Police Arrest 11 Bosnian Customs Officers

The individuals, as yet unnamed, are suspected of organised crime in conjunction with customs fraud, aggravated theft and the forging of documents.

Bosnia’s State investigation and protection police agency, SIPA, stated that they had searched evidence on 12 locations mostly in Banja Luka, but also in Gradiska, Prijedor and Kozarska Dubica.

"[Through] searching 12 sites, mostly houses and other buildings used by the suspects, SIPA found and seized a large quantity of evidence,” SIPA stated on this morning.

According to some reports in the media, the arrests were related to illegal import and legalization of second-hand cars that don’t adhere to  environmental standards "Euro 3". Balkan Insight has not been able to substantiate these claims.

The arrests mark the second police action involving officials of the ITA.
In March, SIPA arrested 60 people, 22 of whom were custom officers, as part of an investigation into an organised crime group.

The Prosecutor's Office said then that operation “Carina” is would be the beginning of the fight against organised crime and corruption within Bosnia's ITA.

Ratko Kovacevic, a spokesman for the ITA, told Balkan Insight he was unable to comment on the arrests at present because of the ongoing police investigation.

The suspects were first taken to SIPA’s regional office in Banja Luka, and after examinations they will be taken to the Prosecutor's Office in Sarajevo.

The ITA is the biggest state level institution in Bosnia and began functioning on 1 January 2005.

It was formed from the merging of customs administrations in the two semi-autonomous entities of Bosnia; Republika Srpska and Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the customs administration in the District Brcko. A tax sector was also established for the first time at state level and integrated into the new institution.

It is tasked with enforcing legal provisions and policy on indirect taxation, collecting and allocating revenue from indirect taxes and fighting against all types of customs or tax frauds.