The Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina announced a verdict declaring Denis Pračić guilty of illegal trading of diplomas at a higher education institution in Mostar, after he signed a plea agreement with the Prosecutor’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina. He was sentenced to one year in prison and a fine of 40,000 KM.
Pračić was the subject of the “Claster” operation, in which numerous directors, rectors and professors of private higher education institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina were arrested on suspicion of a number of criminal offenses related to the illegal sale of diplomas.
The indictment was confirmed in August 2024, and since then there have already been cases of guilty pleas. Apart from Denis Pračić, who is the last such case, earlier Mirko Tufegdžija and Vaso Pajić confessed their guilt, who each received a two-year suspended prison sentence, and 500 KM of the proceeds of crime were confiscated from them. Vojislav Škrbić also pleaded guilty and was fined 5,000 KM.
Pračić’s sentence for multiple crimes is slightly higher than Tufegdžija’s and Pajić’s, and it is one year in prison, which according to the Criminal Code of Bosnia and Herzegovina can be replaced by a fine in the amount of 100 KM for each day of imprisonment. As a side effect, he was fined 40,000 KM, which he must pay within three months of the verdict becoming final.
“After the trial held to review the plea agreement and the hearing for the imposition of criminal sanctions, a verdict was rendered in which the accused was found guilty of several criminal offenses. It was established that by the actions described in the sentence, he committed the criminal offense of Association for the purpose of committing criminal offenses, in connection with the criminal offenses of Illegal trade and Abuse of official position or authority.
According to the factual description from the verdict, the accused was declared guilty of, starting from 2016 until February 2023, in his capacity as an official in the legal entity “Victoria International University” Mostar, the legal successor of the University of Modern Sciences “CKM” Mostar, for the purpose of acquiring property benefits, together with other persons known to him, joining a group of people, by taking advantage of an official position or authority or assisting in the same, by retroactive seduction. decisive, but untrue facts in the registers of these school institutions, carried out unauthorized buying and selling of public documents of higher education institutions.
“It was about the sale of diplomas, titles and titles, which cannot be subject to public circulation, to persons interested in purchasing and acquiring those diplomas, titles and titles without actually carrying out the educational process”, it is emphasized.
The judgment stated that all this was done without imparting knowledge and abilities through teaching and scientific research, and without valid, consistent and transparent assessment of students’ knowledge and abilities.
In this way, according to the verdict, there was no real fulfillment of the legal requirements for attending and completing one of the cycles of higher education, which went against the goals of higher education prescribed by the Framework Law on Higher Education in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
(TYPE/Source: Klix.ba/Photo: Archive)
