling migrants from their families abroad.
In this case, during the investigation, significant cooperation was established between the Prosecutor’s Office of BiH and police agencies and partner institutions from Bosnia and Herzegovina and abroad.
The indictment was forwarded to the Court of BiH for confirmation.
