Today, police officers of the State Investigation and Protection Agency conducted an “NID” operation in the area of Sarajevo, East Sarajevo and Zavidovići.
Searches of business and residential buildings and movable property were carried out in three locations, which are owned or used by suspected persons, during which items were discovered and temporarily confiscated that can serve as evidence that the criminal offenses of “Organized Crime”, “International Human Trafficking” and “Money Laundering” prescribed by the Criminal Code of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as the criminal offense of “Trafficking in Human Beings” prescribed by the Criminal Code of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the criminal offense of “Human Trafficking” prescribed by the Criminal Code by the Code of the Republic of Srpska.
Three persons were deprived of their liberty and will be taken to official premises during the day for criminal processing and questioning as suspects, after which they will be handed over to the further jurisdiction of the Prosecutor’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Persons deprived of their liberty are suspected of having, together with other persons, in the period from May to September 2024, through fraud, deception, threat, use of force and abuse of trust, recruited several foreign citizens, including citizens of the Republic of Turkey, as well as citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina, who were in a state of economic need, unemployed, poor financial condition, that is, persons from vulnerable social categories, including minors, for their labor exploitation in the sector of construction in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
They promised them regulation of their labor law status, payment of wages and insurance of accommodation and food, although they had no intention of doing so, and exploited them through unpaid work on the construction of the highway and apartments in Bjelašnica and Jahorina. They kept their travel documents and used their position of dependency to obtain material benefits.
Illegally acquired funds were injected into legal cash flows with the aim of concealing the origin of the money, thereby committing criminal acts of human trafficking and money laundering, contrary to the Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and relevant protocols, SIPA announced.
(TYPE/Photo: Illustration)
