SIPA operation: Searches and arrests for match-fixing

(Patria) - Police officers of the State Investigation and Protection Agency are conducting an operational action codenamed "Var" at several locations in Bosnia and Herzegovina due to the existence of grounds for suspicion that the suspects in this case have committed the criminal offense from Article 250 of the Criminal Code of BiH "Organized Crime" in conjunction with criminal offenses from Article 383 of the Criminal Code of FBiH "Abuse of Official Position and Authority" and the criminal offense from Article 380 of the Criminal Code of FBiH "Receiving Gifts and Other Forms of Benefit", confirmed SIPA spokesperson Luka Miladinović.

The action is being carried out by orders of the Prosecutor's Office and the Court of BiH. Searches are underway at five locations in the wider area of Bosnia and Herzegovina, including in Šamac, Orašje, and Novi Travnik.

N1 unofficially learns that the suspect Vladimir Dominković, for matches from which he expected a certain financial gain, delegated trusted referees for specific officiating, most often the suspects Ilija Živković and Kenan Bajraktarević, who are suspected of influencing the specific outcome of those matches. The role of the suspects Ante Bilješka and Fuad Zahirović was to give the referees passing grades for such officiating. All manipulations relate to the competitive season 2018/2019.